John Adson

Short bio John Adson

Birthday: 1587

Died: 1640 in London, England

Genre: Classical

Period: Baroque

Full biography John Adson

John Adson (baptized 1587, died 29 June 1640) was an English composer and musician. He is primarily known for his Courtly Masquing Ayres, which is considered one of his greatest works. This piece was written in 1621 and is a collection of dance pieces that were often used during masquerades, a popular form of entertainment during the seventeenth century.

Despite his prominence in his time, Adson's body of work is relatively small, with only four other known pieces attributed to him. In addition to his works for the masque, Adson was also a skilled instrumentalist, playing the viol, the cornetto, and the recorder.

Not much is known about Adson's personal life, but he may have been baptized in Watford, Northamptonshire. He was a musician in the service of both King James I and King Charles I, which attests to his high standing in the English court.

In addition to his contributions to court music, Adson also played a role in the development of English Baroque music. He was one of several English composers who were influenced by the Italian Baroque style, and he incorporated these techniques into his own compositions. Through his work, Adson helped to establish a distinct English style of Baroque music.

Today, John Adson is remembered primarily for his contributions to English court music and as one of the pioneers of English Baroque music. His Courtly Masquing Ayres remains a popular work, and his influence can be heard in the works of later English composers.

Compositions featuring John Adson

#	Name	Duration	Genre	Year
1	Adsonns Maske	1:33 min	Miscellaneous (Classical)	-
2	Ayre a 5	2:20 min	Miscellaneous (Classical)	-
3	Ayre a 6	2:38 min	Miscellaneous (Classical)	-
4	Ayres for cornets & sackbutts	1:01 min	Chamber Music	-
5	Courtly Masquing Ayres (31) in 5 Parts	13:45 min	Chamber Music	-
6	Maske, Adsonns	1:36 min	Miscellaneous (Classical)	-
7	Royal Wind Music	2:09 min	Chamber Music	-
8	Satyr's Masque	2:12 min	Miscellaneous (Classical)	-
9	The Bull Masque	1:26 min	Opera	-
10	The First of the Temple Anticke	1:23 min	Miscellaneous (Classical)	-
11	The Second of my Lord of Essex	3:59 min	Miscellaneous (Classical)	-
12	The Second of the Temple Antic	1:46 min	Miscellaneous (Classical)	-
13	Williams his love	1:54 min	Miscellaneous (Classical)	-
14	Work(s) for brass		Orchestral	-

Albums featuring John Adson

#	Name album	Year	Music label
1	Aaron Copland, Richard Harvey (2), Jean-Baptiste Lully, John Adson, Carlo Gesualdo, Giovanni Gabrieli, Lodovico Viadana, Henry Purcell, The Brass Of Aquitaine & London – Fanfare For The Common Man(CD, )	1993	ASV
2	Jacques Arcadelt, Mathieu Lasson, Pascal De L'Estocart, Fabrice Caietain, John Adson – La Renaissance En Lorraine(CD, Album)	1990	L'Empreinte Digitale
3	Aaron Copland, Richard Harvey (2), Jean-Baptiste Lully, John Adson, Carlo Gesualdo, Giovanni Gabrieli, Lodovico Viadana, Henry Purcell – Brass At La Sauve-Majeure	1983	Musical Heritage Society
4	Quintette De Cuivres Guy Touvron, G.P. Palestrina, A. Holborne, J. Adson, S. Scheidt, M. Locke, J.C. Pezel, G.H. Haendel – Oeuvres Du XVIe Au XVIII Siècles	1979	Erato
5	Brass Ensemble Under The Direction Of Gabriel Masson - Works By Melchior Franck • Heinrich Scheidemann • Heinrich Schütz • Thomas Stoltzer • Pierre Attaingnant • John Adson • Giovanni And Andrea Gabrieli • Girolamo Frescobaldi • Adriano Banchieri – Renais	1966	Nonesuch