works of Ferrabosco, printed and manuscript, quoted above; Cal. State Papers, Dom. Charles I, App. 7 July 1626, 1627–8, xcviii. p. 44; Notes and Queries, 3rd ser. iv. 450.]
FERRABOSCO, ALFONSO (d. 1661), son of Alfonso Ferrabosco (d. 1628) [q. v.], was probably the ‘Master Alphonso Ferrabosco’ who sang in ‘a Hymenœi’ on Twelfth Night 1606, on the occasion of the marriage of Robert, earl of Essex, with Lady Frances, daughter of the Earl of Suffolk. He succeeded his father as one of the ‘viols’ in the king's band in March 1627–8, and, together with his brother Henry, was appointed to the place of musician in ordinary. The two brothers probably held jointly the post of composer in ordinary (see below). Four pieces for viols by him, some of which are called ‘In nomine,’ are preserved in Addit. MS. 29427, where he is distinguished from his father by the addition of ‘junior.’ Among the manuscripts in Ely Cathedral is an anthem, ‘Let God arise,’ the ‘full’ part of which is attributed to Alfonso Ferrabosco, and the ‘verse’ portions to Lawes. The third Ferrabosco is the one who stands nearest in point of time to Lawes, and we may therefore conclude that in this anthem we have a work by him. No other composition of his is known. From various entries in the State Papers, Alfonso seems to have survived his brother, but only by a short term; in 1661 the place as musician was filled by Th. Bates, who seems to have gained by the division of labour practised by his predecessors, as he is given ‘50l. and 40l. yearly.’ The brothers were succeeded in the post of composer in ordinary by Dr. William Child, who was appointed on 4 July 1661 ‘in the roome of Alfonso Ferrabosco and Henry Ferrabosco, deceased;’ he, however, only received a grant of 40l. a year.
John Ferrabosco, who was organist of Ely Cathedral from 1662 until his death in 1682, was probably a son of either Alfonso or Henry. In 1671 he took the degree of Mus.B. at Cambridge, ‘per literas regias.’ It has been suggested that he may have introduced into the cathedral the ‘Chanting Service’ as it is called, in which the verses are set alternately in a florid motet style and in a simple chant form. This is said to have been a not unusual practice in certain Italian churches, and it is supposed that he may have adopted the plan from the land of his family's origin. The manuscript collection at Ely contains eleven anthems by him, as well as many services, one of which, in B flat, is given by Tudway, who wrongly ascribes it to Alfonso Ferrabosco; it is also contained in other manuscript collections, as at Peterborough, and in Sir F. A. Gore Ouseley's collection.
[Cal. State Papers, Dom. Ser. Charles II, 1661–2, xxxix. p. 32, xlv. p. 180, lv. p. 386; Docquet Book, 4 July 1661; authorities quoted above; Somerset House Gazette, i. 101 (1824); Grove's Dict. i. 512; Dickson's Cat. of Music MSS. in Ely Cathedral.]
FERRAR, NICHOLAS (1592–1637), theologian, was the third son of Nicholas Ferrar, a London merchant, by his wife Mary, daughter of Laurence Wodenoth of Savington Hall, Cheshire. His father ranked high among the merchants of London, and was interested in the adventures of Hawkins, Drake, and Raleigh; his mother was a woman of fervent piety, who regulated her household well, and undertook the education of her children. He was brought up to read the Bible and ‘Foxe's Book of Martyrs,’ and from the age of five gave signs of a deeply religious disposition. At the age of six he was sent to the school of one Mr. Brooks, at Enborne, near Newbury, Berkshire, whence at the age of fourteen he proceeded to Clare Hall, Cambridge. His tutor, Augustine Lindsell, was a man of a refined and pious mind, whose influence contributed much towards fortifying Ferrar's character. In 1610 he took the degree of B.A., and was elected fellow of his college, the subject which he was chosen especially to study being medicine. His residence at Cambridge was made the more agreeable to him as his favourite sister was married to a country gentleman named Collet, who lived at Bourn, near Cambridge.
Ferrar's health, however, was so bad that he needed all his own medical knowledge and his sister's care. He suffered from ague, and in 1612 was advised to travel. The new master of Clare Hall, Dr. Robert Scot, was the king's sub-almoner, and introduced Ferrar to James I's daughter Elizabeth, who had just begun her luckless career by marrying the elector palatine. In attendance upon her Ferrar set out for Holland in April 1613, having previously received from his university the degree of M.A., though he was not yet of the requisite standing. At Amsterdam he parted from the suite of the elector, preferring to visit North Germany, where he passed from Hamburg to Leipzig, and thence to Prague, studying the literature and history of Germany. He next visited Italy, where Venice was his headquarters, though he went as far as Rome. At Marseilles he nearly died from a severe fever (April 1616), and after his recovery set out for Spain, which he traversed mostly on foot. He returned to England in 1618.
