Ambrose, Ambrosius or Ambrosio
Lupo (died 10 February 1591) was a court musician and composer to the English court from the time of
Henry VIII to that of
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...
, and the first of a dynasty of such court musicians. He is thought to have been born in
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
,
[Peter Holman, ''Four and Twenty Fiddlers: The Violin at the English Court, 1540-1690'' (Oxford Monographs on Music), pages 48, 82-85, 105] though he and his family lived in
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
for a while just before being called to England. He and five other viol players, including Alexandro and Romano Lupo, were summoned to England by Henry in November 1540, to bring English music up to speed with music on the continent. Ambrose, also known as 'Lupus Italus' and de Almaliach, was the longest-serving of the group.
Ambroso da Venezia was cited as a music-player of the Queen of England by the testimony of Orazio Cogno before the Venice Inquisition on 27 August 1577 regarding his recent stay in England with
Edward de Vere
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (; 12 April 155024 June 1604) was an English peer and courtier of the Elizabethan era. Oxford was heir to the second oldest earldom in the kingdom, a court favourite for a time, a sought-after patron of ...
, 17th Earl of Oxford. Cogno stated Ambroso has two children and had married in England, even though, as Cogno stated he has heard, he has a wife living in Venice whom he sends money. He also stated that Ambroso wanted to teach him the doctrine of heretics and to read heretical books.
Living in the parish of
St Alphege, Cripplegate,
he was granted leases on lands valuing £20 in 1590 (in which document he was described as "one of the eldest of Her Majesty's musicians for the
icvials") and on Cissel Gorge in May 1590. He gifted Queen Elizabeth I "a box of Lute strynges" ( a shiny fabric used to make dresses) and "a glas of swette water" (fresh water) on New Years Day 1577/8.
He died in London.
Family tree
External links
Article on Ambrose and sons at Lupo Family genealogy page maintained by G. M. Lupo
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lupo, Ambrose
Italian emigrants to the Kingdom of England
Renaissance composers
English classical composers
16th-century Italian Jews
Musicians from Milan
1591 deaths
Year of birth unknown
English male classical composers
Lupo family