James Hook was employed as organist, composer and music director at Vauxhall Gardens in London for forty-six years, from 1774-1820. He was preceded in that position by Thomas Arne, a composer better known to musicians of the twentieth century. Hook had an enormous output including over 2000 songs, most of which were intended for performance at the gardens. Many of these songs were popular enough to be published in New York, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, as well as London. These songs are generally in the lightly textured gallant style popularized in England most notably by J.C. Bach.