William Tisdale facts for kids
William Tisdale (sometimes spelled Tisdall) was an English musician and composer who lived around the late 1500s and early 1600s. He was part of a group of composers known as the "virginal school." This means he wrote music for a keyboard instrument called a virginal, which was popular at the time.
Not much is known for sure about William Tisdale's life. It's a bit of a mystery! Records show there were two people named William Tisdale in London during that period. One passed away in 1603, and the other in 1605. We don't know which one was the famous composer.
Contents
Tisdale's Music Collections
We know about a few pieces of music William Tisdale wrote. His music is found in two important collections from his time.
The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book
Five of Tisdale's musical pieces are in a very famous collection called the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book. This book is a large collection of keyboard music from the late 1500s and early 1600s. It helps us understand what music was like back then.
The John Bull Virginal Book
Two more of Tisdale's pieces are in another book. This book is sometimes called the John Bull Virginal Book. It was put together for a well-known English composer named John Bull.
Connections to the Tregian Family
It seems William Tisdale knew a family called the Tregians. They lived in Cornwall, England.
Mrs Katherin Tregians Paven
The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book includes one of Tisdale's pieces called Mrs Katherin Tregians Paven. This piece uses many different notes that are close together, which is called chromatic music. It might have been written when Katherine Arundell, the mother of Francis Tregian the Elder, passed away.
Who Compiled the Music?
Because of this connection, some people think that Francis Tregian the Younger might have been the person who collected all the music for the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book.
Known Musical Works
Here are the musical pieces by William Tisdale that we know about:
From the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book
- Almand (No. 213 in the book)
- Pavana Chromatica: Mrs Katherin Tregians Paven (No. 214)
- Pavana: Clement Cotton (No. 219)
- Pavana (No. 220)
- Galiarda (No. 295)
From the John Bull Virginal Book
- [Coranto] (No. 3 in the book)
- [Coranto] (No. 4)
