Richard Hygons facts for kids

Richard Hygons (also known as Higons, Huchons, or Hugo) was an English composer who lived from about 1435 to 1509. He was active during the early Renaissance period, a time when art, music, and ideas were changing a lot in Europe.

Even though only two of his musical pieces have survived, one of them is very special. It's a five-part song called Salve Regina. This piece is interesting to music experts because it's similar to music being written in other parts of Europe at the same time. It also shows how skilled Hygons was as a composer.

Richard Hygons' Life Story

Richard Hygons spent almost his entire life working at Wells Cathedral in England. There are no records that show him working anywhere else.

Early Career at Wells Cathedral

Hygons first appears in records in 1458 as a "vicar-choral." This means he was a priest who sang in the church choir. In 1460, he became an acolyte, which is a person who helps the priest during church services.

Between 1461 and 1462, he was one of five organists at the cathedral. This shows he was already a talented musician.

Important Duties and Teaching Music

A document from 1479 tells us a lot about his job. He was given a house near the cathedral to live in for free. He also received a yearly salary of about 96 shillings, which was a good amount of money back then.

His main job was to teach music to the choristers, who were the young boys singing in the choir. He also taught the organ to anyone who showed talent. He had to be present at certain church services, like masses, Vespers (evening prayers), and Matins (morning prayers).

Becoming Principal Organist

In 1487, Hygons received a big pay raise. He also became the main organist of Wells Cathedral. This was a very important position.

By 1507, his health started to decline. He needed help with his duties, so he appointed Richard Bramston as his deputy. He was still alive in May 1508, when he hired another assistant. Richard Hygons likely passed away in Wells in 1509.

Hygons' Music and Its Impact

Only two of Richard Hygons' musical works are known to exist today.

Surviving Compositions

One piece is a two-part song called Gaude virgo mater Christi. This song is found on a single page from a choirbook that belonged to Wells Cathedral. Sadly, most music from the 15th and early 16th centuries was lost during the Dissolution of the Monasteries by King Henry VIII.

The other, more famous piece, is the Salve Regina from the Eton Choirbook. This book is a very important collection of English music from that time.

The Unique Salve Regina

Hygons' Salve Regina is special among English music of its time. It uses a musical theme, or cantus firmus, that comes from a specific part of an older church chant. This same musical theme was also used by other famous composers from Europe, like Jacob Obrecht and Johannes Ockeghem, in their "Caput" masses.

Recent studies suggest that the original "Caput" mass might have been written by an unknown English composer even earlier. Hygons' Salve Regina was likely meant to be sung on Maundy Thursday, a special day in the Christian calendar.

High Musical Standards

The Salve Regina is a difficult and complex piece. It shows how skilled Richard Hygons was as a composer. The high quality of this music suggests that the musical standards at Wells Cathedral in the late 1400s were very high. They were just as good as those in other major musical centers across the English Channel in Europe.