Francis Pilkington (ca. 1565 – 1638) was an English classical composer,

lutenist A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lute" can re ...

and singer, of the Renaissance and Baroque period. Pilkington received a B.Mus. degree from

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in 1595. In 1602 he became a ''singing man'' at

Chester Cathedral Chester Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral and the mother church of the Diocese of Chester. It is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saint ...

and spent the rest of his life serving the cathedral. He became a minor canon in 1612, took holy orders in 1614 and was named ''

precentor A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is ''præcentor'', from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" (or alternatively, "first ...

'' of the cathedral in 1623. Although he was a churchman, Pilkington composed largely secular music—

ayre Ayre ( ; gv, Inver Ayre) is one of the six sheadings of the Isle of Man. It is located in the north of the island (part of the traditional ''North Side'' division) and consists of the three historic parishes of Andreas, Bride and (Kirk Chris ...

madrigal A madrigal is a form of secular vocal music most typical of the Renaissance music, Renaissance (15th–16th c.) and early Baroque music, Baroque (1600–1750) periods, although revisited by some later European composers. The Polyphony, polyphoni ...

s, and

lute song The term lute song is given to a music style from the late 16th century to early 17th century, late Renaissance to early Baroque, that was predominantly in England and France. Lute songs were generally in strophic form or verse repeating with a h ...

s. He died in Chester.

Sources

*Brief biographical sketch of Francis Pilkington in the ''Grove Concise Dictionary of Music,'' 1994, Oxford University Press.

External links

* * 1560s births 1638 deaths English classical composers Renaissance composers English Baroque composers English lutenists Alumni of the University of Oxford 16th-century English composers 17th-century English composers 17th-century classical composers English male classical composers 17th-century male musicians {{UK-composer-stub