Jewish Musicians at the Tudor Court

Abstract

IT is well known that Henry VIII, with his passion for music and display, greatly increased the number of musicians in the Royal Household. In his search for the best performers and the most up-todate style of playing, he naturally turned to Italy, the home of Renaissance music, and recruited most of his musicians from there. Among other things, they introduced to England the new and fashionable practice of playing instruments in consorts. Some of them settled down, prospered, and founded long-lasting musical dynasties, such as the Bassanos, Comys, and Lupos who dominated the King's Music until the Civil War and beyond. New information suggests that a high proportion of these immigrants were Jews. Nor were they all Italian, as has always been assumed. It seems likely that some were in fact Spanish or Portuguese. After the expulsion of the Jews from Spain many of them settled in Italy, but again they were forced to leave, and it was not until they reached England that they found a final refuge. It is not yet certain in what year this migration of Jewish musicians from Italy began, nor exactly how many were involved. So far nineteen members of the King's Music can be identified with some confidence as Jews, and there are likely to be others for whom evidence has not yet been found. A few of the nineteen were in England by the 1520s and 1530s, but the greatest number arrived between October, 1539, and the end of 1540. After that the majority of foreign musicians at Henry VIII's Court were Jews. The total number of Jewish immigrants was, of course, higher than nineteen, since a few of the musicians brought their wives and children with them.