Welcome to Harmonia…I’m Angela Mariani. We often hear music for royal occasions—coronations, weddings, and more. Trumpets sound as robed men and women walk down the long aisle of a cathedral awaiting some important event. But what about music written by the rulers themselves? This hour, we’ll discover that when some of the rulers of the early modern era weren’t busy governing, fighting wars, and busily expanding their empires, they actually found time to write music. Plus, Allison Monroe leads Queen's Rebels Band in music from our featured release, Fair and Princely Branches: Renaissance Music for the Jacobean Princes.
MUSIC TRACK
Frederick II (KING OF PRUSSIA): Flute Sonatas
Mary Oleskiewicz (flute); Maet Balazs (cello); David Schulenberg (fortepiano)
Huntington 2011 / B006EMSQ2W
Frederick II (King of Prussia)
Tr. 17 Flute Sonata No. 261 in F Major, II. Staccato: Allegro di molto (4:46)
Allegro di molto from Flute Sonata No. 264 by Frederick II, King of Prussia. We’ll hear more from this royal composer in a bit.
Tudor king Henry VIII is infamous for many things. He had six wives, which is a whole grim story in itself and involves royal beheadings. He founded the Church of England, mostly so that he could divorce one of the six wives. He used his power to expand royal authority by making changes to the English Constitution and establishing the divine right of kings. Somehow, he found time to write music. Henry wrote settings of popular tunes, like this one of the Dutch tune “Tandernaken.” He wrote original lyrics and music, too, including the song, “Though sum saith that yough rulyth me.”
MUSIC TRACK
Henry's Music: Motets from a Royal Choirbook / Songs by Henry VIII
Quintessential / Andrew Lawrence-King, harp / Alamire (choir), David Skinner (dir)
Obsidian 2009 / Naxos cat. OBSID-CD705
Henry VIII (King of England)
Tr. 6 Tandernaken (2:12)
Tr. 16 Though sum saith that yough rulyth me (3:33)
“Though sum saith that yough rulyth me” by King Henry VIII of England. Before that, we heard Henry’s setting of “Tandernaken.” David Skinner directed the vocal group Alamire and the wind consort Quintessential.
Henry VIII also wrote songs of love and loss—in “Hey Trolly Lolly Lo!” in which a man unsuccessfully attempts to woo a woman. The lyrics tell a story of a man milking a cow, certainly something king Henry wouldn’t have been doing.
MUSIC TRACK
Music for Tudor Kings
Hilliard Ensemble and New London Consort
Musical Concepts 2008 / Naxos cat no. ALC1015
Henry VIII (King of England)
Tr 16 Hey Trolly Lolly Lo! (5:01)
The Hilliard Ensemble performed “Hey Trolly Lolly Lo!” by Henry Tudor, king of England.
Henry VIII wasn’t the only English royal—not even the only Henry—to compose. A century earlier someone named “Roy Henry,” Roi Henri, also wrote music. Roi means King, but there is some debate about which Henry this is: Henry the fourth? Henry the Fifth? Henry IV was known to write music, and Henry V apparently also “delighted in songs and metres.” The most likely candidate here is actually Henry the Fifth; if so, let’s “remember, with advantages, what notes he wrote that day.”
MUSIC TRACK
The Lancastrians to the Tudors
The Cardinall's Musick / dir. Andrew Carwood
Universal Classics 2015 / Naxos cat no. 00743625019629
Roy Henry (Henry V? – fl. 1410)
Tr 2 Gloria (3:14)
Tr 4 Sanctus (1:51)
Settings of the Gloria and Sanctus by--Roy Henry? Roi Henri? We think it was Henry the Fifth. The Cardinall’s Musick was directed by Andrew Carwood.
You can hear highlights from recent and archival concert recordings of early music on Harmonia Uncut -- our biweekly podcast, curated and hosted by Wendy Gillespie. Listen online at harmonia early music dot org and through iTunes.
Theme Music Bed: Ensemble Alcatraz, Danse Royale, Elektra Nonesuch 79240-2 / B000005J0B, T.12: La Prime Estampie Royal
You’re listening to Harmonia . . . I’m Angela Mariani.]
MUSIC TRACK
Henry's Music: Music from a Royal Choirbook / Songs by Henry VIII, Quintessential / Andrew Lawrence-King, harp / Alamire (choir), David Skinner (dir), Obsidian 2009 / OBSID-CD705, Henry VIII (King of England): Tr. 18 Consort No. 8 (excerpt of 1:10)
(Theme music fades out at :59)
Welcome back! This week, we’re exploring music composed by monarchs.
In the sixteenth century, Ivan IV was Grand Prince of Moscow. At age sixteen, his close circle of advisors proclaimed Ivan the first tsar of Russia. He became knows as “Ivan the Terrible” for his reign of rampant imperialism, war, murder, and various other atrocities. Many are not aware, however, that he also composed music. This is a piece written in honor St. Peter of Moscow.
