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Thomas Robinson () was an English
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
composer and music teacher, who flourished around 1600. He taught and wrote music for
lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lu ...
,
cittern The cittern or cithren ( Fr. ''cistre'', It. ''cetra'', Ger. ''Cister,'' Sp. ''cistro, cedra, cítola'') is a stringed instrument dating from the Renaissance. Modern scholars debate its exact history, but it is generally accepted that it is d ...
,
orpharion The orpharion ( or ) or opherion is a plucked stringed instrument from the Renaissance, a member of the cittern family. Its construction is similar to the larger bandora (instrument), bandora and is an ancestor of the guitar. The metal strings a ...
, bandora,
viol The viola da gamba (), or viol, or informally gamba, is a bowed and fretted string instrument that is played (i.e. "on the leg"). It is distinct from the later violin family, violin, or ; and it is any one of the earlier viol family of bow (m ...
, and
voice The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound produ ...
.


Biography

Very little is known about Robinson's life, but it is possible to draw conclusions from the dedicatory pages of his works. He and his father were in service of the Cecil family: Robinson's father worked for the 1st Earl of Salisbury, Robert Cecil, and Robinson was in the service of the 1st Earl of Exeter,
Thomas Cecil Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter (5 May 1542 – 8 February 1623), known as Lord Burghley from 1598 to 1605, was an English politician, courtier and soldier. Family Thomas Cecil was the elder son of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, by hi ...
, who was Robert Cecil's brother. The Cecil family fostered several artists in these days, amongst others
William Byrd William Byrd (; 4 July 1623) was an English Renaissance composer. Considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he had a profound influence on composers both from his native country and on the Continental Europe, Continent. He i ...
and
Orlando Gibbons Orlando Gibbons ( bapt. 25 December 1583 – 5 June 1625) was an English composer and keyboard player who was one of the last masters of the English Virginalist School and English Madrigal School. The best known member of a musical famil ...
. It was before 1589 that Robinson became Princess Anne's (1574–1619) and Queen Sophie's (1557–1631) private music teacher at Elsinore, Denmark. Princess Anne was the daughter of the King of Denmark, Frederick II (1559–1588). It is presumed that Robinson must have been in his twenties then, so that his birth can be dated back to around 1560. The Court of Denmark, like other courts, employed many well-recognized musicians from Denmark and other countries, like England, France, Germany and the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. It is known that
John Dowland John Dowland ( – buried 20 February 1626) was an English Renaissance composer, lutenist, and singer. He is best known today for his melancholy songs such as "Come, heavy sleep", " Come again", " Flow my tears", " I saw my Lady weepe", " N ...
– the most famous Renaissance lutenist nowadays – worked as a court lutenist in Denmark from 1598 to 1606. Besides Robinson's own mention of his employment there, no official record of it exists. In 1603, Robinson published his first book, '' Medulla Musicke'', of which no copy survived. It was even suggested (Ward JM, see "Literature"), that it was never published at all, although Robinson seems to be referring to it in the first pages of his second book: "." From: "The Schoole of Musicke", 1603 Also in 1603, Robinson brought out his second book, '' The Schoole of Musicke'', a tutor for lute and other instruments. It displaced John Alford's book '' A Briefe and Easye Instruction'' from 1574 (an English translation of
Adrian Le Roy Adrian Le Roy (c.1520–1598) was an influential French music publisher, lutenist, mandore player, guitarist, composer and music educator. Life Le Roy was born in the town of Montreuil-sur-Mer in northern France to a wealthy family. Very little i ...
's '' Briefve et facile instruction pour apprendre la tabulature'') as the most important lute tutor in England from then on. In 1609 Robinson's third book, '' New Citharen Lessons'', was published. It was a
cittern The cittern or cithren ( Fr. ''cistre'', It. ''cetra'', Ger. ''Cister,'' Sp. ''cistro, cedra, cítola'') is a stringed instrument dating from the Renaissance. Modern scholars debate its exact history, but it is generally accepted that it is d ...
tutor for beginners and advanced learners. Robinson's works for the most part consist of his own
compositions Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...
. But there are also arrangements of other pieces of music, some of which are still rather popular: for instance " My Lord Willoughby's Welcome Home" (in: ''The Schoole of Musicke'') or " Can she excuse my wrongs?" (in ''New Citharen Lessons'') – both originally composed by
John Dowland John Dowland ( – buried 20 February 1626) was an English Renaissance composer, lutenist, and singer. He is best known today for his melancholy songs such as "Come, heavy sleep", " Come again", " Flow my tears", " I saw my Lady weepe", " N ...
. There is no further information available about Robinson's life after 1609.


