John Ward (composer)
John Ward (* 1571 in Canterbury , † 1638 in Ilford , Essex , now the London Borough of Redbridge ) was an English composer of the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods .
John Ward, a contemporary of John Dowland and Orlando Gibbons , began his training as a choirboy at Canterbury Cathedral . He then went to London, as a secretary and musician in the service of Sir Henry Fanshawe , a music patron and collector of the Treasury. Ward was married with three children. In 1636 Ward moved to Essex, where he died two years later.
John Ward composed madrigals , music for viol consort , anthems and masses, mainly in the Italian style. His madrigals are characterized by profound texts and a broad line of melodic lines. The composers of his time viewed Ward more as a "gentleman musician", but it was a recognition of the full-time musicians that Thomas Tomkins dedicated a madrigal to him in 1622.
The only works printed during Ward's lifetime were a collection of “ English Madrigals ” (1613) dedicated to his employer Sir Henry Fanshawe and the 1614 “ The Teares or Lamentations of a Sorrowful Soule ”.
Works (selection)
- Come, sable night
- Hope of my heart
- My breast I'll set upon a silver stream
- Out from the Vale of Deep Despair
- Satyr once did run away
Web links
- Sheet music and audio files by John Ward (composer) in the International Music Score Library Project
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ward, John |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English composer of the early baroque |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1571 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Canterbury |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1638 |
| Place of death | Ilford , Essex |