John Ferrabosco (baptised 1626 – 1682) was organist of
Ely Cathedral
Ely Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is an Anglican cathedral in the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England.
The cathedral has its origins in AD 672 when St Etheldreda built an abbey church. The presen ...
from 1662 until his death in 1682.
He was the youngest son of
Alfonso Ferrabosco II and his wife Ellen (d. 1638) (daughter of
Nicholas Lanier
Nicholas Lanier, sometimes Laniere (baptised 10 September 1588 – buried 24 February 1666) was an English composer and musician; the first to hold the title of Master of the King's Music from 1625 to 1666, an honour given to musicians of great ...
(c.1523–1612) and his second wife Lucretia). John Ferrabosco took the degree of
Bachelor of Music (Mus B) at Cambridge, ''
per literas regias''. It has been suggested that he may have introduced into the cathedral the ''Chanting Service'' as it is called, in which the verses are set alternately in a florid motet style and in a simple chant form. This is said to have been a usual practice in certain Italian churches, and it is supposed that he may have adopted the plan from the land of his family's origin.
The manuscript collection at Ely contains eleven anthems by John Ferrabosco, as well as many services, one of which, in B flat, is given by Tudway, who wrongly ascribes it to
Alfonso Ferrabosco the younger
Alfonso Ferrabosco the younger (c. 1575 – March 1628) was an English composer and viol player of Italian descent. He straddles the line between the Renaissance and Baroque eras.
Biography
Ferrabosco was born at Greenwich, the illeg ...
. At the end of the 19th century it was also contained in other manuscript collections, as at Peterborough, and in
F. A. Gore Ouseley's collection.
Notes
References
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;Attribution
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1682 deaths
Year of birth unknown
Organists of Ely Cathedral
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