HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Peter Philips (also ''Phillipps'', ''Phillips'', ''Pierre Philippe'', ''Pietro Philippi'', ''Petrus Philippus''; ''c.''1560–1628) was an eminent English composer, organist, and
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
priest exiled to
Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
. He was one of the greatest keyboard
virtuoso A virtuoso (from Italian ''virtuoso'' or , "virtuous", Late Latin ''virtuosus'', Latin ''virtus'', "virtue", "excellence" or "skill") is an individual who possesses outstanding talent and technical ability in a particular art or field such as ...
s of his time, and transcribed or arranged several Italian
motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Margar ...
s and
madrigal A madrigal is a form of secular vocal music most typical of the Renaissance (15th–16th c.) and early Baroque (1600–1750) periods, although revisited by some later European composers. The polyphonic madrigal is unaccompanied, and the number o ...
s by such composers as
Lassus Orlande de Lassus ( various other names; probably – 14 June 1594) was a composer of the late Renaissance. The chief representative of the mature polyphonic style in the Franco-Flemish school, Lassus stands with Giovanni Pierluigi da Palest ...
,
Palestrina Palestrina (ancient ''Praeneste''; grc, Πραίνεστος, ''Prainestos'') is a modern Italian city and ''comune'' (municipality) with a population of about 22,000, in Lazio, about east of Rome. It is connected to the latter by the Via Pren ...
, and
Giulio Caccini Giulio Romolo Caccini (also Giulio Romano) (8 October 1551 – buried 10 December 1618) was an Italian composer, teacher, singer, instrumentalist and writer of the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras. He was one of the founders of the genre ...
for his instruments. Some of his keyboard works are found in the ''
Fitzwilliam Virginal Book The ''Fitzwilliam Virginal Book'' is a primary source of keyboard music from the late Elizabethan and early Jacobean periods in England, i.e., the late Renaissance and very early Baroque. It takes its name from Viscount Fitzwilliam who beque ...
''. Philips also wrote many sacred choral works.


Life

Philips was born in 1560 or 1561, possibly in
Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
shire or London. From 1572 to 1578 he began his career as a boy chorister at
St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...
in London, under the aegis of the Catholic master of choristers, Sebastian Westcott (died 1582), who had also trained the young
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 ...
some twenty years earlier. Philips must have had a close relationship with his master, as he lodged in his house up to the time of Westcote's death, and was a beneficiary of his will. In the same year (1582), Philips left England for good, like so many others for reasons of his Catholicism, and stayed briefly in
Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
before travelling to Rome where he entered the service of Alessandro Farnese (1520–1589), with whom he stayed for three years, and was also engaged as organist at the English Jesuit College. It was here that in February 1585 he met a fellow Catholic exile, Thomas, third Baron Paget (c. 1544–1590). Philips entered Paget's service as a musician, and the two left Rome in March 1585, travelling over several years to
Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
, Madrid, Paris,
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
and finally
Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,
, where Philips settled in 1590 and where Paget died the same year. After settling, Philips married and gained a precarious living by teaching the
virginals The virginals (or virginal) is a keyboard instrument of the harpsichord family. It was popular in Europe during the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods. Description A virginal is a smaller and simpler rectangular or polygonal form of ...
to children. In 1593 he went to
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
"to sie and heare an excellent man of his faculties", doubtless
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck ( ; April or May, 1562 – 16 October 1621) was a Dutch composer, organist, and pedagogue whose work straddled the end of the Renaissance and beginning of the Baroque eras. He was among the first major keyboard compo ...
, whose reputation had by then long been made. On his way back, Philips was denounced by a compatriot for complicity in a plot on Queen Elizabeth's life, and he was temporarily imprisoned at
the Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
, where he probably composed the pavan and galliard ''Doloroso'' (
Fitzwilliam Virginal Book The ''Fitzwilliam Virginal Book'' is a primary source of keyboard music from the late Elizabethan and early Jacobean periods in England, i.e., the late Renaissance and very early Baroque. It takes its name from Viscount Fitzwilliam who beque ...
nos. LXXX and LXXXI). Philips himself translated the accusations made against him during his trial, revealing that he could by then speak
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
. He was acquitted and released without further charges. Philips' fortunes took a turn for the better on his return, and in 1597 he was employed in
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
as organist to the chapel of
Albert VII, Archduke of Austria Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Albert ...
who had been appointed governor of the
Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...
in 1595. Here, after his wife – and child's – deaths, he was ordained a priest in either 1601 or 1609 – opinions differ; in any case, he received a canonry at
Soignies Soignies (; nl, Zinnik, ; pcd, Sougniye; wa, Sougniye) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It consists of the following districts: Casteau, Chaussée-Notre-Dame-Louvignies, Horrues, Naast, Neufvilles, ...
in 1610, and another at
Béthune Béthune ( ; archaic and ''Bethwyn'' historically in English) is a city in northern France, sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department. Geography Béthune is located in the former province of Artois. It is situated south-east of Calais, ...
in 1622 or 1623. In his position at court, Philips was able to meet the best musicians of the time, including
Girolamo Frescobaldi Girolamo Alessandro Frescobaldi (; also Gerolamo, Girolimo, and Geronimo Alissandro; September 15831 March 1643) was an Italian composer and virtuoso keyboard player. Born in the Duchy of Ferrara, he was one of the most important composers of k ...
, who visited the Low Countries in 1607–1608, and his fellow-countryman
John Bull John Bull is a national personification of the United Kingdom in general and England in particular, especially in political cartoons and similar graphic works. He is usually depicted as a stout, middle-aged, country-dwelling, jolly and matter- ...
, who had fled England on a charge of adultery. His nearest colleague, however, was Peeter Cornet (c. 1575–1633), organist to Archduchess Isabella, wife of Philips' employer the archduke. Philips died in 1628, probably in Brussels, where he was buried.


