When you think of Henry VIII, what comes to mind?
Was it his six marriage experiences that were spurned by the world, or his cruel and harsh tyranny, or the "supreme kingship" of the Religious Reformation... And so on. However, no matter what, the world's impression of him seems to be unable to escape the image of the tyrant who is shattered.
In fact, leaving aside his negative image, Henry VIII was also a versatile king. The British Royal Family attaches great importance to educating future generations in humanism and chivalry. Thus, this form of education also fulfilled Henry VIII's multiple identities as a king besides writers, poets, and musicians.
The element of music, both in his court life and in his political career, was an inevitable presence.
01 Music connoisseur – Henry VIII
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (hereinafter referred to as the New Grove Dictionary) begins with an introduction to Henry VIII: "[He] is the ruler of England and the patron saint of music." The dictionary mentions the identity of King Henry VIII on a par with the identity of the patron saint of music, from which the close relationship between this English king and music can be seen.
It was also true that Henry loved music for ten minutes. For example, since the beginning of his succession, he has had his own band. At his coronation, a special ceremonial music performance session was arranged for ensemble singing.
Regarding the ceremonial musical performance, the New Grove Dictionary records the following: "In the coronation of Henry VIII, one of the links was the formation of a ceremonial musical team of male voices, some of whom sang choruses, others played the flute, the trio and harpsichord. ”
Henry would often invite and hire his favorite musicians to the court and play music with them to entertain others. During his reign, the number of professional musicians who had served in the court for a long time grew from single digits to nearly 60, and the status of music in his heart was evident. William Cornysi, the musician and dramatist of the time, was his musical confidant and became one of his favorites.
In addition, Henry was obsessed with the collection of musical instruments in his daily life. It is recorded that in 1530 alone, Henry VIII purchased six flutes of different sizes, two woofers and some Virgina. During his reign, he also purchased a staggering number of oboe curved pipes and eight-hole flutes. It can be seen that his interest in music is not only in the appreciation of music, but also extends to instruments.
In short, throughout his life, except for the most anxious time of the divorce case, people can find music everywhere in his court life. At that time, Henry deservedly became a music connoisseur with high musical literacy.
02 King's composer status
The British royal family believes that every royal family must have basic music appreciation skills, so it attaches great importance to music education. As a result, Henry received systematic musical training from an early age. For example, from the age of seven, he began to learn to compose music, practicing instruments such as the flute, vigina, and lute, as well as keyboards and singing.
In addition, he likes music, so he is also quite accomplished. The Royal Website has this to say about him: "He was an accomplished player of many instruments and a composer. ”
To say that he is a composer is not to exalt him because of his status as king. In 1518, fragments of 139 popular songs of the time were included and edited into a volume called "Henry VIII manuscript" (Henry VIII's manuscript). Of these, 33 were created by Henry himself.
At present, we can directly find the song called "The Ballad of the King", which is "pastime with good company" ("Spend time with good friends"). Composed before he was 30 years old, the lyrics describe the young king's daily court life: entertaining with his righteous companions, hunting, singing, dancing, and maintaining his good character at all times.
The style of the piece followed the secular pop style of his teacher, the Lute pianist dawes. Based on the "passamezzo antico" chord design in a dance song, the song "Spend time with good friends" was created. In the world, it was extremely popular.
03 Promoter of music development reform in the UK
In addition to being a connoisseur and composer of music, Henry VIII also played a great role in promoting the development and reform of English music.
As the king of a country, the representative of power, his obsession with music will lead to a group of important followers. Whether those people really like it or not, their actions will play a good role in promoting the spread of British music. The popular storm caused by the center of authority, the influence is often increased exponentially, which makes the United Kingdom have a good atmosphere of music and art.
This spread and influence soon extended to the school. One of the oldest choirs in England, the Oxford University Choir, was formed in 1526 by Henry VIII by The Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. It was later renamed several times and became the current Christ Church College, Oxford University.
It has to be said that Henry VIII's determination for the development of music communication in Britain will not only expand its influence through school education, but also have continuity.
In addition, Henry VIII's vigorous Reformation also objectively promoted the reform of English music. At that time, religious music was still the center of gravity of British musical art, and Henry's destruction of monasteries large and small stalled the continuation of music. As many monasteries were dissolved, as many church choirs were destroyed, and a large number of church composers and performers had to find another way.
The better way out for those musicians might have been to become members of the king's or upstart's private choir, such as the composer Thomas Tallis, who later became a member of the Henry Choir. However, most musicians later become uncertain, and it is difficult to have a home and achievement.
Of course, after the Reformation, with the rise of the new church believed in by the upstarts, church music also had new developments and needs. For example, the "anthem" and "short service" that appear in prayer are relatively simple and simple styles.
During the reign of Henry VIII, another great change in English music was the incorporation of the styles of music from other countries to make it more international. This also benefited from Henry's thirst for musicians from all over the world, so British music incorporated musical elements from many continental European countries.
04 Conclusion: Music – The Political Tool of Henry VIII
Needless to say, Henry was a musical connoisseur, composer, and promoter of reform with excellent musical attainments. For him, however, music was not just a hobby, but a tool for cementing his political image. Therefore, he is more like an alternative musician, using the art of music as a political tool to consolidate his political image.
On the one hand, the king's musical cultivation is a symbol of wealth and culture, and the higher the cultivation, the more prominent the ability. Henry Shangjia's musical accomplishment highlights his glorious image as the king of a country.
Musical ceremonies, on the other hand, sometimes play a pivotal role in diplomatic activities, to a certain extent, demonstrating the country's diplomatic prowess.
As a result, Henry's many musical ceremonies on foreign affairs also cemented his political image in European countries.
The world-famous "multi-faceted tyrant" is like a music manipulator, serving politics in the name of music.
参考文献：《the new grove dictionary of music and musician》、《the book of the courtier》《henry viii’s book: teaching music to royal children》、《“国王”音乐家——亨利八世》。