Hugh Aston
Encyclopedia
Hugh Aston was an English
composer of the early Tudor period
. While little of his music survives, he is notable for his innovative keyboard writing.
Between 1510 and 1522 or later he may have lived in London, and it is suggested that he may have had some association with the court of Henry VIII
, such as the Chapel Royal
. In 1520/21 he was working in Coventry and was paid by the Dean and Chapter of the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick, for travelling from Coventry to Warwick to advise on the purchase and installing of a new organ. By 1525 Aston was settled and working in Leicester
, as a verbatim record of his evidence given to a Bishop’s Visitation on 27th & 28th November 1525 is preserved in the Lincoln Diocesan Records, and he seems to have stayed in Leicester for the rest of his life. His appointment in Leicester was that of Magister Choristerorum (Master of the Choristers) at the major Royal foundation, the Hospital and College of St Mary of the Annunciation, established by Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster
in 1330, and re-endowed and substantially enlarged by his son Henry, 4th Earl and later 1st Duke of Lancaster under a Charter of 24th March 1355/6. Later known as The Newarke, the institution had a Dean and twelve Canons (later termed Prebends), thirteen Vicars-Choral, four Lay Clerks and six (boy) choristers. By the late 15th century it had achieved a high status and musical reputation and had acquired the privilege, apparently shared only with the Chapels Royal, of having the right to recruit outstanding musicians and singers from other institutions without their consent, in other words to poach the very best musicians of the country. Perhaps the already highly regarded Aston was himself recruited by The Newarke using this privilege, but there seems to be no surviving documentary evidence of exactly how or when he came to be engaged by the Leicester Choral College.
The Charters required among many other things the use of the Salisbury (“Sarum”) Rite, a daily sung Mass in honour of Our Lady
, and also the singing of a Matins, a High Mass and Vespers on more than two dozen high feasts, led by the Dean in Choir, so there would have been a heavy musical programme for the choir of around sixteen (including at least some of the Vicars) and its musical director. His initial salary was £10 a year (only £2 a year less than that of the Dean) and by 1540 this had increased to £12 a year. In addition Aston, also referred to in some documents as a singer and organist, was entitled to receive further significant payments for additional services such as funerals. In 1525 he had been recommended to Cardinal Wolsey as the founder director of music at his new Cardinal’s College, Oxford, (now Christ Church College and Cathedral) but Aston seems to have declined the offer and in any event Wolsey appointed John Taverner instead. Aston continued at The Newarke until shortly before the final dissolution of the Foundation at Easter 1548, and on retirement he received a £12 a year state pension in respect of his Newarke College office. By this time he must have been holding at least advisory positions at a number of other important Midlands choral institutions, since he also received further state pensions totalling £6 13s. 4d. in respect of loss of office at six other suppressed choral institutions: Sully and Pipewell in Northamptonshire, Coventry and Kenilworth in Warwickshire, and the Leicestershire abbeys of Launde and St Mary de Pratis (= Leicester Abbey).
In Leicester the College provided him with a rent-free house just outside the South Gate of the Borough and more or less directly opposite the main gate of The Newarke in Hangman’s Lane (now Oxford Street) in the Borough’s First (soon to be renamed Southgates) Ward. It seems likely that some time later he bought or leased the house at or before the dissolution of The Newarke, and what was presumably the same property seems to have remained his family’s home to at least his grandson’s time in the early 17th century. Before 1530 a Hugh Aston, undoubtedly the musician as there are no others of the same name recorded in 16th century Leicester, was already representing the Southgates Ward in which he lived on as a Borough Alderman, and by 1550 the Ward was even being referred to in the Leicester Borough Records as “the Ward of Mr Hugh Aston”. From 1532 he was a Justice of the Peace, Coroner for two years, Auditor of Accounts for a total of 16 years, Mayor for 1541-1542, one of the two Members of Parliament for the Borough for the 1555 Parliament, and remained an Alderman
to his death. The exact date of this is not known, but he was buried on 17 November 1558 in the parish church for the Southgates Ward, St. Margaret's. On 15th November 2008 a 450th anniversary Commemorative Service was held in St. Margaret’s, featuring two of Aston’s surviving antiphons, the two known keyboard pieces and much of the Sarum Rite plainsong music for the Requiem Mass of the pre-Reformation Sarum liturgy, which had been restored by Queen Mary
.
