Henry VIII
Henry VIII (1491–1547), King of England, was also an accomplished musician whose surviving songs and instrumental consorts belong to the early Tudor court repertory.
A handful of his pieces still circulate in performance, among them songs and consort writing that sit naturally beside other mediaeval and Renaissance court music.
On this label they appear in Pastance’s early-music anthologies, including Falling Through Time (MCD 071) and Joy (MCD 129).
Compositions by Henry VIII appear on
Joy
Joy names the intent behind much of this music: carols of piety, the longing of Landini and Machaut, and Hildegard von Bingen’s soaring beauty. The collection shows how song shaped everyday life in the Middle Ages.
Falling Through Time
All the colour and mystique of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance come alive in a presentation rich in music and drama, spanning troubadour song, Machaut, courtly dance and English lute song.