The Life Of Philip Rosseter
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The Life of Robert Jones (fl. 1597 - 1617) madrigal and lute song composer.
Que prosunt sinula, multainuant
Robert Jones was the most prolific of the English lute song composers.
He took his musical degree at Oxford in 1597 (St. Edmund Hall)


Robert Jones an Introduction
About this Robert Jones site. - Construction
The Complete Works Of R. Jones
R. Jones Time Line
Robert Jones and me, Patrick T. Connolly
Robert Jones lutenists?
Printers & Booksellers
Manuscripts
Bibliography
Publications
Discography
Bookes --------- -- Dedicates
(1600) 1st book -- Sir Robert Sidney (1563 -1626)
(1601) 2nd book -- Sir Henry Leonard, twelfth, Baron Dacre (1570-1616).
(1605) 3rd book -- Henry, Prince of Wales (died 1611).
(1607) Madrigal book -- Robert Earle of Salisburie, Viscount Cranborn.
(1609) 4th book -- Sir John Levinthorpe.
(1610) 5th book -- Lady Mary (Sidney) Wroth (1587?-1651?)

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Made in Japan by Patrick Thomas Connolly. © All materials are copyright.

Go to Patrick T. Connolly's own poetry & music page, 'Put your Bum To Work'.

Jones' Association with;
Philip Rosseter '.
- my Life of Philip Rosseter page.
Thomas Campion
Philip Kingman
Ralph Reeve
Richard Jones
Robert Browne
William Shakespeare - Twelfth Night
Francis Davison

The Life of Robert Jones

We do not know when or where Robert Jones was born nor, do we know, when or where he died. In my studies I have found some new facts about Jones but these questions still remain a mystery. I hope I can answer these and other questions in the future. - Patrick T. Connolly - March 20, 2004.

The Length Of the Life of Robert Jones (Patrick T. Connolly - August 2, 2004 & July 11, 2009.)

We know that Robert Jones was still around in 1617 because of an aquitance, for his rent from 1617, that was brought up in a Chancellery suit in 1623 by, none other than the greatest Shakespearian actor, Edward Allen.

The anthem Sing Joyfully' is very interesting because it is probably the last piece of music we have from Robert Jones. This anthem is also significant because it seems to expand the years to Robert Jones's life beyond 1617.

Craig Monson* says "'#40 Sing Joyfully' is "Jones's only manuscript anthem" and it "survives solely in Christ Church 56-60 and BM Add. MS 29427" and he says that "56-60 must have been completed before 1625".

As far as I know I am the first to point out that, the aquitance from 1617 and, the presents of Jones' Sing Joyfully among with the "notably up to date" pieces of 'Christ Church 56-60' indicate that Robert Jones lived longer than it is generally known and that he may have been around in the early 1620s.


Sing Joyfully and Christ Church 56-60

How a Robert Jones composition came to be in this manuscript was perhaps a little lucky given his "tenuous connections to the court" according to Craig Monson. However Craig Monson also tells us something about the anthem and speculates that it was likely a court event that inspired the piece;

Voices and Viols in England, 1600-1650 by Craig Monson

page 60
"a substantial number of pieces connect these [Christ Church partbooks] manuscripts with the musical circle around the court. ... two more other composers from the Christ Church partbooks reveal other more tenuous, connections with the court. The lutenist songwriter, Robert Jones, whose one manuscript anthem, Sing Joyfully, survives solely in 56-60 and BM Add. MS 29427, [footnote 53] dedicated his Ultimun Vale to Prince Henry in 1605. After 1610 Jones was instructor of the Children of the Queen's Revels. On the other hand, John Ward, [... the most prominent composer in the manuscript, very] likely came into contact with Prince Henry through his very musical employer, Sir Henry Fanshawe, remembrancer of the exchequer to the prince."

page 66
"... 56-60 must have been completed before 1625.
... The full anthems are notably up to date, with greatest prominence going to Jacobeans such as Weelkes [1576 - 1623], Lupo, and Thomas ford, and with isolated examples by [Thomas] Warwick, R. Jones, John Mundy [1529 - ?1591?], [William] Corkine, Ravenscroft, and [Simon] Stubbs. Some of these manuscripts were hardly renowned as sacred composers (e.g., Jones and Corkine), ...

Aside from these up-to-date full anthems, a number of others represent the Elizabethan age. Some ... were among the most popular anthems of the age, and found their way into many pre-Restoration sources,


Under Construction.
This is an unfinished page that I hope to edit sometime in the future.

'My Love is neither young nor old' from Robert Jones' Second Booke was embedded - January 19, 2008.
Last update, July 11, 2009.



All materials are copyright © 2001 to 2009 Patrick Thomas Connolly.
Page Bibliography
The Life and Works of Philip Rosseter by John Jeffreys
Roberton Publication, 1990, The Windmill, Wendover, Aylesbury, HP22 6JJ.
Printed in Great Britain by Lavenham Press Ltd.
Voices and Viols in England, 1600-1650 by Craig Monson,
UMI Reserch Press, Ann Arbor Miichigan. - pages 60 to 66.