He was born in 1745;
William Thomas Parke, also an oboist, was his younger brother. John Parke studied the oboe under Simpson, and musical theory under
Charles Frederick Baumgarten. In 1768 he was appointed principal oboe at
the King's Theatre; in the same year he played at the first Birmingham festival, and also at the
Three Choirs Festival in Hereford. He continued to perform at the Three Choirs Festivals for thirty-five years. In 1768
Johann Christian Fischer, an oboist from Dresden, first came to London: his performances stimulated Parke to greater ambition, and he improved his style; two years later he succeeded Fischer as concerto player at
Vauxhall Gardens. In 1771 he accepted an offer from
David Garrick to become first oboe at
Drury Lane Theatre. He was also engaged by
John Christopher Smith and
John Stanley as a principal at the Lenten oratorios, and in the summer he played at
Ranelagh Gardens and Vauxhall Gardens. He married in 1772 Hannah Maria Burnett; they had several children, including the musician
Maria Frances Parke, the eldest child, and the architect
Henry Parke. ==References==