On 24 June 1509 Henry Tudor was crowned the eighth English king of that name. His early reign was seen by all as a new Golden Age, full of opulence, spendour, majesty and harmony. Thomas More wrote the above lines as part of an extended poem celebrating the King s accession, ignorant of the knowledge that Henry s Reformation of the 1530s and 40s was to fundamentally change the religious landscape of England forever and claim More s own life. While Henry s reputation is today largely that of the tyrant, in the first 20 years of his reign he was perhaps one of the greatest royal patrons of the musical arts in all of Europe. Here we explore the other Henry: the musician, scholar, and happy prince. Henry, of course, was not originally destined to be king. As the second son of Henry VII he was raised in the manner of any European prince and received a sound education, with original hopes, it seems, for high places in the Church. Henry excelled at languages, literature, theology, sport and, most famously, music. It was the untimely death in 1502 of his older brother Arthur that thrust the young Duke of York into the limelight. When Henry VIII came to the throne just before his 18th birthday, he was a very different character to that most famously produced by Hans Holbein on the cover of this CD: before the iconic image of the obese and fearsome dictator came a youthful, tall, strikingly handsome and benevolent prince. The court during his early years on the throne must have abounded with cultural activity. Indeed, the number of full-time musicians employed in his household increased from around a half dozen to no less than 58. He also kept his own private household chapel choir in addition to his Chapel Royal, containing the finest musicians in the land, which was a regular and important part of his retinue. Later in life he would go on to found or re-found a number of England s greatest musical institutions that still exist today, including Christ Church, Oxford, and Trinity College, Cambridge, as well as finishing King s College Chapel, that grand project started in 1441 by the teenage Henry VI.
There is much, therefore, to offer in a single recording of Henry s Music. The chosen works may be divided into two broad categories: music written for Henry and by Henry. Sub-categories might also include church and chamber music, vocal and instrumental, but the main point to demonstrate is the wealth of creativity that flowered in this time and the sheer beauty and emotional impact of the music itself.
This recording, produced in conjunction with the various Henry at 500 celebrations held in 2009, contains music written for Henry and by Henry. Voices and instruments combine to offer a fitting tribute to England s most musical king.
'Henry's Music' includes a world premiere recording of the contents of MS Royal 11.e.xi (a royal choirbook gifted to King Henry in 1516), and tribute motets by Robert Fayrfax, Philippe Verdelot, and John Taverner.
About the Artist
Alamire is made up of some of the finest consort singers in the UK and exist in order to explore and promote the compositional processes behind the great masterworks, and lesser-known works, of the late medieval and early modern periods.
David Skinner is known primarily for his combined role as a researcher and performer of early music, and is Fellow and Director of Music at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.
Andrew Lawrence-King is recognized as one of Europe's leading early music artists, and is currently leader of The Harp Consort.
Formed in 1993, members of QuintEssential have performed with some of the leading British period instrument groups, while QuintEssential has collaborated with vocal ensembles such as the Oxford Camerata, Concertare, the Choir of the Brompton Oratory and the Choir of the Chapel Royal at the Tower of London.
