1563 (?)--1628.
There is, I venture to think, a fitness in the choice of the first
musician of the Twelve to be considered. John Bull is a name familiar
to Englishmen, though I do not know that the musician bearing that name
has anything to do with the historical and political personage whose
jovial portrait is so well known to us. But Dr. John Bull, was the
first to hold anything like a University Professorship in London--or
indeed in England. It is true Gresham College has not developed into a
University, but its founder, Sir Thomas Gresham, certainly seems to
have had such an end in view, and John Bull was the first Gresham Music
Lecturer. As his successor at Gresham College, and as I have the
honour to be the first Musical Professor in the University of London, I
think there is a {2} justification for beginning this course in the
University with a consideration of the old Gresham Professor. I must
premise that in selecting twelve good men I have by no means exhausted
the number of such men available, but I hope to have chosen good
representatives of the various Schools and movements in the musical
world of England in the 17th century. And, although necessarily
concentrating my attention on the selected twelve, yet, of course,
undoubtedly I shall make many references to their fellow-musicians both
in this country and abroad. But it is to our own men and our own music
in the 17th century that I shall direct my chief attention.
To begin then with the first of my twelve good musicians--the first
Gresham Professor of Music, Dr. John Bull. Born about 1563 of a
Somersetshire family, he became one of the Children of the Chapel Royal
(as will be seen, always a great nursery of young English Musicians),
his master being Blytheman who, we are told, "spared neither time nor
labour to advance his natural gifts."
Organist of Hereford Cathedral for a time, we find him in 1585 a member
of the Chapel Royal Choir--not then organist, a post to which he
attained a few years later, succeeding his old {3} master, Blytheman.
He was evidently determined to get on in his profession, for, besides
all these posts and varied activities, he found time in 1586 to take
the degree of Bachelor of Music at Oxford (it being stated he had
"practised the faculty of music for 14 years"), following this up with
a Doctor's degree--this time at Cambridge.
He appears to have met with a somewhat serious adventure at Tewkesbury,
in 1592, "being robbed in those parts." A Mr. W. Chelps, of Tewkesbury
showed him "rare kindness" and was rewarded, no doubt by Bull's
influence, with the post of a Gentleman Extraordinary in the Chapel
Royal.
In 1592 our indefatigable musician took another degree, that of Doctor
of Music at Oxford, the delay in taking it having been caused,
according to a contemporary writer, by his having met with "rigid
puritans there, that could not endure Church Music."
The next important step in his varied career was his appointment as
first Gresham Professor of Music. His lectures should have been given
in Latin, but he was allowed to deliver them in English. Unfortunately
there is no copy of his lectures to be found, but Mr. Barclay Squire in
an article on Bull in the Dictionary of National Biography, gives the
following title-page of {4} the first lecture which is all that
survives of it:
"_The oration of Master John Bull, Doctor of Music and one of the
Gentlemen of his Majestie's Royal Chapel, as he pronounced the same
before divers worshipful persons the Aldermen and Commoners of the
Citie of London, with a great multitude of other people the_ 6_th day
of October_ 1597,_ in the new erected College of Sir Thomas Gresham,
Knight, deceased: made in the Commemoration of the said worthy Founder,
and the excellent Science of Musicke._ (Imprinted at London by Thomas
Este)."
Although a great misfortune that the Lecture itself is not to be found;
it is interesting to learn the subject of the oration from the
title-page.
It would, however, have been more interesting to read the lecture
itself, if only to see what Bull said about Sir Thomas Gresham and to
know his views upon music in general. Of one thing we may be certain:
he must have given his audience a real treat by his Clavier
performance; for doubtless he obeyed the directions given in the
Founder's will--directions which are observed to this day. It was wise
on the part of Gresham to insist that the lectures should be adequately
illustrated: an audience gains {5} much from _hearing the examples_
which have been commented upon by the lecturer. The directions are:
"The solemn music lectures twice every week, in manner following,
viz: the theoretique part for one half hour or thereabouts, and the
practique by concert of voice or instruments for the rest of the
hour."
Bull has been credited with the composition of our National Anthem.
The matter has been investigated by many, but, so far, there seems no
proof of it. We know, however, that he was honoured by King James I,
as his name was amongst those to whom were given "gold chains, plates,
or medals."
He appears to have been admitted into the freedom of the Merchant
Taylors' Company in 1606, and in 1607 he played before the King and
Prince Henry when they dined at Merchant Taylors' Hall. According to
Stowe, "John Bull, Doctor of Music, one of the Organists of His
Majestie's Chapel Royal and free of the Merchant Taylors', being in a
citizen's goune, cappe and hood, played most excellent melodie upon a
small payre of Organs placed there for that purpose only."
