John Maynard (baptised 1577 – died in or before 1633) was an English composer at the time of

James I of England James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland as James I from the Union of the Crowns, union of the Scottish and Eng ...

, with an idiosyncratic sense of

humour Humour (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) or humor (American English) is the tendency of experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. The term derives from the humorism, humoral medicine of the ancient Gre ...

. His best known work is the musical setting of ''The Twelve Wonders of the World'' by

Sir John Davies Sir John Davies (16 April 1569 (baptised)8 December 1626) was an English poet, lawyer, and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1597 and 1621. He became Attorney General for Ireland and formulated many of the legal ...

, possibly written for a banquet arranged by the poet

Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset (153619 April 1608) was an English statesman, poet, and dramatist. He was the son of Richard Sackville, a cousin to Anne Boleyn. He was a Member of Parliament and Lord High Treasurer. Biography Early life ...

on the eve of Epiphany served on trenchers, large wooden plates, in sets of twelve, the underside of which were found epigrams or verses for the guests to share. The twelve verses were set by Maynard after the poems had already gained popularity.

Works

* ''The XII wonders of the world'' – dedicated to Lady Joan Thynne * ''The Book of Lute Music'' – dedicated to his patroness widow of Sir John II of Longleat.Alexander Thynn ''Strictly Private to Public Exposure: A plateful of privilege'' p18

Editions

* ''The XII Wonders of the World; For the Violl de Gambo, the Lute & the Voyce'' edited by Edward Vernon Utterson 1842 * ''The XII wonders of the world: 1611'' edited Anthony Rooley 1985 – 47 pages

Recordings

* The XII wonders of the world: 1611 - complete - The Consort of Musicke dir.

Anthony Rooley Anthony Rooley (born 10 June 1944 in Leeds) is a British lutenist. Career In 1969, Rooley founded and directed the early music ensemble The Consort of Musicke, which continues to be one of the chief vehicles for his inspiration, among many oth ...

, L'Oiseau Lyre LP 1975, Australian Eloquence CD 2010. * The Wonders of the world'' - eight of the twelve - Echo du Danube, Miriam Allan soprano, Rob Wyn Jones narrator, Accent 2007 CD.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maynard, John 1570s births 1630s deaths 16th-century English composers English male composers 17th-century English composers 17th-century male musicians