Thomas Causton or Caustun (died 1569) was an English composer. Causton was a gentleman of the

chapel royal The Chapel Royal is an establishment in the Royal Household serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the British Royal Family. Historically it was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarch. The term is now also applie ...

under

Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first E ...

Mary I Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. Sh ...

, and

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

. Nothing is known of his parentage, but it is possible that he is identical with a Thomas Causton who was living about the same date at

Oxted Oxted is a town and civil parish in the Tandridge district of Surrey, England, at the foot of the North Downs. It is south south-east of Croydon in Greater London, west of Sevenoaks in Kent, and north of East Grinstead in West Sussex. Oxte ...

in Surrey. This individual was the son of William Causton of Orpington, by Katherine Banister, and was married to Agnes Polley of Shoreham. Their son William (d. 1638) had a numerous family, who lived at Oxted until late in the seventeenth century. On 29 Oct. 1558 Mary wrote to the mayor and aldermen of London in favour of Thomas Causton, ‘one of the gentlemen of the chappell,’ requesting that he should be admitted into the freedom of the city. In 1560 he contributed some music to John Day's rare ‘Certain Notes, set forth in four and three parts, to be sung at the Morning, Communion, and Evening Prayer.’ The same publisher's ‘Whole Psalmes in Foure Partes’ (1563) also contains twenty-seven compositions by Causton. A ''Venite'' and

service Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a pu ...

by him have been reprinted in the ‘Ecclesiologist,’ and a ''Te Deum'' and ''Benedictus'' in score are preserved in the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

(Add. MS. 31226). He died on 28 Oct. 1569, and was succeeded at the Chapel Royal by

Richard Farrant Richard Farrant (c. 1525 – 30 November 1580) was an English composer, musical dramatist, theater founder, and Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal. The first acknowledgment of him is in a list of the Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal in ...

. Modern scholars believe Causton was only included in John Day's collection because of his personal connection to the publisher. He was described as "earnest but amaterish" by

Gustave Reese Gustave Reese ( ; 29 November 1899 – 7 September 1977) was an American musicologist and teacher. Reese is known mainly for his work on medieval and Renaissance music, particularly with his two publications ''Music in the Middle Ages'' (1940) ...

and as "As a composer ..no more than an enthusiastic amateur" by

Edmund Fellowes Edmund Horace Fellowes (11 November 1870 – 21 December 1951), was a Church of England clergyman and musical scholar who became well known for his work in promoting the revival of sixteenth and seventeenth century English music. Life and work ...

. Day published every piece by Causton, with the exception of his ''Yield unto God'', but no posthumous volume as would be a expected of a significant composer. This has been taken by scholars to show that Causton worked for Day as a script corrector or compiler. He is not the same as the Thomas Causton reported by

Foxe Fans of X-Rated Entertainment (F.O.X.E., also known as FOXE) is a United States-based pornography fan organization founded by adult film actor, director, and critic William Margold and actress Viper.The Brabant Ensemble The Brabant Ensemble is an early music choir based in Oxford, directed by Stephen Rice. Discography *Clemens non Papa: Missa "Ecce quam bonum" Behold How Joyful *Antoine Brumel: Missa de Beata Virgine, *Palestrina: Missa Ad coenam Agni *Jean Mo ...

, Stephen Rice (conductor) * ''Music from the Chirk Castle Part-Books''

The Brabant Ensemble The Brabant Ensemble is an early music choir based in Oxford, directed by Stephen Rice. Discography *Clemens non Papa: Missa "Ecce quam bonum" Behold How Joyful *Antoine Brumel: Missa de Beata Virgine, *Palestrina: Missa Ad coenam Agni *Jean Mo ...

, Stephen Rice (conductor) * ''Turn thous us, O good Lord'' on ''Philip van Wilder: Complete Sacred Music & Chansons'' Cantores Chamber Choir, David Allinson (conductor)

References

External links

Thomas Causton
on ChoralWIki
"John Day, Certaine notes set forthe in foure and three partes"
''Early English Music Primary Source Database'', Trinity College Dublin 1569 deaths People from Surrey Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal 16th-century English composers {{UK-composer-stub

References

Further reading

External links