The Musical arrangements for this great City Company's feast were on a
very elaborate scale. {6} Besides Bull's performance (which was
apparently for the King only, who dined alone in a separate chamber
"where Dr. Bull did play all dinner time"), the Singing Men and
Children of the Royal Chapel sang melodious songs, and some of the best
singers of the day sang songs by Coperario, from a ship which was
suspended in the great Hall. Besides all this the Choir of St Paul's
sang songs, the words of which were by Ben Jonson. The King must have
had a pretty good programme of music to listen to, unless he spent the
evening in his own room where he dined alone--with Dr Bull playing to
pass the time.
The numerous singers in the great Hall seem to have been rather a
trouble to the givers of the feast. Bull and Gyles, the master of the
Children of the Chapel Royal, who performed in the King's chamber, were
rewarded the next day by being admitted into the livery of the Company
as a recognition of their services at the entertainment, which are
stated to have been "gratis, whereas the musicians in the greate Hall
exacted unreasonable somes of the Company for the same."
During an absence abroad in 1601 his deputy at Gresham College was
Thomas Byrd, son of the composer W. Byrd. Bull's fame had so spread
{7} that he had many tempting offers to attach himself to the "French
and Spanish Courts," but he obeyed Queen Elizabeth's order to return to
England.
In 1607, on account of a desire to marry, he relinquished the Gresham
post, celibacy being one of the conditions of the appointment. The
lady of his choice was "Elizabeth Walter of the Strand, maiden, aged
about 24, daughter of Walter, citizen of London."
Nothing much is chronicled of him for the next four years, but in 1611
his name heads the list of the Prince of Wales' musicians at a salary
of L40 a year, and another mention is made of him in connection with
Princess Elizabeth's marriage, on which occasion (Feb. 14th, 1613) a
benediction, _God the Father, God the Son_, was sung to an anthem "made
new for that purpose by Dr. Bull."
We now come to the mysterious portion of Bull's life which culminated
in his flight from England. The first hint is suggested by the
following letter from Bull to Sir M. Hicks, secretary to the Earl of
Salisbury:
"Sir,
I have bin many times to have spoken with you, to desire your favor
to my Lord and Mr. Chancellor, to graunte me theire favors to
chaunge my name, and put in my childes, leaving out my {8} owne.
It is but L40 by yeare for my service heretofore, the matter is not
great, yet it will be some reliefe for my poor childe, having
nothing ells to leave it."
The letter proceeds to mention some others whose interest had been
moved, and is written in a tone of great humiliation. Was it an
instance of coming events casting their shadows before? The following
entry in the Chapel Royal cheque-book rather supports the supposition:
"John Bull, Doctor of Music, went beyond the seas without licence,
and was admitted into the Archduke's Service, and entered into paie
there about Michaelmas."
Peter Hopkins filled his place, and his quarter's salary, Michaelmas to
Christmas, was divided amongst members of the Royal Chapel.
His departure created some sensation, as it is said he "was so much
admired for his dexterous hand on the Organ, that many thought there
was more than man in him." Wood puts it down to his "being possessed
with crotchets, as many musicians are." A letter, however, from the
British Minister at Brussels to King James I, puts a rather different
complexion on it. It would appear that the Minister had been charged
by James I, to express his displeasure at the Archduke's want of
courtesy in engaging Bull, {9} and in the letter announcing the
fulfilment of his mission the Minister says:
"And I told him plainly, that it was notorious to all the world,
the said Bull did not leave your Majesty's Service for any wrong
done unto him or for matter of Religion, under which fained pretext
he sought to wrong the reputation of your Majesty's justice, but
did in that dishonest manner steal out of England through the guilt
of a corrupt conscience to escape punishment which notoriously he
had deserved and was designed to have been inflicted on him by the
hand of justice for his ..... grievous crimes."
It will be noticed the writer scoffs at Bull's religious sensitiveness,
but there is no doubt he was, like Byrd, a Papist at heart.
In 1617 he succeeded Waelrant at Antwerp Cathedral, dying in that city
on the 12th or 13th of March, 1628, and being buried in the Cathedral.
Bull was evidently well thought of by his Antwerp friends, and
Sweelinck, the great Dutch organist, included a Canon by Bull in his
work on Composition. Bull returned the compliment by writing a
Fantasia on a Fugue by Sweelinck.
Bull is most favourably known as a composer for the Virginals. Many
fine examples are to be found in the _Fitzwilliam Virginal Book_, and
his powers as performer must have been very great, judging from his
compositions. He joined Byrd and Gibbons in contributing to the
celebrated {10} collection _Parthenia_ ("the first music for the
Virginals ever published in England.") There are examples of his
Church Music in Boyce's Cathedral Music (1760), but, like many other
specimens contained in that valuable and well-known collection, these
compositions of Bull do not seem to me to be the best examples of his
powers. A really beautiful little motet contained in Sir William
Leighton's _Teares and Lamentations of a Sorrowful Soule_ (1614)
entitled _In the Departure of the Lord_ gives me a very high opinion of
his Church Music. It is for four voices and full of beautiful harmony
and expressive modulation. Indeed, I think it compares favourably with
much of the kind written by contemporary musicians.
I hope to be able to edit it, with other specimens of Bull's sacred
music, in the early future.