Richard Carlton (c. 1558 – c. 1638) was an English composer and vicar. He is known mainly for his
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 was a contemporary of
John Wilbye
John Wilbye (baptized 7 March 1574September 1638) was an English madrigal composer.
Early life and education
The son of a tanner, he was born at Brome, Suffolk, England. (Brome is near Diss.)
Career
Wilbye received the patronage of the Cornwa ...
.
Life and career
Born c. 1558, Richard Carlton graduated from
Clare College, Cambridge
Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refound ...
in 1577. He served simultaneously as both the vicar of
St Stephen's Church, Norwich and a
minor canon
A minor canon is a member of staff on the establishment of a cathedral or a collegiate church. In at least one foundation the post may be known as "priest-vicar".
Minor canons are clergy and take part in the daily services but are not part of t ...
of the
Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. It is the cathedral church for the Church of England Diocese of Norwich and is one of the Norwich 12 heritage sites.
The cathedra ...
. At the latter institution he was Master of the Choristers from 1591 to 1605. In October 1612 he was given a living at Bawsey-cum-Glosthorpe in Norfolk where he presided until his death in c. 1638.
In 1601 Carlton's madrigal ''Calm was the air'' was published in
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 Engl ...
''
The Triumphs of Oriana
''The Triumphs of Oriana'' is a book of English madrigals, compiled and published in 1601 by Thomas Morley, which first edition has 25 pieces by 23 composers (Thomas Morley and Ellis Gibbons have two madrigals). It was said to have been made to ...
'', and that same year he published a collection of madrigals in London. In this latter work he is described as "Preist: Batchelor in Musique". One of his madrigals, ''Come, woeful Orpheus'', was an
elegy
An elegy is a poem of serious reflection, and in English literature usually a lament for the dead. However, according to ''The Oxford Handbook of the Elegy'', "for all of its pervasiveness ... the 'elegy' remains remarkably ill defined: sometime ...
to
Sir John Shelton
Sir John Shelton (1476/7 – 1539) of Shelton in Norfolk, England, was a courtier to King Henry VIII. Through his marriage to Anne Boleyn, a sister and co-heiress of Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire of Blickling Hall in Norfolk, he became ...
. These two 1601 works were his only publications, although original copies of two of his unpublished
anthems are in the collection at the
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...
and another unpublished
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, ...
is in the collection of the
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
.
References
Further reading
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlton, Richard
16th-century English composers
English male composers
17th-century English composers
Year of birth uncertain
1558 births
1638 deaths
17th-century male musicians