1762, and in 1764 became enamel-painter to the king, having already been appointed miniature-painter to the queen. Meyer was one of the original directors of the Incorporated Society of Artists, and in 1769 was chosen a foundation member of the Royal Academy. He contributed to the Academy's exhibitions until 1783, sending several portraits of members of the royal family. To Meyer's initiative was due the establishment of the Royal Academy pension fund in 1775. He was a friend of both Romney and Hayley, and brought them together in 1776. Meyer resided for many years in Tavistock Row, Covent Garden, and later at Kew, where he died of a fever on 19 Jan. 1789. He lies close to Gainsborough in Kew churchyard. A mural tablet to his memory, with a medallion portrait and some eulogistic verses by Hayley, is in Kew Church.
Meyer's art was strongly influenced by his study of Reynolds, and his miniatures are unsurpassed for truth and refinement. In private life he was much esteemed, and Hayley, in his ‘Essay on Painting,’ paid a warm tribute to his merits. He married in 1763 Barbara Marsden, a lady of some artistic talent, who survived him.
An unfinished portrait of Meyer, by N. Dance, R.A., was engraved after his death by W. Pether, and a profile of him is in the set of portraits of artists by D. Pariset, after P. Falconet. A portrait of one of his daughters, in the character of Hebe, painted by Reynolds, has been engraved in mezzotint by J. Jacobé.
[Chalmers's Biog. Dict.; Sandby's Hist. of the Royal Acad.; Redgrave's Dict. of Artists; Hayley's Life of Romney; Edwards's Anecd. of Painting; Lysons's Environs of London, i. 152.]
MEYER, PHILIP JAMES (1732–1820), musician, was born at Strassburg in 1732, of protestant parents, and brought up with a view to the ministry. He was early attracted by music, learnt the organ, and coming accidentally across an old German harp without pedals he mastered that instrument. He embraced music as a profession, and introduced some improvements in the harp, which was then in a transition state previous to its perfection by the mechanical genius of Sebastian Erard. He proceeded to Paris in 1765, and was among the first performers on the pedal harp in that city, where, in 1766, he published his ‘Methode sur la vraie manière de jouer la Harpe, avec les règles pour l'accorder,’ a pioneer work of considerable merit. He studied German music during this period with Müthel, a pupil of Sebastian Bach. In 1772 he visited England, and was the first person who publicly played the pedal harp in this country, at a concert at the Hanover Square Rooms. His stay in England was a short one. He returned to Paris, and set to music a dramatic piece by Pitra, entitled ‘Damète et Zulmis.’ Its success procured his introduction to Voltaire, who invited him to compose the music for a serious opera, ‘Samson,’ but died before the work was completed. Meyer definitely settled in London in 1784. He performed little, but wrote a quantity of harp music, and found distinguished patronage as a teacher. In addition to the ‘Methode,’ the most considerable of his published works are: ‘Two Collections of French Songs for the Harp,’ London, 1780; ‘Two Sonatas for the Harp, with an Accompaniment for the Pianoforte or two Violins, Viola, and 'Cello’ [1800]; ‘Irish Melodies arranged as Duets for the Harp and Piano,’ 1811; and ‘A Collection of Hymns and Psalms arranged for the Harp,’ 1815. Meyer died in London 17 Jan. 1820. By the wife whom he married at Strassburg in 1768 Meyer left two sons, Philip James the younger (1770–1849), who was appointed harpist to Queen Adelaide, and wrote numerous works for the harp, and Frederic Charles (1773–1840), who was also a composer and professor of the harp.
[Dictionary of Musicians, 1824; Fétis's Biog. Univ. des Musiciens; Mendel und Reissmann's Musikalisches Conversations-Lexikon, vii. 143; Brit. Mus. Catalogue of Music; information kindly supplied by Mr. Sebastian W. Meyer, grandson of Philip James the younger. Brief notices of Meyer also appear in Biographie degli Artisti, 1846, and Dizionario e Bibliografia, Milan, 1826.]
MEYNELL, CHARLES, D.D. (1828–1882), catholic divine, born in 1828, was educated at Sedgley Park, Staffordshire, and at the English College, Rome. For many years he was professor of metaphysics at St. Mary's College, Oscott, and after being attached to the cathedral at Birmingham for a short time he was removed in 1873 to the small mission of Caverswall, North Staffordshire, where he died on 3 May 1882. He was the author of: 1. ‘The “Colenso” Controversy considered from the Catholic Standpoint; being five Letters about Dr. Colenso's work upon the Pentateuch, and the criticisms which it has called forth on either side,’ London, 1863, 8vo, written in conjunction with the Rev. James Spencer Northcote. 2. ‘Short Sermons on Doctrinal Subjects,’ 1866 (two editions). 3. ‘Padre Liberatore and the Ontologists: a Review,’ London [1868], 8vo. 4. ‘Proteus and Amadeus: a Correspondence. Edited by [Sir] Aubrey De Vere,
