John Jenkins (1592–1678), was an English composer who was born in
Maidstone
Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...
, Kent and who died at
Kimberley, Norfolk.
Biography
Little is known of his early life. The son of Henry Jenkins, a carpenter who occasionally made musical instruments, he may have been the "Jack Jenkins" employed in the household of
Anne Russell, Countess of Warwick in 1603. The first positive historical record of Jenkins is amongst the musicians who performed the
masque
The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A masq ...
''The Triumph of Peace'' in 1634 at the court of King
Charles I Charles I may refer to:
Kings and emperors
* Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings
* Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily
* Charles I of ...
. Jenkins was considered a virtuoso on the
lyra viol
The lyra viol is a small bass viol, used primarily in England in the seventeenth century.
Described as "the smallest of the bass viols", one should consider that the consort bass was much larger in 17th century England than most bass viols nowa ...
. Charles commented that Jenkins did "wonders on an inconsiderable instrument."
When the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I (" Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of r ...
broke out in 1642 it forced Jenkins, like many others, to migrate to the rural countryside. During the 1640s he was employed as music-master to two
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gov ...
families, the Derham family at
West Dereham
West Dereham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.
It covers an area of and had a population of 440 in 176 households as of the 2001 census, the population increasing to 450 at the 2011 Census.
For the purposes of loca ...
and
Hamon le Strange
Sir Hamon le Strange (1583 – 31 May 1654) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1614 and 1626. He supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War. His family were Norfolk gentry long base ...
of
Hunstanton
Hunstanton () is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, which had a population of 4,229 at the 2011 Census. It faces west across The Wash, making it one of the few places on the east coast of Great Britain where the sun sets over the sea. Hunst ...
. He was also a friend of the composer
William Lawes (1602–1645), who was shot and died in battle at the siege of
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
.
Around 1640 Jenkins revived the ''
In Nomine
In Nomine is a title given to a large number of pieces of English polyphonic, predominantly instrumental music, first composed during the 16th century.
History
This "most conspicuous single form in the early development of English consort mus ...
'', an archaic form for a consort of viols, based upon a traditional
plainsong
Plainsong or plainchant (calque from the French ''plain-chant''; la, cantus planus) is a body of chants used in the liturgies of the Western Church. When referring to the term plainsong, it is those sacred pieces that are composed in Latin text ...
theme. He wrote a notable piece of
programme music consisting of a
pavane
The ''pavane'' ( ; it, pavana, ''padovana''; german: Paduana) is a slow processional dance common in Europe during the 16th century (Renaissance).
The pavane, the earliest-known music for which was published in Venice by Ottaviano Petrucci, ...
and
galliard
The ''galliard'' (; french: gaillarde; it, gagliarda) was a form of Renaissance dance and music popular all over Europe in the 16th century. It is mentioned in dance manuals from England, Portugal, France, Spain, Germany, and Italy.
Dance f ...
depicting the clash of opposing sides, the mourning for the dead and the celebration of victory after the siege of
Newark (1646).
In the 1650s Jenkins became resident music-master of
Lord Dudley North in Cambridgeshire, whose son Roger wrote his biography. It was in these years, during the Commonwealth under
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three ...
, in the absence of much competition or organised music-making, that Jenkins took the occasion to write more than 70 suites for amateur household players.
After the
Restoration he obtained a place as a musician to the Royal Court. Although the viol consort was less fashionable in the court of king
Charles II,
Roger North wrote:
:''Tho' he for many years was incapable to attend, the Court musicians had so much value for him, that advantage was not taken, but he received his salary as they were paid''.
Something of Jenkins's own temperament is indicated by his setting the religious poetry of
George Herbert
George Herbert (3 April 1593 – 1 March 1633) was an English poet, orator, and priest of the Church of England. His poetry is associated with the writings of the metaphysical poets, and he is recognised as "one of the foremost British devoti ...
to music. Like
Joseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have le ...
, he was a pious, reticent, and private person. Workmanlike and industrious in composition, he wrote dances ''by the cart-load'' according to North, who also stated –
:''he was certainly a happy person,....of an easy temper, superior in his profession, well accepted by all, knew no want, saw himself outrun by the world, and having lived a good Christian, died in peace''.
Jenkins is buried in the nave of St. Peter's Church, Kimberley,
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nor ...
, with this inscription:
::''Under this Stone Rare Jenkins lie''
::''The Master of the Musick Art''
::''Whom from the Earth the God on High''
::''Called up to Him to bear his part.''
