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  • (d.1681). Composer, musical theorist, and viol player. No copy of his ‘Plaine Rules and Directions for Composing Musick in Parts’, alluded to by Wood, is know to survive. A proposed theoretical treatise, “Syntagma Musicum”, never materialized.

  • The following was posted by Dan on 14 Jan 2005:

    Composing:

  • Birchensha

    This unusual name is presumably the same (in origin) as the more common Birkenshaw; I assume it has southern -ch- instead of northern -k- (cf church/kirk). I found a Russian page of composers’ births and deaths that lists the alternate spellings Birchensha, Berchenshaw, Berkenshaw, Birkenshaw, but I don’t know if they were all used for John B. or if they’re just alternate versions of the family name in general:
    http://www.practica.ru/365/14-05.htm

  • Birchensha - etymology

    birchen-
    from Old English birce = birch (tree)

    -shaw
    from Old English sceaga (Celtic origin?) = thicket

  • See also http://theowljournal.com/article.php?issue=7&number=1&type=print&comments=1

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References in the diary

1662
Jan: 13, 14, 15, 23, 28
Feb: 24, 26, 27
Mar: 14
1664
Jun: 10
Aug: 10