Richard Edwards
Richard Edwards (* 1524 (?) Near Yeovil , Somersetshire , † October 31, 1566 in London ) was an English composer and playwright.
He completed his education in Cambridge and Oxford and in 1561 took over the direction of the children's choir at the Chapel Royal .
In addition to some works of sacred vocal music such as madrigals , motets and masses , the focus of his musical work was on the composition of so-called "school music dramas", a preliminary form of English opera. In these works, mostly antique materials were prepared with musical means for use in schools. Some of these Edwards works, including Palamon and Arcite , have been partially preserved. His tragic comedy Damon and Pithias (written 1564, printed in 1571), the first English-language tragic comedy, has also survived. It is an adaptation of the material of the story by Damon and Phintias .
In Romeo and Juliet , William Shakespeare takes over Edwards' song When griping grief the heart doth wound .
literature
- Leicester Bradner: The life and poems of Richard Edwards , Milford, Oxford University Press, 1927
- Ros King: The works of Richard Edwards: politics, poetry, and performances in sixteenth-century England , Manchester University Press, 2001
Web links
- Text of the play Damon and Pithias on elizabethandrama.org
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Edwards, Richard |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1524 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | at Yeovil , Somersetshire |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 31, 1566 |
| Place of death | London |