John Amner facts for kids

John Amner (born 1579, died 1641) was an English composer. He wrote many pieces of music for churches. He spent most of his life working at Ely Cathedral in England.

Who Was John Amner?

John Amner was born in a town called Ely. This is where Ely Cathedral is located. He had family members, Michael and Ralph Amner, who also worked at the Cathedral. They were "lay clerks," which means they helped with the church services and singing.

John Amner started working at Ely Cathedral in 1610. He was the Informator choristarum. This fancy title means he was in charge of teaching the choir boys. He worked there until 1641.

He went to two famous universities to study music. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Oxford University in 1613. The Earl of Bath helped him with his studies. He also got a degree from Cambridge University in 1640.

After his first degree, he worked as an organist (someone who plays the organ) and a clergyman at Ely Cathedral. He later became a deacon, which is a type of church leader. Then he became a vicarius, or a minor canon, another important role in the church.

What Kind of Music Did He Write?

In 1615, John Amner published a collection of his music. It was called Sacred Hymnes of 3, 4, 5 and 6 parts for the Voyces and Vyols. Most of his known music comes from this book.

He also wrote other kinds of music, including:

• Preces (prayers for five voices)
• Four settings of daily canticles (songs from the Bible)
• Simple four-part anthems (church songs)
• More complex five-part anthems
• Verse anthems

Many of his works were recorded in the 1990s. The choir of Ely Cathedral performed many of them. Some famous ones include Blessed be the Lord God, Hear, O Lord, and O sing unto the Lord.

Amner also wrote music for viols (an old string instrument). These included a pavane (a slow, stately dance) and a galliard (a lively dance). He also wrote one special piece for a keyboard. This piece is important because it's the only known set of variations on a metrical psalm tune. The tune was called O Lord in thee is all my trust.

Notable Works and Recordings

Here are some of John Amner's well-known pieces:

• A stranger here
• Christ rising again
• Come, let's rejoice
• Lift up your heads, O ye gates
• Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis (Dorian)
• O God my King
• O ye little flock
• Sing O heavens
• Tune thy Musicke to Thy Hart, recorded by Stile Antico and Fretwork in 2012.