King Henry VIII was a music lover and experienced musician, who played instruments like the recorder, flute, and virginal, and even composed two masses.
Historical Context
An inventory after King Henry VIII's death in 1547 revealed his vast instrument collection, including 56 keyboard instruments, 19 bowed instruments, 31 lutes, and 222 wind instruments, 76 of which were recorders.
Compositional Technique
The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, a keyboard collection from 1609, contains nearly 300 varied pieces, showcasing the refined style of English virginalists and including works based on Cantus Firmus, dances, and variations on popular melodies.
Interpretation
The Consort Brouillamini performs Locke's Suite No. 3 and Purcell's two dances using "baroque" recorders, which have lighter trebles and a wider range of articulations, to highlight the transition to a new concertante style.
Compositional Technique
From the mid-16th to mid-17th century, over 150 instrumental versions of the Gregorian antiphon "In nomine" were composed by about 50 English musicians, all referencing the same antiphon first set by John Taverner.
Composer Biography
Christopher Tye, a composer known for his daring and rhythmic In nomine arrangements, was described as a "bad-tempered and capricious man" by 17th-century biographer Antony Wood.
Historical Context
English musicians were not isolated from their continental counterparts, with foreign musical forms like the pavan, galliard, and madrigal, all originating in Italy, being adopted in England.
