More detailed biographies of some of the composers
mentioned on other pages. (See ‘Notes and References page
for sources).
Hugh Aston
English composer (c1485 - 1558) graduated Bachelor of Music
at Oxford in 1510 and worked as master of the choristers at
St Mary Newarke College, Leicester from 1525-1548. He wrote
choral music and is probably the author of three (for the
time) innovative keyboard pieces, certainly the ‘Hornepype’
(found in a MS in the British Museum) and probably ‘My Lady
Careys Dompe’ and ‘The Short Mesure off my Lady Wynkfyld's
Rownde’ (sic) - which I haven’t managed to find
yet!
Tobias Hume
English
composer and viol player (c1579-1645). A somewhat unusual
figure, he was a professional soldier who served as an
officer in the Swedish and Russian armies, and a viol
player who published two important volumes of music,
principally for the Lyra Viol. According to a BBC Radio 3
broadcast series on the music of the court of King James,
he was an a favourite of James Stewart at the time he was
Scottish king (James VI), but I have not found this point
mentioned elsewhere. He championed the cause of the Lyra
Viol in his writings, to an extent that prompted John
Dowland to publish a rebuttal.
Hume was also something of a musical joker, with unusual
compositions such as the Princes Almayne (below) which was
"an Invention for Two to Play upone one Viole". Two bows
are required and the smaller of the two players is obliged
to sit in the lap of the larger player. His instructions to
"drum this with the backe of your bow" in another piece,
"Harke, harke," constitute the earliest known use of ‘col
legno’.
Tobias Hume wrote of himself (in what would now, I suppose,
be called an artist’s statement)
“I Doe not studie Eloquence, or profess Musicke, although I
doe love Sence, and affect Harmony: my Profession being, as
my Education hath beene, Armes, the onely effeminate part
of me, hath beene Musicke; which in mee hath beene alwayes
Generous, because never Mercenarie. To prayse Musicke, were
to say, the Sunne is bright. To extoll my selfe, would name
my labors vaine glorious. Onely this, mu studies are far
from servile imitations, I robbe no others inventions, I
take no Italian Note to an English dittie, or filch
fragments of Songs to stuffe out my volumes. There are mine
own Phansies expressed by my proper Genius, which if thou
dost dislike, let me see thine, Carpere vel noli nostra,
vel ede tua, Now to use a modest shortnes, and a briefe
expression of my seffe to all noble spirites, thus, My
title expresseth my Bookes Contents, which (if my Hopes
faile me not) shall not deceive their expectation, in whose
approvement the crowne of my labors resteth. And from
henceforth, the stateful instrument Gambo Violl shall with
ease yeelde full various and as devicefull Musicke as the
Lute. For here I protest the Trinitie of Musicke, parts,
Passion and Division, to be as gracefully united in the
Gambo Violl, as in the most received Instrument that is,
which here with a Souldiers Resolution, I give up to the
acceptance of at noble dispositions.”
Thomas Mace
Thomas
Mace (c1612 - c1706) was a musician who spent most of his
very long life in Cambridge occupying a modest position as
“a singing man” at Trinity College. He is chiefly
remembered for his book “Musick’s Monument: or a
Remembrancer of the Best Practical Musick”, published in
1676. This is a treatise on music making in which Mace
looks back to music making in the reign of Charles I (he
was himself a Royalist) a time at which he believed music
had reached a level of perfection. The book covers church
music, lute music (in a section entitled “The Lute Made
Easie” that is essentially a lute tutor dealing with
technique, stringing, maintenance etc and including a set
of instructional suites) music in general and the viol.
Even a superficial reading of this book suggests that he
was a person of some eccentricity; this is somewhat borne
out by his two other publications which were:
“The Profit, Conveniency and Pleasure for the Whole Nation:
being a short rational Discourse lately presented to his
Majesty concerning the Highways of England.” (1625)
“Riddles, Mervels and Rarities, or, A New Way of Health
from an Old Man’s Experience.” (1698).
Nevertheless his music, if not the greatest of its time has
great charm and energy and much of it is well worth
playing. Its comparative obscurity is perhaps related to
the fact that most of it is written for a 12 course lute in
one of the transitional lute tunings between the
renaissance ‘viel ton’ and the later d minor baroque
tuning. (This can be represented as: g’,e’,c’,a, e, B, A,
G, F, E, D, C - with retuning of bass courses to suit the
key).
Perhaps because it is an instructional work, the music is
unusual for it’s time in containing detailed information
about the decorations to be used and in indicating
dynamics.
There is a modern guitar edition of this music by Andrew
Shepard-Smith published by Mel Bay (MB99995) [which does
suffer from some of the inevitable errors that creep into
this type of transcription] and the UK Lute Society is
planning an edition for both lute in viel ton and 10-string
guitar.
Music Indexes:
Guitar
Arrangements
10-string
Guitar
Lute
Tablature
Ensemble
First
Drafts
Composer Index