Thomas Tomkins

The inside front jacket of this book describes its subject as ‘arguably the greatest of all Welsh-born composers’. Few would take issue with that claim, certainly so far as pre-twentieth-century musicians are concerned. However, the description of Thomas Tomkins on the front cover itself as ‘the last Elizabethan’ might at first seem somewhat eccentric for a composer who outlived his two greatest contemporaries (Weelkes and Gibbons) by over thirty years, and who died in the second half of the seventeenth century. That said, the legitimacy of the ‘Elizabethan’ label is clearly confirmed by the fact that Tomkins was already sufficiently established by the close of the sixteenth century to have been invited to contribute to The Triumphs of Oriana (1601). The impending 350th anniversary of the composer’s death, then, is perhaps a timely occasion on which to reassess the standing of one who, despite his obvious eminence, signally failed to secure a place in the honour rolls of leading musicians provided by contemporary commentators such as Frances Meres (Palladis Tamia, 1598) and Henry Peacham (The Compleat Gentleman, 1622).

Art · Art history · Front (military) · Honour · Subject (documents) · Welsh · Classics · Historical Influence and Diplomacy · Historical Studies of British Isles · History · Philosophy · Scottish History and National Identity

• Acousmatic Fabrications

  Open Access•Brian Kane•Journal of Visual Culture•2011

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