Tobias Hume

Title page from Hume's First Part of Ayres (1605) printed by John Windet

Tobias Hume (* around 1569 ; † April 16, 1645 in London ) was a Scottish composer , gambist and soldier .

Little is known about Tobias Hume's life. The year of birth is assumed to be 1569, since he was accepted into London's Charterhouse in 1629 ; The prerequisite for admission to this poor house was an age of 60 years. He may have made a living as a mercenary. He served as a captain in the Swedish and Russian armies.

Hume's published music includes viol pieces , including many solo works for viol lyre, and songs . His compositions appeared in two compilations, The First Part of Ayres (also Musicall Humors , 1605) and Captain Hume's Poeticall Musicke (1607). In particular, he emerged as a master of the viola (the instrument was the most popular of the time , along with the lute ). He led a long-standing dispute with the composer and lutenist John Dowland about which instrument would be better suited to play with the vocals.

As a well-known prankster, he wrote the parody An Invention for Two to Play upone one Viole for two violists on his Lesson for 2 to play on 1 Lute , in which one player sits on the other's lap. You bow the instrument with two bows. In another piece from First Part of Ayres, Hume noted the playing instruction drum this with the backe of your bow ("drum with the back of the bow"). This is the first evidence of the use of the col legno style of playing in music history.

Web links

Sheet music and audio files by Tobias Hume in the International Music Score Library Project

Sheet music in the public domain by Tobias Hume in the Choral Public Domain Library - ChoralWiki (English)

Individual evidence

^ Konrad Ragossnig : Handbook of the guitar and lute. Schott, Mainz 1978, ISBN 3-7957-2329-9 , p. 41.
↑ McGuiness, David. Captain Tobias Hume: A Scottish Soldier (liner notes). Concerto Caledonia. "it was only in 1991 that the court accounts of James VI's consort Anne of Denmark were found to establish his nationality, in a 1606 payment to 'Tobias Hume a Scottish Musician in reward from her Majestie'."
↑ johndowland.de , accessed on September 21, 2007
↑ Annette Otterstedt: The viol . Kassel u. a .: Bärenreiter 1994. p. 37

personal data
SURNAME	Hume, Tobias
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	English composer, gambist and soldier
DATE OF BIRTH	around 1569
DATE OF DEATH	April 16, 1645
Place of death	London

[1] Konrad Ragossnig : Handbook of the guitar and lute. Schott, Mainz 1978, ISBN 3-7957-2329-9 , p. 41.

[2] McGuiness, David. Captain Tobias Hume: A Scottish Soldier (liner notes). Concerto Caledonia. "it was only in 1991 that the court accounts of James VI's consort Anne of Denmark were found to establish his nationality, in a 1606 payment to 'Tobias Hume a Scottish Musician in reward from her Majestie'."

[3] wland.de , accessed on September 21, 2007

[4] Annette Otterstedt: The viol . Kassel u. a .: Bärenreiter 1994. p. 37