Most of the buildings of the medieval Hospital and College of the Newarke, including the Collegiate Church much admired by Leland during his visit in ca. 1535, were demolished soon after the Dissolution, and the campus of De Montfort University
, Leicester, today covers almost the whole site. On 17th March 2010 Patrick McKenna, founder and Chief Executive of Ingenious Media, declared open the University's Hugh Aston Building - De Montfort's new £35 million pound Faculty of Business and Law, adjacent to the great Gateway to The Newarke and only 100 metres or so from the site of Aston’s Hangman’s Lane house. The event was also marked by performances by singers from the choir of the Holy Cross Dominican Priory, New Walk, Leicester, Directed by David Cowen,of sections from Aston's Te Deum Mass and Te Deum, two of Aston's keyboard compositions, and some of the 'Sarum Rite' medieval plainsong for 17th March - St. Patrick's Day.
Other compositions survive in fragments.
In addition, he wrote keyboard music, most of which shows an unusually progressive use of idiomatic keyboard: his Hornepype in particular is often cited as an example of early idiomatic keyboard writing.Some other famous early keyboard pieces have been attributed to him on stylistic grounds, including the often-recorded and anthologized My Lady Careys Dompe.
Two Tudor Masses for the Cardinal, Christ Church Oxford Cathedral Choir, directed by Stephen Darlington. Metronome UK 1998, MET CD1030. Disc 2 is Hugh Aston's Missa Videte Manus Meas.
Three Marian Antiphons : Music from the Peterhouse Partbooks, directed by Scott Metcalf. Blue Heron 2010, B003KWVNXS.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
composer of the early Tudor period
Tudor period
The Tudor period usually refers to the period between 1485 and 1603, specifically in relation to the history of England. This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII...
. While little of his music survives, he is notable for his innovative keyboard writing.
Life
Little is known about the early life of this important early Tudor composer, and his date and place of birth are currently unknown. However, on 27th November 1510 he applied for the degree of BMus at Oxford University, submitting a mass and an antiphon for examination, and stating that he had studied music in the University for eight years (suggesting that he must have been in his mid-20s by that date, hence the estimated date of birth of around 1485). Though the result is not formally recorded this application for the degree was presumably successful as the University ordered the retention of the two submitted manuscripts. It seems most likely that these are the six part Missa Te Deum Laudamus and the clearly associated antiphon Te Deum Laudamus, both still in the University’s collection of musical manuscripts, now in the Bodleian Library, Oxford.Between 1510 and 1522 or later he may have lived in London, and it is suggested that he may have had some association with the court of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, such as the Chapel Royal
Chapel Royal
A Chapel Royal is a body of priests and singers who serve the spiritual needs of their sovereign wherever they are called upon to do so.-Austria:...
. In 1520/21 he was working in Coventry and was paid by the Dean and Chapter of the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick, for travelling from Coventry to Warwick to advise on the purchase and installing of a new organ. By 1525 Aston was settled and working in Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, as a verbatim record of his evidence given to a Bishop’s Visitation on 27th & 28th November 1525 is preserved in the Lincoln Diocesan Records, and he seems to have stayed in Leicester for the rest of his life. His appointment in Leicester was that of Magister Choristerorum (Master of the Choristers) at the major Royal foundation, the Hospital and College of St Mary of the Annunciation, established by Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster
Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster
Henry , 3rd Earl of Leicester and Lancaster was an English nobleman, one of the principals behind the deposition of Edward II of England.-Family and lineage:...
in 1330, and re-endowed and substantially enlarged by his son Henry, 4th Earl and later 1st Duke of Lancaster under a Charter of 24th March 1355/6. Later known as The Newarke, the institution had a Dean and twelve Canons (later termed Prebends), thirteen Vicars-Choral, four Lay Clerks and six (boy) choristers. By the late 15th century it had achieved a high status and musical reputation and had acquired the privilege, apparently shared only with the Chapels Royal, of having the right to recruit outstanding musicians and singers from other institutions without their consent, in other words to poach the very best musicians of the country. Perhaps the already highly regarded Aston was himself recruited by The Newarke using this privilege, but there seems to be no surviving documentary evidence of exactly how or when he came to be engaged by the Leicester Choral College.
The Charters required among many other things the use of the Salisbury (“Sarum”) Rite, a daily sung Mass in honour of Our Lady
Our Lady
As a general concept, Our Lady may refer to:*Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mary, the mother of Jesus of Nazareth*Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary in Roman Catholic teachings...
