Peter Phillips (d. 1624), born about 1560 in England, emigrating because an earnest Catholic, became canon at Béthune, visited Rome in 1595, and from 1596 was viceroyal organist at Antwerp or Brussels. His madrigals (from 1591) and sacred music (from 1612) show him to have been a contrapuntist of great ability in the Palestrina style. His fame as the first writer of a true fugue on one subject (Burney) is now disputed in favor of his countryman Bull (Davey). After 1610 he wrote somewhat in the new monophonic style and with a basso continuo.
Other composers were Petit Jan Delâtre, from 1552 choirmaster at Liège (works from 1539); Christian Hollander (d. before 1570), choirmaster at Oudenarde in 1549-57 and then in the Imperial Chapel at Vienna (works posthumous); Noé Faignient (works from 1567); and Emanuel Adriaensen, a compiler of lute-books (1584-92).
Amsterdam came into prominence late in the century through the genius of Jan Sweelinck (d. 1621), born in 1562, the son of the organist of the Old Church. He was trained at Venice by Zarlino and G. Gabrieli, and on his return in 1580 became organist at the Old Church. He soon became famous as one of the great players and teachers of the age, being the real founder of the true fugue, with its development from a single subject through the use of double and triple counterpoint. He had a sure instinct for the essential differences between vocal styles and those suited to the organ, and by example and precept served as the pioneer for the whole North German school of organists. His works, vocal and instrumental, were but partially published during his life, but are now collected in a standard edition (1895-1903).
67. England.—English music in the 16th century stands by
itself, and has not always been justly appreciated. Its isolation
was due primarily to geographical reasons, but also to England's
peculiar relations to the Papacy. The neglect of the subject
has resulted from the difficulty of getting at the documents,
which are now better known. The more the story is studied,
the more interesting and even astonishing it becomes.
The very early and efficient share of England in the origin of counterpoint
has already been noted (sec. 45). In the second half of the 15th
century English music suffered a check, perhaps because of the unsettled
conditions during the Wars of the Roses (1455-85). But even then some
interest was indicated by the maintenance of the Chapel Royal (flourishing
from at least 1465), by the conferring of musical degrees at both
Oxford and Cambridge (from 1463), by the number of monastic and
cathedral choirs and organs, by the chartering of a monopolistic Minstrels'
Guild (1469), and by popular interest in singing of all kinds.
The Tudors were all music-lovers, and during the reigns from Henry VII. (1485-1509) onward the Chapel Royal remained the chief rallying-point for musicians, a model and incentive to cathedral and private establishments, and an object of astonished admiration from foreign visitors. As the century went on, English players were more and more drafted into