MUSIC TRACK
Russian Orthodox Music
Tallis Scholars / Dir. Peter Phillips
Gimmel 1982
Ivan IV (Tsar of Russia)
Tr. 2 Kuimi pokhvalienui mi (2:04)
A chant for St. Peter of Moscow, composed by, of all people, Tsar Ivan IV—aka Ivan the Terrible. Peter Phillips led the Tallis Scholars.
We move west now to the coast of the Iberian peninsula, and forward in time a generation to the mid-seventeenth century and King John the fourth of Portugal. He is known to History as John the Restorer, and although he was known as a patron of the arts, I assure you that in this case “restorer” had nothing to do with cleaning up paintings—it refers rather to restoring Portugal’s autonomy from Spain, and amassing a huge empire in the meantime. John also both composed music and wrote about it, including a work called In Defense of Modern Music, and one in defense of Palestrina. Here is John the Fourth’s composition “Crux fidelis.”
MUSIC TRACK
The Golden Age (Siglo de Oro)
The Kings Singers
Signum Classics 2008
John IV (King of Portugal)
Tr 1 Crux Fidelis (9:51)
Crux Fidelis by the Portuguese king known as John the Restorer. We heard The Kings Singers on their 2008 Naxos release The Golden Age.
Another composing monarch was eighteenth-century Prussian king Frederick the Great. His reign was characterized by contradictions—he believed in some enlightenment principles, but ruled as an absolute monarch; he encouraged immigration of some religious groups to Prussia, but he made life difficult for the Polish Catholics in his realm. His Calvinist father was not sympathetic to either his sexual orientation—in fact he had one of young Frederick’s lovers executed—or of Frederick’s deep and lifelong interest in music. As a patron of the arts, Frederick’s court included a who’s who of Enlightenment composers such as Johann Joachim Quantz, Carl Heinrich Graun, Franz Benda, and C.P.E. Bach. Frederick was an avid traverso player himself, and he composed music for the instrument, too. We’ll hear his Flute Sonata 182 in B-Flat Major.
MUSIC TRACK
Frederick II (KING OF PRUSSIA): Flute Sonatas
Mary Oleskiewicz [oh-less-kay-veetch] (flute); Balázs Máté (cello); David Schulenberg (fortepiano)
Huntington 2011 / Naxos cat. HCD32698
Frederick II (King of Prussia)
Tr 7 Flute Sonata No. 182 in B-Flat Major, I. Largo (3:01)
Tr 8 Flute Sonata No. 182 in B-Flat Major, II. Allegro (3:15)
Tr 9 Flute Sonata No. 182 in B-Flat Major, III. Allegro assai (2:14)
Mary Oleskiewicz, traverso; Balázs Máté, cello; and David Schulenberg, forte-piano. That was Flute Sonata No. 182 in B-Flat Major by Frederick II, King of Prussia.
When Elizabeth the first of England died in 1610, James Stuart, King of Scotland, ascended the throne of England and Ireland. His son, Prince Henry, became Prince of Wales. The music from the seventeenth century courts of Princes Henry and Charles is celebrated by violinist Allison Monroe and Queen’s Rebels Band in their 2020 release Fair and Princely Branches: Renaissance Music for the Jacobean Princes. We’ll hear “3 Mascharades” by William Brade.
MUSIC TRACK
Fair and Princely Branches: Renaissance Music for the Jacobean Princes
Queen's Rebels Band / Allison Monroe, dir. (some w/voc, organ)
Queen's Rebels 2020 / Amazon ASIN: B0852QV212
William Brade
Tr 1 3 Mascharades (3:22)
“3 Mascharades,” by William Brade, performed by Queen’s Rebels Band, from their recording Fair and Princely Branches: Renaissance Music for the Jacobean Princes.
We’ll end this royal hour with a stately Pavan by Alfonso Ferrabosco, also from our featured recording by Queen’s Rebels Band: Fair and Princely Branches: Renaissance Music for the Jacobean Princes.
MUSIC TRACK
Fair and Princely Branches: Renaissance Music for the Jacobean Princes
Queen's Rebels Band / Allison Monroe, dir. (some w/voc, organ)
Queen's Rebels 2020 / Amazon ASIN: B0852QV212
Alfonso Ferrabosco
Tr 5 Pavan No. 8 (4:30)
From a recording entitled Fair and Princely Branches: Renaissance Music for the Jacobean Princes: Pavan No. 8 by Alfonso Ferrabosco, played by Queen’s Rebels Band, directed by Allison Monroe.
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Harmonia is a production of WFIU. Support comes from Early Music America which strengthens and celebrates early music by supporting the people and organizations that perform, study, and find joy in it....on the web at EarlyMusicAmerica-DOT-org.
Additional resources come from the William and Gayle Cook Music Library at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
We welcome your thoughts about any part of this program, or about early music in general. Contact us at harmonia early music dot org. And, you can follow our Facebook page and our updates on Twitter by searching for Harmonia Early Music.
The writer for this edition of Harmonia was Sarah Schilling (or Sarah Huebsch Schilling).
Thanks to our studio engineer Michael Paskash, and our production team: Aaron Cain, Wendy Gillespie, LuAnn Johnson and John Bailey. I’m Angela Mariani, inviting you to join us again for the next edition of Harmonia.
