A tenor, he sang at the first English productions of Mozart's operas Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute.
Then, intending to become a professional singer, he went to London and studied under Jonathan Blewitt, Thomas Welsh, De Pinna, and Tom Cooke.
[1] Templeton made his stage debut at Worthing in 1828, appearing as Dermot in The Poor Soldier.
After some time in the provinces he made a successful London debut in October 1831 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
[1] He visited Paris in 1842 before embarking on provincial tours, giving lecture recitals on Scottish, English, and Irish folk-songs.