A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Hamboys, John

HAMBOYS, or HANBOYS, John, Mus. Doc., a distinguished musician, flourished about 1470. He was author of a Latin treatise, 'Summa super Musicam Continuam et Discretam,' preserved in the British Museum (Add. MSS. 8866), and printed in Coussemaker's 'Scriptorum de Musica Medii Ævi,' i. 416. Another MS. treatise 'Quatuor principalia totius artis musicæ,' contained in the same volume as the above, and of which there is another MS. in the Bodleian Library, has been ascribed to Hamboys, but is believed to be the work of Simon Tunstede. It has been supposed that Hamboys was the first person on whom the degree of doctor of music was conferred in this country, but there is no evidence to support it.

[ W. H. H.]

[Appendix p.664: "HANBOYS, John. The treatise by this author, mentioned in vol. i, appears to be a commentary on the works of Franco, or rather the two Francos, and is chiefly interesting as giving an account of the musical notation of the time. Hanboys divides the notes into Larga, Duplex Longa, Longa, Brevis, Semibrevis, Minor, Semiminor, Minima; each of which is in its turn subdivided into perfect and imperfect notes, the former being equal in value to three of the next denomination below it, the latter to two. Considering the Larga as equivalent to the modern breve, the minim would be equal in value to our semi-demi-semiquaver. Hanboys abolishes the name crotchets used by Franco. This MS. cannot have been written much later than the middle of the 15th century, though Holinshed enumerates John Hanboys among the writers of Edward IV.'s reign, describing him as 'an excellent musician, and for his notable cunning therein made Doctor of Music.' He also appears to have written a book, 'Cantionum artificialium diversi generis,' which has been lost. Hanboys was an ecclesiastic, if we may judge from the epithet 'reverendus,' which is given to him at the end of his treatise.

[ A. H.-H. ]