Works


''Medulla Musicke''

''Medulla Musicke'' (The Stationer's Company, London, 1603) was a music tutor now presumably lost. It is supposedWilliam Casey, Alfredo Colman to have included 40 canons on the then popular plainsong Miserere after arrangements by
William Byrd William Byrd (; 4 July 1623) was an English Renaissance composer. Considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he had a profound influence on composers both from his native country and on the Continental Europe, Continent. He i ...
and Alfonso Ferrabosco.


''The Schoole of Musicke''

''The Schoole of Musicke,'' (''Tho. Este'', London, 1603), was a tutor for
lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lu ...
, bandora,
orpharion The orpharion ( or ) or opherion is a plucked stringed instrument from the Renaissance, a member of the cittern family. Its construction is similar to the larger bandora (instrument), bandora and is an ancestor of the guitar. The metal strings a ...
,
viol The viola da gamba (), or viol, or informally gamba, is a bowed and fretted string instrument that is played (i.e. "on the leg"). It is distinct from the later violin family, violin, or ; and it is any one of the earlier viol family of bow (m ...
, and singing.


Contents

# The Queenes good Night ''(for two lutes)'' # Twenty waies upon the bels ''(for two lutes)'' # Row well you Marriners # A
Galliard The ''galliard'' (; ; ) was a form of Renaissance dance and Renaissance music, music popular all over Europe in the 16th century. It is mentioned in dance manuals from England, Portugal, France, Spain, Germany, and Italy. Dance form The ''gal ...
# A Galliard # A Plaine Song for 2 lutes ''(for two lutes)'' # Grisse his delight # Passamezzo Galliard ''(for two lutes)'' # A Fantasie for 2 lutes ''(for two lutes)'' # A Toy for 2 lutes ''(for two lutes)'' # A Galliard # Merry Melancholie # Robinson's Riddle # Goe from my Window # A Toy # A Gigue # An Almaigne # An Almaigne # A Toy # A Toy # Robin is to the greenwood gone # A Toy # The Queenes Gigue # Ut re mi fa so la: 9 sundry ways # My Lord Willobies Welcome Home # Bell Vedere # The Spanish Pavin # A Gigue # A Gigue # Walking in a country town # Bony sweet boy # A Gigue # Lantero # Three parts in one upon a old/nowiki>ground # Sweet Jesu who shall lend me wings # A Psalme # O Lord of whom I do depend # O Lord thou art my righteousness Furthermore, ''The Schoole of Musicke'' contains eight short pieces, seven of them called "A Psalme" in the chapter "Rules to instruct you to sing".


''New Citharen Lessons''

''New Citharen Lessons,'' (London, 1609), was a
cittern The cittern or cithren ( Fr. ''cistre'', It. ''cetra'', Ger. ''Cister,'' Sp. ''cistro, cedra, cítola'') is a stringed instrument dating from the Renaissance. Modern scholars debate its exact history, but it is generally accepted that it is d ...
tutor for beginners and advanced learners. It included 53 compositions, the first 47 for four-
course Course may refer to: Directions or navigation * Course (navigation), the path of travel * Course (orienteering), a series of control points visited by orienteers during a competition, marked with red/white flags in the terrain, and corresponding ...
cittern (tuned e' d' g b), pieces 48 to 53 for fourteen-course cittern (tuned e' d' g bb f d G F E D C BBb AA GG).


