Search - King of England Henry VIII, Sirinu, Hugh Wilson :: All Goodly Sports: Music of Henry VIII

Another, more unknown side, of King Henry VIII

Rebecca Huston | On the Banks of the Hudson | 02/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mention King Henry VIII and most of us picture a bloated King Bluebeard, grossly fat, surrounded by luxury, gazing at the world through small piggy eyes and a pursed mouth. He disposed of his wives and courtiers when they became inconvenient, and married four times in just over eleven years, with two of his wives being executed for treason and adultery.



But there is another side to this rather gory picture of a murderous king. Henry VIII was one of the most artistic of the Renaissance kings. He adored spectacle, and loved to take part in masques -- a form of staged entertainment with costumes, set pieces and music that had a theme, drawn from classical or folkloric literature. He also wrote quite a few ballads, and love songs, as well as music that is classified as a consort -- music that was instrumental, perhaps played as part of a masque or to dance to.

In All Goodly Sports the group Sirinu takes the known songs and compositions of King Henry VIII and gathers it all together into a lovely collection of English Renaissance courtly music. Sirinu is a group of five musicians, who provide the vocals and play a variety of period instruments, from woodwinds, strings, percussion and keyboards. The various vocal pieces are interspersed with the 'consorts' -- short, instrumental breaks, all taken together in a long, smooth progression. That's one of the drawbacks of this cd, that many of these compositions are less than a minute or two long, with only a few of the ballads lasting longer than three minutes.

This is a rather amazing collection of songs and verses. Sirinu, with guest tenor Hugh Wilson, gives it all much verve and style. The liner notes give some details on the history of the manuscript that these compositions were found in . Included in the notes -- which are written in French, English and German -- are the lyrics, which are transcribed into the same languages. Most of the ballads are in English, with several that were originally in French. While there are translations, sadly, most of the background on the instruments and songs are lacking, so to figure out some of the more obscure terms, a hunt through a book on Renaissance and medieval music is required.



For those who enjoy music from the Renaissance, this is a must have for a collection. It gives a well rounded look at the music of Henry VIII's court, and evokes the romance and elegance of the period. Happily recommended."

Good King Harry's Musical Hits!

Nelson Aspen | Los Angeles & NYC, USA | 09/06/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The perfect background music for your next royal banquet or joust! Many people forget that Henry Tudor was an accomplished musician and this CD captures that very well. A welcome and novel addition to your classical collection."