Works

Philips was an extremely prolific composer: his surviving
motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Margar ...
s number in the hundreds, and he also composed both instrumental and consort music. His keyboard pieces are mostly in the tradition of the English ''
virginalist The virginals (or virginal) is a keyboard instrument of the harpsichord family. It was popular in Europe during the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods. Description A virginal is a smaller and simpler rectangular or polygonal form of ...
school'', but his choral works, although retaining occasional English characteristics, are largely in the style of more conservative Italian contemporary composers such as
Giovanni Croce Giovanni Croce (; also Ioanne a Cruce Clodiensis, Zuanne Chiozotto; 1557 – 15 May 1609) was an Italian composer of the late Renaissance, of the Venetian School. He was particularly prominent as a madrigalist, one of the few among the Venetian ...
. *Works in the ''
Fitzwilliam Virginal Book The ''Fitzwilliam Virginal Book'' is a primary source of keyboard music from the late Elizabethan and early Jacobean periods in England, i.e., the late Renaissance and very early Baroque. It takes its name from Viscount Fitzwilliam who beque ...
'': The earliest surviving piece we know to be by Philips is a pavan dated 1580 in the ''Fitzwilliam Virginal Book'' (no. LXXXV). It bears the note: ''The first one Phi
ips IPS, ips, or iPS may refer to: Science and technology Biology and medicine * ''Ips'' (genus), a genus of bark beetle * Induced pluripotent stem cell or iPS cells * Intermittent photic stimulation, a neuroimaging technique * Intraparietal sulcus, ...
made''. It was the subject of a magnificent set of variations by
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck ( ; April or May, 1562 – 16 October 1621) was a Dutch composer, organist, and pedagogue whose work straddled the end of the Renaissance and beginning of the Baroque eras. He was among the first major keyboard compo ...
entitled ''Pavana Philippi'', a version by
Thomas Morley Thomas Morley (1557 – early October 1602) was an English composer, theorist, singer and organist of the Renaissance. He was one of the foremost members of the English Madrigal School. Referring to the strong Italian influence on the Englis ...
, and survives in arrangements for consort and lute. Of Philip's 27 known keyboard pieces (excluding doubtful works) – pavans,
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 fo ...
s, fantasias and settings of Italian masters – no fewer than nineteen are included in the same collection. The probable compiler of the ''Fitzwilliam Virginal Book,'' Francis Tregian the Younger, a fellow Catholic, was almost certainly acquainted with Philips: both men were at the court of Brussels in 1603, and Tregian may well have been responsible for importing Philips' works to England. The pavan ''Doloroso'' (no. LXXX) appears to be dedicated to Tregian, bearing the title ''Pauana Doloroso. Treg an', and there is also a ''Pavana Pagget'' with its galliard, dated 1590 and no doubt written on the death of his patron, Lord Thomas Paget. Many of the pieces are settings of Italian composers, and in some Philips' name is spelled the Flemish way: ''Peeter'' suggesting that the scribe – possibly Tregian himsel

