Richard Davy (c. 1465–1507) was a Renaissance composer, organist and choirmaster, one of the most represented in the

Eton Choirbook The Eton Choirbook (Eton College MS. 178) is a richly illuminated manuscript collection of England, English sacred music composed during the late 15th century. It was one of very few collections of Latin liturgical music to survive the English ...

Biography

Little is known about the life of Richard Davy. His name was a common one in Devon and he may have been born there. He was a scholar of

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...

, and acted as choir master and organist at least in the period 1490-2.J. Caldwell, ''The Oxford History of English Music'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998), pp. 196-201.

Churchwardens' accounts Churchwardens' accounts are a form of record maintained by the churchwardens of a parish church where expenses, activities, and events of the parish are recorded. Churchwardens' accounts are sometimes found in association with the parish register, ...

for

Ashburton, Devon Ashburton is a town on the south-southeastern edge of Dartmoor in Devon, England, adjacent to the A38. The town is 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Plymouth and 17 miles (27 km) southwest of Exeter. It was formerly important as a stann ...

, mention a 'Dom. Richardus Dave:' from 1493-5, where he may have been acting as a chaplain or as master of the nearby school at St. Lawrence Chapel. He may then have moved to

Exeter Cathedral Exeter Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Exeter, Devon, in South West England. The presen ...

to be vicar choral in the period 1497-1506.

Work and influence

Davy is the third most represented composer in the

Eton choirbook The Eton Choirbook (Eton College MS. 178) is a richly illuminated manuscript collection of England, English sacred music composed during the late 15th century. It was one of very few collections of Latin liturgical music to survive the English ...

, with ten compositions including the votive antiphon ''O Domine celi terreque creator'', which according to an inscription in Eton was composed in a single day. His work is considered more florid than that of his contemporaries Robert Fayrfax and William Cornish and may have had considerable impact on later figures such as

John Taverner John Taverner ( – 18 October 1545) was an English composer and organist, regarded as one of the most important English composers of his era. He is best-known for ''Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas'' and ''The Western Wynde Mass'', and ''Missa Coro ...

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davy, Richard English Renaissance composers English classical organists English choral conductors English male conductors (music) 1465 births 1507 deaths 15th-century English composers 16th-century English composers Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford English male classical composers English male classical organists