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Robert Fayrfax (1464-1521): Music for Tudor Kings and Queens

10/22/2021, 12 Tracks, 1:07:04

Featuring

  • Toby Ward
  • Tobias Carron
  • Ensemble Pro Victoria
  • Robert Fayrfax

Did you know?

1/7

Composition History

The text for Fayrfax's partsong "Sumwhat musyng" was written by Anthony Woodville, second Earl Rivers, shortly before he was beheaded in 1483 during Richard III's usurpation.

Source: Booklet

Composer Biography

Robert Fayrfax (1464-1521), a composer for Tudor kings and queens, is exceptional among Tudor musicians for having a precisely recorded birthdate.

Source: Booklet

Performer Biography

Ensemble Pro Victoria, formed in 2015 at Cambridge University, was awarded joint-First Prize at the London International Festival of Early Music competition 2020.

Source: Booklet

Historical Context

The Missa Sponsus amat sponsam circulated covertly among Catholics after Fayrfax's death because symbols of the Aragonese marriage became "toxic" when Henry VIII sought to annul it.

Source: Booklet

Composer Biography

Fayrfax's family background was more advantaged than usual for a church musician, with connections to Margaret Beaufort (1441-1509), mother of King Henry VII.

Source: Booklet

Composition History

Fayrfax's Missa Sponsus amat sponsam is believed to have been composed for the wedding of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon in 1509.

Source: Booklet

Recording & Production

The Missa Sponsus amat sponsam has never been recorded before this album, mainly because it survives only as dismembered parts in manuscripts.

Source: Booklet

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