– was copying from continental manuscripts. *Other works: 1591: Philips' publisher in Antwerp, Pierre Phalèse the Younger (1550–1629), printed his collection of madrigals entitled ''Melodia Olympica'', followed by further editions in 1594 and 1611.
1596: Philips published his ''Primo Libro de Madrigali a sei voci'', a book of madrigals for six voices.
1598: A further book of madrigals for eight voices published.
1603: Another set of madrigals for six voices published.
1612: The first set of ''Cantiones Sacrae'' for five voices printed by Phalèse.
1613: A second set of ''Cantiones Sacrae Octonis Vocibus'' for double chorus of eight voices.
1613: ''Gemmulae Sacrae Binis et Ternis Vocibus cum Basso Continuo Organum.''
1615: 3 Trios (without instrumentation) in ''L'Institution Harmonique'' by Salomon De Caus, Frankfurt
1616: ''Les Rossignols spirituels'', two and four-part arrangements of popular songs adapted to sacred texts in Latin and French.
1616: ''Deliciae sacrae binis et ternis vocibus cum basso continuo organum.''
1623: ''Litanies to Loreto''.
1628: ''Paradisus sacris cantionibus consitus, una, duabus et tribus vocibus decantantis''.


Collections and scores

*The ''Fitzwilliam Virginal Book'', J.A. Fuller Maitland and W. Barclay Squire, Dover Publications, New York 1963. SBN 486-21068-5. *''Eight Keyboard Pieces by Peter Philips: A collection of all Philips' known music for keyboard instruments contained in sources other than the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book.'' John Harley (ed.). Stainer & Bell, London 1995. *''Complete Keyboard Music''. David J Smith (ed.). Stainer & Bell, London 1999. *''Cantiones Sacrae Octonis Vocibus (1613)''. Musica Britannica vol. 61. John Steele (ed.). Stainer & Bell, London 1992. *''Select Italian Madrigals''. Musica Britannica vol. 29. John Steele (ed.). Stainer & Bell, London 1985. *"75 Motets for Two Solo Voices and Organ Continuo from Paradisus Sacris Cantionibus", Janet E. Hunt (ed.), www.huntmusic.us, 2015. . *"17 Motets for Three Solo Voices and Organ Continuo from Paradisus Sacris Cantionibus", Janet E. Hunt (ed.), www. huntmusic.us, 2016. . Philips' SSATB
motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Margar ...
"Ascendit Deus" from ''Cantiones Sacrae'' (1612) appears in: * *


Discography

*''Paradisus Sacris Cantionibus''. Currende Vocal Ensemble. Accent ACC 8862 *''Consort Music''. The Parley of Instruments. Hyperion CDA 66240 *''Keyboard Music''. Paul Nicholson. Hyperion CDA 66734 *''Harpsichord Music''. Emer Buckley. Harmonia Mundi HMC 901263 *''The English Exile''. Colin Booth. Soundboard. SBCD 992 *''Cantiones Sacrae Quinis Vocibus''. The Sarum Consort, Andrew Mackay. Gaudeamus GAU 217 *''Cantiones Sacrae Quinis Vocibus''. The Tudor Consort, Peter Walls. Naxos 8.555056 *''Cantiones Sacrae Quinis et Octonibus Vocibus''. The Sarum Consort, Andrew Mackay. Naxos 8.572832 *''Complete Keyboard Works Vol 1''. Siegbert Rampe. MDG 341 1257-2 *''Complete Keyboard Works Vol 2''. Siegbert Rampe. MDG 341 1435-2 *''Motets et Madrigaux''. Cappella Mediterranea, Leonardo García Alarcón. AMBRONAY AMY015 *''Cantiones Sacrae, 1612''. Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, Richard Marlow. CHANDOS CHAN 0770


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Philips, Peter English classical composers English madrigal composers Renaissance composers English Baroque composers 16th-century English Roman Catholic priests Composers for harpsichord People educated at St. Paul's Cathedral School 16th-century English composers 17th-century English composers 1560s births 1628 deaths 17th-century classical composers English male classical composers 17th-century male musicians