Tradition and Experiment in the Devotional Music of George Jeffreys

Abstract

The year 1646 was an important one in the musical career of George Jeffreys. Since at least 1643, and probably from October of the previous year, Jeffreys had been organist to Charles I at Oxford, an appointment which may have been secured for him by his patron, Sir Christopher Hatton, who was shortly to become Controller of the King's Household. Jeffreys' long association with the Hatton family dates back to at least 1631. In that year he set some verses by Sir Richard Hatton and collaborated with Peter Hausted in the comedy The Rivall Friends which was produced before the king and queen at Cambridge on 19 March. But Jeffreys' life at court and his association with the leading poets and musicians of the day were to come to an abrupt end on 24 June 1646. With the final surrender of Oxford to the Parliamentarian forces, led by Fairfax, Jeffreys retreated to the small Northamptonshire village of Weldon, where nine years earlier he had married the daughter of Thomas Mainwaring, rector of Weldon from 1614 until 1663. On leaving Oxford, Jeffreys retired for ever from the life of a professional musician. Almost immediately he became steward to Sir Christopher Hatton, and from about 1646 until his death in 1685 he was responsible for the administration of the Hatton estate at Kirby in Northamptonshire.

Two Latin Play Songs

“…9 Later in the play, in Act V Scene xii, the newly recovered Molossus sings to accompany his dancing: 'Enter Moloss, practicing his dancing, & singing it as they that dance doe tralle, lalle, tralle .... ' (EMM: V, xii, 24-24.1). In the next scene he insists on performing the laudatory song he has composed, 'Salta iam Molosse salta' (CUL: V, xiii, [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25], which rejoices in his cure and praises Archiater. Neither the latter song nor 'Reluces ut stella' includes a chorus.…”

“…One is George Jeffreys, seven of whose settings for the production of Peter Hausted's play The Rival Friends in 1632, also at Queens', are extant. 18 They share some stylistic traits with 'Dulcis somne'; all but two are for between one and three solo voices with five-part chorus. Another possible Downloaded by [McMaster University] at 04: 36 15 June 2016 composer is Robert Ramsey, organist at Trinity College from 1628 to 1644 and Master of the Children from 1637 to 1644.…”