Music for King Henry - Royal Choirbook

The English King Henry VIII was known as a great lover of music. A wonderful manuscript offers a glimpse into this passion of the King’s and into his biography and personality: the so-called Royal Choirbook. This manuscript was a gift from an Antwerp merchant named Petrus de Opitiis and his son Benedictus to Henry VIII. It contained six Latin motets, which were expressly composed for the King. Additionally, the manuscript is adorned with gorgeous paintings, which produce an unmitigated connection to Henry VIII, his family, and his life. A unique testimonial to the great musical tradition of England, which Henry VIII co-founded!

The Musical King

Henry VIII (1491–1547), famous King of England, was a great lover of music. Henry played the harp passionately and enthusiastically composed pieces of music. Additionally, he was one of the greatest patrons of the musical arts in Europe of his time, he had 58 court musicians appointed. His fascination with music inspired him to found a great musical tradition in England. This Royal Choirbook, which was gifted to him, directly conveys this love of music.

A Personal Gift for the King

The manuscript with the shelf mark MS 11 E XI of the British Library in London originated in Flemish Antwerp in 1516 at the behest of Petrus de Opitiis. This Antwerp merchant probably wanted to make his son Benedictus, a gifted organist, known to the King or to thank the King for a favor done for Benedictus. The Royal Choirbook contains six wonderful Latin motets. These pieces for a choir – works by Benedictus de Opitiis and a composer named Sampson, who probably came from the Netherlands according to the latest research – was specifically composed for the King and whose contents also have an unmitigated connection to the circumstances of his life. This gift was presented in 1518.

Red Roses and Fine Gold

These musical pieces are also illustrated in a magnificently artistic manner on 36 pages of parchment measuring 49.5 x 34.5 cm. The gorgeously heraldic décor with qualitatively outstanding miniatures makes the Royal Choirbook of Henry VIII an exceptional book! Among other decorations, a gorgeous frontispiece adorns the manuscript: three roses – one red, the red of Lancaster, a red-white rose as symbol of the unification of the houses of York and Lancaster, and a crowned rose as a symbol for the King Henry himself – adorn the page and a pomegranate tree symbolizes Henry’s spouse Catherine of Aragon. The red roses are found distributed throughout the entire manuscript and thus celebrate the Tudor dynasty, which is praised in the songs and honored in the miniatures!