William Brade facts for kids

William Brade (born 1560 – died 26 February 1630) was an English composer, violinist, and viol player. He lived during the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods of music. He mostly worked in northern Germany. Brade was the first Englishman known to write a canzona, which is an Italian music style. He was also likely the first to write a piece for a solo violin.

William Brade's Life Story

We don't know much about William Brade's early life. Around 1590, he left England to work as a musician in Germany. Many other English musicians also moved abroad then, looking for better job chances.

Moving Around for Music

William Brade often changed jobs between different royal courts in northern Germany and Denmark. From about 1590 to 1594, he worked for the Brandenburg court. Then, from 1594 to 1596, he worked for Christian IV of Denmark in Copenhagen. He went back to Brandenburg until 1599.

That same year, he returned to Copenhagen and stayed there until 1606. From 1606 to 1608, he worked in Bückeburg. He moved to Hamburg from 1608 to 1610, but then went back to Bückeburg.

A "Mischievous Fellow"

By 1612, Brade was thinking about changing jobs again. A letter from the count at Bückeburg called him a "mischievous fellow." The count warned the Hamburg court not to hire him.

But even with the warning, Brade started working in Hamburg by 1613. He often changed jobs every two years. In 1615, he went back to Copenhagen. In 1618, he moved to Halle. There, he became a kapellmeister, which means a music director, for the Prince of Magdeburg.

Later Years and Return to Hamburg

By 1619, Brade was in Berlin. The next year, he went back to Copenhagen again. Two years later, he moved to Gottorp in Schleswig-Holstein. He was the director of the Hofkapelle (court orchestra) there until 1625.

His last years were spent in Hamburg. This city was a safe place in Germany during the Thirty Years' War. There is no sign that he ever went back to England.

William Brade's Music

All of William Brade's music that we still have is for string instruments. Most of it was written for dancing. His earlier music, like what he published in 1609, was similar to English composers such as Peter Philips and John Dowland.

New Music Styles

Later, Brade started using Italian music styles. He wrote the first known canzona by an Englishman. He also began to put his dances into groups called suites. This became very common in the Baroque music period.

Some of the dances he wrote were new to Germany. These included the branle, maschera, and volta.

Solo Violin and Style

His piece called coral is a set of variations on a repeating bass line. It is thought to be the earliest music written for solo violin by an English composer. However, we are not completely sure if he wrote it.

Brade's music often used a style called homophony. This means one main melody with chords supporting it. Many other English composers at the time still preferred polyphony, which means many independent melodies playing at once.

As a performer, William Brade was known for his excellent playing. He was one of the most famous early violinists. People in Germany thought very highly of him. After he died, other composers published music in Hamburg to honor him.