During the reigns of the Tudor monarchs (1485-1603), England saw enormous changes in its musical landscape, which mirrored changes in English culture and politics more broadly. As the Tudors increasingly broke from the influence of the Catholic Church, they supported native English musicians like Thomas Tallis (c1505–1585), William Byrd (c1540–1623), and John Dowland (1563–1626), who cultivated distinctively English musical style, but they also imported music and musicians from abroad, especially from Italy – the diverse group of Italian musicians included, surprisingly, some Jewish instrumentalists. These developments in Tudor music will be explored through discussion of choral works in both Latin (for the Catholic Church) and English (for the newly founded Anglican Church), secular ayres (songs) and madrigals, and compositions for diverse instruments including the viol (viola da gamba), virginal (harpsichord), and lute.
This lecture is part of Beyond the Art: The History and Culture of Tudor England.