John Reading (c. 1685/86 – 2 September 1764) was an English composer, organist and copyist (his name, like the town, is pronounced "Redding"[citation needed]—a spelling variant of his name which occurs in several documents).
The younger Reading received the best possible musical training, being a chorister of the Chapel Royal, where he was taught by John Blow.
Reading was a notable organist, composer and teacher, but his great contribution to music lies in his activities as a copyist.
These changes in style were obviously reflected in the organ playing of Reading, because in 1719 a representation was made to him while organist of the Church of St John-at-Hackney about "irregularities relating to the execution of his Office as Organist of this Parish, and particularly for playing the Voluntary too long, and using persistently too light, Airy and Jyggy Tunes, no ways proper to raise the Devotion Suitable for a Religious Assembly.
In the preface to his A Book of New Songs (1710) he writes of the Italian influence in opera houses in London that "our English composers might be inspired with ye utmost delicacy of a Roman Genius."
Reading must have retained great affection for Dulwich College where he had had his first post, for he donated 12 volumes of his music which he had collected, transcribed and arranged.