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Wikipedia
William Lawes (April 1602–September 24, 1645) was an English composer and musician.
He was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire and was baptised on May 1 1602. He was the son of Thomas Lawes, a vicar choral at Salisbury Cathedral, and brother to Henry Lawes, a very successful composer in his own right.
His patron, Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, apprenticed him to the composer John Coprario, which probably brought Lawes into contact with Charles, Prince of Wales at an early age. Both William and his elder brother Henry received court appointments after Charles succeeded to the British throne as Charles I. William was appointed as 'musician in ordinary for lutes and voices' in 1635 but had been writing music for the court prior to this.
William Lawes spent all his adult life in Charles's employ. He composed secular music and songs for court masques (and doubtless played in them), as well as sacred anthems and motets for Charles's private worship. He is most remembered today for his sublime viol consort suites for between three and six players and his lyra viol music. His use of counterpoint and fugue and his tendency to juxtapose bizarre, spine-tingling themes next to pastoral ones in these works made them disfavoured in the centuries after his death; they have only become widely available in recent years.
When Charles's dispute with Parliament led to the outbreak of the Civil War, Lawes joined the Royalist army and was given a post in the King's Life Guards, which was intended to keep him out of danger. Despite this, he was 'casually shot' by a Parliamentarian in the rout of the Royalists at Rowton Heath, near Chester, on September 24, 1645. Although the King was in mourning for his kinsman Bernard Stuart (killed in the same defeat), he instituted a special mourning for Lawes, apparently honouring him with the title of 'Father of Musick'.[1] The author of his epitaph, Thomas Jordan,[2] closed it with a lachrymose pun on the fact that Lawes had died at the hands of those who denied the divine right of kings:
- Will. Lawes was slain by such whose wills were laws.
[edit] References
- D. Pinto, For ye violls: The consort and dance music of William Lawes Fretwork 1995; ISBN 1-898131-04-X
- Sleeve notes of the items listed in the discography.
- Extract of Murray Lefkowitz's 1960 biography of Lawes
- ^ Pinto, David. "Lawes, William, §1: Life", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed 3 March 2007), grovemusic.com (subscription access).
- ^ Pinto, David. "Lawes, William, §1: Life", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed 3 March 2007), grovemusic.com (subscription access).
[edit] Further reading
- Lefkowitz, M., William Lawes, Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1960
- http://www.goldbergweb.com/en/history/composers/11354.php
[edit] Discography
- For ye violls: Consort setts in 5 & 6 parts
- Fretwork & Paul Nicholson; Virgin Classics 91187-2; 1991
- Sonatas for violin, bass viol and organ
- London Baroque; Harmonia Mundi HMA 1901493; 1994
- Fantasia Suites for two violins, bass viol and organ
- The Purcell Quartet; Chandos CHAN0552, 1994
- Royall Consort Suites
- The Purcell Quartet with Nigel North & Paul O'Dette; Chandos CHAN0584/5, 1995
- Consort Music for Viols, Lutes and Theorbos
- The Rose Consort of Viols, Timothy Roberts, Jacob Heringman & David Miller; Naxos 8.550601; 1995
- Royall Consort Suites vol 1
- The Greate Consort; Gaudeamus CD GAU146, 1995
- Concord is conquer'd: Consort setts for 5 & 6 viols. 4 Herrick songs. Pieces for lyra viol
- Fretwork, Catherine Bott, Richard Boothby & Paul Nicholson; Virgin Classics 5451472; 1995
- Royall Consort Suites vol 2
- The Greate Consort; CD GAU147, 1997
- The Royal Consort & lute songs
- René Jacobs, Sigiswald Kuijken, Lucy van Dael, Wieland Kuijken, Toyohiko Satoh, Edward Witsenbug, Gustav Leonhardt; Sony Classical 1997
- Fantazia suites for violin, bass viol and organ
- Music's Re-creation; Centaur CRC 2385; 1998
- Suites pour une et trois lyra-violes
- Jonathan Dunford, Sylvia Abramowicz & Sylvia Moquet; Adès 465 607-2; 1998
- Consorts in four and five parts
- Phantasm & Sarah Cunningham; Channel Classics CCS 15698; 2000
- Consorts in six parts
- Phantasm, Susanne Braumann & Varpu Haavisto; Channel Classics CCS 17498; 2002
- Consort sets in five & six parts,
- Hespèrion XXI, Alia Vox AV9823A, AV9823B; 2002
- Knock'd on the head: William Lawes, music for viols
- Concordia, Metronome MET CD 1045; 2002
- William Lawes: In loving memory. Musica Oscura 070972-2
Annotations
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WILLIAM LAWES
English composer. Younger brother of Henry Lawes. Baptized at Salisbury Cathedral on May 1, 1602, he probably sang there also; his father, Thomas Lawes, was lay vicar of the cathedral.
Lawes studied with Coperario from about 1619 at the request and expense of Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford. Probably in 1634, but certainly by 1636, he was song-writer to the royal acting companies The King’s Men and Queen Henrietta’s Men.
According to a 19th century source Lawes was taken into the Private Musick of Prince Charles (another pupil of Coperario) as early as 1625, continuing in his service after he became king. Certainly on March 25, 1635, Lawes became a musician-in-ordinary to King Charles I, taking the post formerly occupied by the late lutenist, John Laurence, at the annual salary of forty pounds.
Lawes enjoyed great favor and friendship with Charles, and when the king moved the court to Oxford, William followed and was made a commissary in the king’s personal life guards.
He was shot and killed at Chester in 1645 while riding with the king whose troops were attempting to free a garrison there. He was remembered by the king as the ‘Father of Musick’ and his portrait as a cavalier hangs in the Faculty of Music at Oxford.
His work consists of instrumental, vocal and stage works, as well as church music (for three voices) and he was the most important English composer of stage music prior to Henry Purcell; he also composed chamber music, keyboard works, and suites for viol consorts.
None of his works were published in his lifetime, but his influence on other composers of his day as well as those who followed was considerable. The rise of Purcell ultimately overshadowed Lawes’ work, but he still maintains an important position in the history of mid 17th century English music.
http://www.goldbergweb.com/en/history/composers/11354.php