William Leighton

Full biography William Leighton

Sir William Leighton (c. 1565 – buried 31 July 1622) was a Jacobean composer and editor who published The Teares and Lamentacions of a Sorrowfull Soule (1614), one of the most successful collections of devotional music of the early seventeenth century. He was also MP for Much Wenlock.

Leighton was born around 1565 and was the second son of John Leighton ), the Elizabethan judge who was Chief Justice and father of the 17th century poet and composer , William Leighton. He was appointed High Sheriff of Shropshire in 1596 and, in the following years, he began to assemble his music collection.

Leighton's most famous work, The Teares and Lamentacions of a Sorrowfull Soule, was published in 1614. It includes contributions from a number of composers, including John Dowland and John Ward, as well as six of Leighton's own compositions. The collection was incredibly successful and was reprinted numerous times in the years that followed.

In addition to his work as a composer, Leighton was also an important editor and compiler of music. He is known to have compiled two further collections of music, both of which were published in 1618, the same year in which he was knighted by King James I.

Overall, Leighton was an important figure in the world of early seventeenth century music, particularly in the field of devotional music. His compositions and arrangements helped to shape the sound of sacred music during his lifetime, and his influential collections of music continue to be studied and celebrated to this day.