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John Bull (1562 or 1563–March 12, 1628) was a English composer, musician, and organ builder. He was the celebrated keyboard performer and virtually all of his compositions were written for this medium.

Life

He was probably natural inside Radnorshire in Wales. Around 1573 he joined the choir at Hereford cathedral, and a next month joined them of the Chapel Royal in London, where he exposed by having William Blitheman and William Hunnis; in addition to singing he learned to play a organ at this instance.

Around 1586 he received his degree from either Oxford, and he became the Gentleman of the Chapel Royal that equivalent month. Around 1591 he became organist at the Chapel Royal; inside 1592 he received his doctorate from either Oxford, & inside 1596 he became professor of music at Gresham College on the recommendation of Queen Elizabeth who admired him greatly. There exists a bit of grounds to believe that she sent Bull in espionage missions. On a dying of Elizabeth, he entered into the service of King James. Throughout this instance he was establishing the reputation for himself as a skilled composer, keyboard performing artist & improviser.

Even so, additionally to his virtuosity as a keyboard performing artist & composer, he was too skilled at acquiring into pain. He was forced to leave his post at Gresham College fallowing he impregnated the woman pre-maritally; possibly though he filed the marriage license ii years after he misused his job, he never returned to the college. He was as well charged by having breaking & typing inside a eccentric out break which exposed his attempt to evict the former tenant of the rooms he was assigned, & an action was filed against Bull inside Star Chamber but the effect of this outbreak is non known.

Bull left Engl& secretly and by using swell haste around 1613, fleeing the wrath of the Archbishop of Canterbury and King James I himself; the charge this period was fornication. A English envoy inside the Sale Countries, fallowing number 1 attempting to handle for him--however late fearing for his have position whenever he continued to run and so--wrote to the King in early 1614,

A Archbishop of Canterbury experienced said of him a last season: "the man hath more music than honesty and is as famous for marring of virginity as he is for fingering of organs and virginals."

Bull remained in the Netherlands, in which it seems he stayed away from pain. Around 1615 Antwerp Cathedral appointed him when adjunct organist, & as primary organist within 1617. Bull wrote the series of letters patch in the Netherlands, including of these to the city manager of Antwerp, claiming that the cause he left England was to escape religious persecution, since he was a Catholic; he seems to have been believed, for he was never extradited back to England. When inside Antwerp he met Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, the virtually all influential keyboard composer of the age.

In the 1620s he continued his career as an organist, organ builder and adviser. He died around Antwerp.

Works

Bull was one of a best known composers of keyboard music of the early 17th century, exceeded only by Sweelinck in the Netherlands, Frescobaldi in Italy, &, a bit of would say, by his countryman and elder, a celebrated William Byrd. He left several compositions for pair of virginals, a select few of which were collected in the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book.

His foremost (& merely) publication, around 1612 or 1613, was part of the collection of virginal music entitled Parthenia, or even a Maydenhead of the 1st Musicke That Ever Was Printed for the Virginalls, dedicated to the 15-month-old Princess Elizabeth, world health organization was his student, on the occasion of her betrothal to Frederick, Elector Palatine of the Rhine. A more contributors to Parthenia were Bull's coeval William Byrd & Orlando Gibbons, among a best known composers of the age. Bull besides wrote an anthem, God a father, God a boy, for the wedding within 1613 of the Princess to Prince Friedrich, the Elector Palatinate.

Additionally to his keyboard compositions, he wrote verse anthems, canons and other works. Great deal of his music was wasted once he fled Engl&; a few was destroyed, and on occasion was purloined by more composers, though occasionally such misattributions may be corrected now according to stylistic evidence. One of a virtually all unusual collections of music from either a period of time is his book of Great hundred canons, an astonishing display of contrapuntal skill worthy of Ockeghem or J.S. Bach. 116 of a Long hundred come according to the Miserere. Techniques listed to transform a elementary theme include diminution, augmentation, retrograde and mixed time signatures. A bit of of his music in the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book is of the lightly character, & utilizes capricious titles: "A Battle and No Battle," "Bonny Peg of Ramsey," "The King's Hunt," "Bull's Good-Night."

Sources and further reading

Article "John Bull," in The Just released Grove Lexicon of Music & Musicians, ed. Stanley Sadie. Xx vol. London, Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 1980. ISBN 1561591742 ''A Concise Edition of Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Eighth ed. Revised by Nicolas Slonimsky. Just released York, Schirmer Books, 1993. ISBN 002872416X Gustave Reese, Music in the Renaissance. Just released York, W.W. Norton & Co., 1954. ISBN 0393095304 Manfred Bukofzer, Music in the Baroque Era''. Future York, W.W. Norton & Co., 1947. ISBN 0393097455 Henry Leigh: 'Dr John Bull'. Herbert Joseph Ltd, inside association by owning a World-Mermaid Assocation. There is no place, 1937.

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Bull, John (?1562-3 - 1628)
Brief biographical sketch and summary of his keyboard music.

Bull, John (c. 1562 - 1628), United Kingdom
Biographical data, recommended CDs, books and sheet music, bibliography, and links to biographical essays from Dr. Estrella's Incredibly Abridged Dictionary of Composers.

John Bull
Extended biography with illustrations, links, and a partial discography from Here on a Sunday Morning on WBAI FM in New York.

It's No Bull: The Story of John Bull, Typical Englishman
A history of the term as applied to the English compared and contrasted with the composer of the same name from Judy Calheiros at Suite101.com.

Classical Music Archives: Bull
Audio files offered in MIDI format.

Bull, John
Musical biography focusing on his keyboard virtuosity, organ and virginal pieces, canons, and anthems plus a summary list of works from the Grove Concise Dictionary of Music entry at WQXR radio.

John Bull
Musica Classica Classical Music Dictionary entry with life, portrait, comments on works, and MIDI file of The King's Hunt.


Arts: Music: Composition: Composers: By Region: Europe: English
Arts: Music: Composition: Composers: L: Leighton, William, Sir: Tears and Lamentations of a Sorrowful Soul
Arts: Music: Composition: Composers: Renaissance
Arts: Music: Instruments: Keyboard: Organ: Organists





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