author
George Veal
1740–1787
A little-known 18th-century musician and satirist, he is best remembered for the lively book published under the name Joel Collier. His mock travel narrative poked fun at fashionable music writing and won a wide readership in its day.
1 Audiobook
Musical Travels Through England
by George Veal
About the author
Best known under the pseudonym Joel Collier, George Veal was an English musician active in the later 18th century. Contemporary reference works identify him as a tenor player at the Italian Opera and credit him with writing Musical Travels in England, a satirical response to the musical tours of Charles Burney.
That book first appeared in 1774 and became popular enough to be reissued. Library and museum catalog records also note that the work was sometimes attributed to other writers, but reliable historical references connect the pseudonym Joel Collier with Veal.
Very little biographical detail about his life now seems easy to confirm, which adds to his air of mystery. What survives most clearly is his sharp, playful place in the musical and literary culture of Georgian England.