John Playford
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John Playford was born in Norwich in 1623 and died in London in 1686. He served an apprenticeship with a publisher (John Benson) from 1639/40 to 1647, after which he opened a shop in the porch of Temple Church. A bookseller and publisher, Playford is best known for his publication of The English Dancing Master in 1651. This came about after Playford was working as a (Civil) war correspondent and was captured by Cromwell's men and told that, if he valued his freedom (as a sympathiser with the King) he might consider a change of career. The work contains both the music and instructions for English country dances. Although many of the tunes in the book are attributed to him today, he probably did not write any of them. Most were popular melodies that had existed for years. John Playford published several other collections of music, including:
- Apollo's Banquet (1678) - tunes and jigs for the violin
- The Musical Companion (1667) - songs and catches
- Musick's Handmaid (1678) - songs for the virginal and harpsichord
- The Division Violin (1685)
The Division Violin has the reputation of containing some fiendishly difficult and technically advanced (for its time) music for the violin. Playford's other publications include (Randel, 1996):
- A Musicall Banquet (1651)
- Catch that Catch Can (1652)
- A Breefe Introduction to the Skill of Musick (1654)
Playford retired in 1684 and was succeeded in his publishing business by his son, Henry Playford.
[edit] Reference
- Randel, Don Michael, The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music (1996), Belknap Press. ISBN 0-674-37299-9.
