BRAHAM, JOHN, a celebrated English vocalist, was horn in London in 1771, of Jewish parentage, his family name being Abraham. He received his first lessons in singing from Leoni, a well-known Italian artist, and made Iris appearance on the stage of the Covent Garden Theatre so early as 1787, when he sang bravura airs composed for Madame Mara. On the breaking of his voice his public career was interrupted for a time, and he had to support himself by teaching the pianoforte. In a few years, however, he recovered his voice, which proved to be a tenor of exceptionally pure and rich quality. His second debut was made in 1794 at the Bath concerts, to the conductor of which, Rauzzini, he was indebted for careful training, extending over a period of more than two years. In 1796 he reappeared in London at Drury Lane, the opera being Storace's .alarmed. With the view of perfecting himself in his art he set out for Italy in the autumn of the following year. On the way he gave some concerts at Paris, which proved so successful that he was induced to remain, contrary to his original intention, for eight months in that city. His career in Italy was one of continuous triumph ; lie appeared in all the principal opera-houses, and was universally recognized as being without a rival even in that land of song. In 1801 he returned to his native country, and appeared once more at Covent Garden in the opera Chains of the Heart by Mazzinghi and Reeve. So great was his popularity that an engagement he had made when abroad to return after a year to Vienna was renounced, and he remained henceforward in England. For nearly forty years from this date his powers continued unimpaired, and he sang occasionally in public till within a year or two of his death, which occurred on the 17th February 1856. There is, perhaps, no other case upon record in which a vocalist of the first rank enjoyed the use of his organ so long ; between his first and last public appearances considerably more than sixty years intervened, during forty of which he held the undisputed supremacy alike in opera, oratorio, and the concert-room. Braham was the composer of a number of vocal pieces, which being sang by himself had great temporary popularity, though they had little intrinsic merit, and are now deservedly for gotten. A partial exception must be made in favour of The Death of Nelson, which still keeps its place as a ' standard popular English song.