Henry VIII as Writer and Lyricist

SLIS Connecting, Volume 4, Issue 2

“…Henry, then Duke of York, was given an education in classics and theology while his brother Arthur was groomed for the throne (Loades, 2007). As children, Arthur and Henry most likely shared a tutor (Siemens, 2009a;Weir, 2001), possibly for more generalized education. When Arthur died unexpectedly of consumption at the age of fifteen (Ackroyd, 2012;Cannon, 2009), ten-year-old Henry was suddenly the heir to the throne (Cannon & Hargreaves, 2009).…”

“…He was an able singer (Ackroyd, 2012;Milsom, 2011;Weir, 2001;Williams, 1971) with a high voice and the ability to read music on sight (Weir, 2001), which was a common skill for the nobility but not one professionals such as minstrels or other itinerant musicians possessed (Stevens, 1979). Henry composed several pieces in his lifetime including masses (Ackroyd, 2012;Siemens, 2009a;Weir, 2001;Williams, 1971), masques (Siemens, 2009a), and motets (Ackroyd, 2012;Kennedy, Kennedy, & Rutherford-Johnson, 2012a;Siemens, 2009a;Weir, 2001). His skill would not rival that of a professional musician, but Henry is still considered one of the best amateur composers in England during the Tudor era (Siemens, 2009a;Stevens, 1979;Wulstan, 1986).…”

“…Henry composed several pieces in his lifetime including masses (Ackroyd, 2012;Siemens, 2009a;Weir, 2001;Williams, 1971), masques (Siemens, 2009a), and motets (Ackroyd, 2012;Kennedy, Kennedy, & Rutherford-Johnson, 2012a;Siemens, 2009a;Weir, 2001). His skill would not rival that of a professional musician, but Henry is still considered one of the best amateur composers in England during the Tudor era (Siemens, 2009a;Stevens, 1979;Wulstan, 1986). As a young king, Henry "took childish pleasure in the more violent forms of dancing" (Hackett, 1945, p. 43) and was considered a capable dancer (Hackett, 1945;Loades, 2007).…”

“…A contemporary recorded Elizabeth as saying by the time she had ascended the throne of England, she knew a total of six languages better than her native English (Chamberlin, 1922). Her ability for languages and writing was deeply embedded in her genes; her father Henry was fluent in three languages (Weir, 2001) and his mother and Elizabeth's namesake Elizabeth of York was a lyricist (Siemens, 2009a). Elizabeth's ability in language led her to become a great writer, orator, and poet (Birch & Hooper, 2012;Frye, 2006;Harrison, 1968), and would in turn make her a skilled lyricist.…”

“…Henry VIII's only surviving sacred musical work is "Quam pulchra es," (Kennedy, Kennedy, & Rutherford-Johnson, 2012a;Weir, 2001) a three-part motet (Weir, 2001) written for men's voices (Stevens, 1979,). Composed in 1530, this piece is still regularly performed in England (Siemens, 2009a;Williams, 1971). The song is one of 203 motets located in The Baldwin Collection of Motets, etc.…”