Elway Bevin (c.1554-1638) was a Welsh-born organist and composer. Briefly a

vicar choral A lay clerk, also known as a lay vicar, song man or a vicar choral, is a professional adult singer in an Anglican cathedral and often Roman Catholic Cathedrals in the UK, or (occasionally) collegiate choir in Britain and Ireland. The vicars chora ...

Wells Cathedral Wells Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England, dedicated to St Andrew the Apostle. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, whose cathedra it holds as mother church of the Diocese of Bath and Wells. Built as a ...

, in 1585 he was appointed Master of the Choristers at

Bristol Cathedral Bristol Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. Founded in 1140 and consecrated in 1148, it was originally St Augustine's Abbey but after the Disso ...

. He was sworn a gentleman-extraordinary of the

Chapel Royal The Chapel Royal is an establishment in the Royal Household serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the British Royal Family. Historically it was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarch. The term is now also appl ...

on 3 June 1605, and is said to have been a pupil of

Thomas Tallis Thomas Tallis (23 November 1585; also Tallys or Talles) was an English composer of High Renaissance music. His compositions are primarily vocal, and he occupies a primary place in anthologies of English choral music. Tallis is considered one o ...

. In 1631 Bevin published the work by which he is best known, 'A Briefe and Short Instruction of the Art of Musicke...' and Benjamin Cosyn's 'Virginal Book' has a service by him included amongst six entitled 'These are ye Six Services for the King's Royall Chappell.'

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bevin, Elway 16th-century English composers English classical composers English male classical composers English classical organists British male organists Cathedral organists Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal 1554 births 1638 deaths Male classical organists