Contents

# My Lord Treasurer his Paven # The Galliard to the Pavin before # A Fantasie # Wades Welfare # Powles Carranta # O Cupid looke about thee # For two Citherens in the unison (A Jigge for two Citherens) # A Ground # Pipers Galiard # A Psalme # Philips Pavin # A Galiard # A Galiard: Can she excuse my wrongs # A Galiard # A Psalme # Passamezzo Paven # Oft I have forsworne her company # Galliard to the Quadron Pavin # An Almaine # A French Toy # Excuse me # Robinson Idelsbie # Shepard shoot home # Ioan come kisse me now # A Psalme # Passamezzo Galiard # The new Hunts up # Souches March # Whetelies wheat-sheafe # O Hone # An Almaine # An Almaine # Robinsons modicum # An Almaine # Farewell deare love # Alexander Chezum his Curranta # Robarts Request # The Quadro Pavin # For two Citharens # What if a day # Ah, alas, thou God of Gods # Now Cupid looke about thee # Pauuana Passamezzo # Mr. North his Novell # Fantasia # Fantasia 2 # Fantasia 3 # Fantasia 4


Others

There are some further pieces and arrangements from Thomas Robinson in other manuscripts: *Spanish Pavan (in ''Add. MS 3056 ( Cozens Lute Book)'', ca. 1595,
Cambridge University Library Cambridge University Library is the main research library of the University of Cambridge. It is the largest of over 100 libraries Libraries of the University of Cambridge, within the university. The library is a major scholarly resource for me ...
) – a version in major *Hay (in ''Dd. 9.33'', 1600,
Cambridge University Library Cambridge University Library is the main research library of the University of Cambridge. It is the largest of over 100 libraries Libraries of the University of Cambridge, within the university. The library is a major scholarly resource for me ...
) *Pipers Galliard Jo Dowland. Tho. Robinson (in ''Ms. Dd. 4.23'',
Cambridge University Library Cambridge University Library is the main research library of the University of Cambridge. It is the largest of over 100 libraries Libraries of the University of Cambridge, within the university. The library is a major scholarly resource for me ...
) *Galliard T. R. (in ''Ms. Dd. 4.23'',
Cambridge University Library Cambridge University Library is the main research library of the University of Cambridge. It is the largest of over 100 libraries Libraries of the University of Cambridge, within the university. The library is a major scholarly resource for me ...
) * he Hunt's UpT: R. (in ''Ms. Dd. 4.23'',
Cambridge University Library Cambridge University Library is the main research library of the University of Cambridge. It is the largest of over 100 libraries Libraries of the University of Cambridge, within the university. The library is a major scholarly resource for me ...
)


Bibliography

* Lumsden, David (pub.) ''Thomas Robinson: The Schoole of Musicke.'' Paris, Editions du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1971, * William Casey (pub.), Alfredo Colman (pub.), ''Thomas Robinson: New Citharen Lessons (1609)'', 1997 Baylor University Press, Waco, Texas, * John M Ward, ''Sprightly and Cheerful Musick: Notes on the Cittern, Gittern & Guitar in 16th- & 17th-Century England'' in: '' The Lute Society Journal 21 (1979–81): 69–70'' * G. Doc Rossi, Cittern Music of Thomas Robinson, 2007 Cetra Publishing, Michigan, USA. Contains New Citharen Lessons plus all known pieces in manuscripts. 2 volumes – Vol. I Tablature. Vol. II Commentary and transcriptions. Available in print and as eBook.


References


External links


Works from Thomas Robinson in tablature and MIDI
– Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H.
Compositions by Thomas Robinson in tablature and MIDI format
to be freely downloaded from Dartmouth College (New Hampshire, USA)

about hand positioning in lute playing
Music Collection
in
Cambridge Digital Library The Cambridge Digital Library is a project operated by the Cambridge University Library designed to make items from the unique and distinctive collections of Cambridge University Library available online. The project was initially funded by a dona ...
which contains early copies/examples of Robinson's compositions {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Thomas English Renaissance composers English Baroque composers 1560s births 17th-century deaths People of the Elizabethan era 16th-century English composers 17th-century English classical composers English male classical composers Composers for lute