::''Aged eighty six October twenty seven''
::''In anno seventy eight he went to Heaven.''
Musical style
Jenkins was a long-active and prolific composer whose many years of life, spanning the time from
William Byrd
William Byrd (; 4 July 1623) was an English composer of late Renaissance music. Considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he had a profound influence on composers both from his native England and those on the continent. He ...
to
Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer.
Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest E ...
, witnessed great changes in English music. He is noted for developing the
viol consort fantasia
Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcor ...
, being influenced in the 1630s by an earlier generation of English composers including
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 ...
,
Thomas Lupo,
John Coprario and
Orlando Gibbons
Orlando Gibbons ( bapt. 25 December 1583 – 5 June 1625) was an English composer and keyboard player who was one of the last masters of the English Virginalist School and English Madrigal School. The best known member of a musical fam ...
. Jenkins composed numerous 4, 5, and 6 part
fantasia
Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcor ...
s for
viol consort,
almans,
courants and
pavane
The ''pavane'' ( ; it, pavana, ''padovana''; german: Paduana) is a slow processional dance common in Europe during the 16th century (Renaissance).
The pavane, the earliest-known music for which was published in Venice by Ottaviano Petrucci, ...
s, and he breathed new life into the antiquated form of the ''In Nomine''. He was less experimental than his friend
William Lawes; indeed, Jenkins's music was more conservative than that of many of his contemporaries. It is characterised by a sensuous lyricism, highly skilled craftsmanship, and an original usage of tonality and counterpoint.
The musicologist
Wilfrid Mellers claimed that
J. S. Bach's Orchestral Suites No. 3 and No. 4 in D major (BWV 1068–69) recalled the sensibility of the physician-philosopher Sir
Thomas Browne
Sir Thomas Browne (; 19 October 160519 October 1682) was an English polymath and author of varied works which reveal his wide learning in diverse fields including science and medicine, religion and the esoteric. His writings display a deep curi ...
; however, the melancholic pavans, meditative fantasias and vigorous allemands of Jenkins are closer in era, antique style and temperament, to his Norfolk contemporary than Bach. Jenkins may even have socially met or performed in the presence of Browne while employed in his retirement years by Sir
Philip Wodehouse of Kimberley as correspondence between Browne and Wodehouse survives.
[Geoffrey Keynes (ed.), The Works of Sir Thomas Browne (London: Faber & Faber, 1964), 4 vols.]
References
*
*
Scholes, Percy (1995). ''Oxford Companion to Music'' (10th edn.). OUP.
Discography
*''Four-Part Consort Music''
:Fretwork. Signum SIGCD 528
*''Five-Part Consorts''
:Phantasm. Avie 2007
*''Six-Part Consorts''
:Phantasm. Avie 2008
*''Fantazia''
:Ensemble Jérôme Hantaï. Naive-Astrée E 8895. 2004
*''Fantasias''
:Les Voix Humaines violes de gambe. Atma ACD2 2205. 2001
*''The Mirrour and Wonder of his Age: John Jenkins Consort Music''
:
Fretwork
Fretwork is an interlaced decorative design that is either carved in low relief on a solid background, or cut out with a fretsaw, coping saw, jigsaw or scroll saw. Most fretwork patterns are geometric in design. The materials most commonly us ...
. Virgin 7243 5 45230 2 1. 1996
*''All in a Garden Green: Pavan, Newarke Seidge, Four-part ayres, Fantasia-suite''
:Rose Consort of Viols. Naxos 8.550687. 1993
*''Consort Music for Viols in Six Parts''
:
Hespèrion XX. Astrée E 8724. 1991
*''Consort Music'' The Consort of Music Dir. Trevor Jones. Explore EXP0010 2006 (Decca 1983)
*''Six Airs'' (Almain, Pavanne, Courante, Courante, Almain, Almain)
:Double Reed Ensemble of the New York Kammermusicker. Dorian DOR-90189. 1995
*''Music for the Viol Lyra-Way''
:
Jonathan Dunford, Lyra-Viol 2014
External links
Fantasias in four, five, and six partsfrom the Viola da Gamba Society of America (VdGSA).
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, John
1592 births
1678 deaths
English classical composers
English Baroque composers
Renaissance composers
People from Maidstone
English viol players
English lutenists
Musicians from Kent
17th-century classical composers
17th-century English composers
English male classical composers
People from Kimberley, Norfolk
17th-century male musicians