, and also the singing of a Matins, a High Mass and Vespers on more than two dozen high feasts, led by the Dean in Choir, so there would have been a heavy musical programme for the choir of around sixteen (including at least some of the Vicars) and its musical director. His initial salary was £10 a year (only £2 a year less than that of the Dean) and by 1540 this had increased to £12 a year. In addition Aston, also referred to in some documents as a singer and organist, was entitled to receive further significant payments for additional services such as funerals. In 1525 he had been recommended to Cardinal Wolsey as the founder director of music at his new Cardinal’s College, Oxford, (now Christ Church College and Cathedral) but Aston seems to have declined the offer and in any event Wolsey appointed John Taverner instead. Aston continued at The Newarke until shortly before the final dissolution of the Foundation at Easter 1548, and on retirement he received a £12 a year state pension in respect of his Newarke College office. By this time he must have been holding at least advisory positions at a number of other important Midlands choral institutions, since he also received further state pensions totalling £6 13s. 4d. in respect of loss of office at six other suppressed choral institutions: Sully and Pipewell in Northamptonshire, Coventry and Kenilworth in Warwickshire, and the Leicestershire abbeys of Launde and St Mary de Pratis (= Leicester Abbey).
In Leicester the College provided him with a rent-free house just outside the South Gate of the Borough and more or less directly opposite the main gate of The Newarke in Hangman’s Lane (now Oxford Street) in the Borough’s First (soon to be renamed Southgates) Ward. It seems likely that some time later he bought or leased the house at or before the dissolution of The Newarke, and what was presumably the same property seems to have remained his family’s home to at least his grandson’s time in the early 17th century. Before 1530 a Hugh Aston, undoubtedly the musician as there are no others of the same name recorded in 16th century Leicester, was already representing the Southgates Ward in which he lived on as a Borough Alderman, and by 1550 the Ward was even being referred to in the Leicester Borough Records as “the Ward of Mr Hugh Aston”. From 1532 he was a Justice of the Peace, Coroner for two years, Auditor of Accounts for a total of 16 years, Mayor for 1541-1542, one of the two Members of Parliament for the Borough for the 1555 Parliament, and remained an Alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
to his death. The exact date of this is not known, but he was buried on 17 November 1558 in the parish church for the Southgates Ward, St. Margaret's. On 15th November 2008 a 450th anniversary Commemorative Service was held in St. Margaret’s, featuring two of Aston’s surviving antiphons, the two known keyboard pieces and much of the Sarum Rite plainsong music for the Requiem Mass of the pre-Reformation Sarum liturgy, which had been restored by Queen Mary
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
.
Most of the buildings of the medieval Hospital and College of the Newarke, including the Collegiate Church much admired by Leland during his visit in ca. 1535, were demolished soon after the Dissolution, and the campus of De Montfort University
De Montfort University
De Montfort University is a public research and teaching university situated in the medieval Old Town of Leicester, England, adjacent to the River Soar and the Leicester Castle Gardens...
, Leicester, today covers almost the whole site. On 17th March 2010 Patrick McKenna, founder and Chief Executive of Ingenious Media, declared open the University's Hugh Aston Building - De Montfort's new £35 million pound Faculty of Business and Law, adjacent to the great Gateway to The Newarke and only 100 metres or so from the site of Aston’s Hangman’s Lane house. The event was also marked by performances by singers from the choir of the Holy Cross Dominican Priory, New Walk, Leicester, Directed by David Cowen,of sections from Aston's Te Deum Mass and Te Deum, two of Aston's keyboard compositions, and some of the 'Sarum Rite' medieval plainsong for 17th March - St. Patrick's Day.
Music
Four sacred vocal compositions by Aston survive complete:- Missa Te Deum (five voices)
- Missa Videte manus meas (six voices)
- Gaude mater matris Christe (five voices)
- Te Deum laudamus (five voices)
Other compositions survive in fragments.
In addition, he wrote keyboard music, most of which shows an unusually progressive use of idiomatic keyboard: his Hornepype in particular is often cited as an example of early idiomatic keyboard writing.Some other famous early keyboard pieces have been attributed to him on stylistic grounds, including the often-recorded and anthologized My Lady Careys Dompe.
Recordings
Music for Compline, Stile Antico, Harmonia Mundi USA HMU 907419. Includes Aston's Gaude, virgo mater Christi and works by Byrd, Tallis, Sheppard and White.Two Tudor Masses for the Cardinal, Christ Church Oxford Cathedral Choir, directed by Stephen Darlington. Metronome UK 1998, MET CD1030. Disc 2 is Hugh Aston's Missa Videte Manus Meas.
Three Marian Antiphons : Music from the Peterhouse Partbooks, directed by Scott Metcalf. Blue Heron 2010, B003KWVNXS.
External links
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMdiwNbxYugAve Maria ancilla trinitatis (excerpt) performed by Blue Heron Renaissance ChoirBlue Heron Renaissance ChoirBlue Heron Renaissance Choir is a vocal ensemble that presents live performances based on the study of original source materials and historical performance practice...
] - For new performing editions by Nick Sandon of five of Aston's choral works see Antico Edition, UK http://www.anticoedition.co.uk/]