Composer. All but unknown until recently, he was a notable English musician of the Tudor period. Only five of his liturgical compositions survive, but the moving "Stabat Mater" (c. 1490) is considered a masterpiece and the "Magnificat" (c. 1480) and "Salve Regina" (c. 1485) are quite substantial and accomplished. On the basis of these alone the loss of most of his output is deeply regrettable. A native of Westminster, Cornysh apparently lived his entire life there. From 1479 he was Instructor of the Lady Chapel Choir at Westminster Abbey, and in 1493 he was appointed a Gentleman of the King's Chapel in London. He was probably the father of William Cornysh (1465 - 1523), who wrote popular English songs and was a favorite court musician of Henry VIII. Scholars long attributed the sacred works to the younger composer, despite the differences in style and genre, and it was only in the 1980s that enough information on "Cornysh Senior" was unearthed to convincingly dispute this belief. The debate over their authorship was still fresh at the beginning of the 21st Century.
Composer. All but unknown until recently, he was a notable English musician of the Tudor period. Only five of his liturgical compositions survive, but the moving "Stabat Mater" (c. 1490) is considered a masterpiece and the "Magnificat" (c. 1480) and "Salve Regina" (c. 1485) are quite substantial and accomplished. On the basis of these alone the loss of most of his output is deeply regrettable. A native of Westminster, Cornysh apparently lived his entire life there. From 1479 he was Instructor of the Lady Chapel Choir at Westminster Abbey, and in 1493 he was appointed a Gentleman of the King's Chapel in London. He was probably the father of William Cornysh (1465 - 1523), who wrote popular English songs and was a favorite court musician of Henry VIII. Scholars long attributed the sacred works to the younger composer, despite the differences in style and genre, and it was only in the 1980s that enough information on "Cornysh Senior" was unearthed to convincingly dispute this belief. The debate over their authorship was still fresh at the beginning of the 21st Century.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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