Hugh Aston
Aliases: Hugh Ashton; Hugh Ayston; Hugh Austin; Hugh Awsten; Hugh Aysheton; Hugh Assheton; Hugh Astyn
Life
Born: circa 1485
Buried: 17 November 1558
Biography
Hugh Aston (c.1485 – buried 17 November, 1558) was an English composer of the early Tudor period. While little of his music survives, he is notable for his innovative keyboard writing. Few details of his life are certain. In 1510 he attempted to obtain the degree of BMus at Oxford University by submitting a mass and an antiphon; it is not certain if the degree was granted. Between 1510 and 1525 he may have lived in London, and may have had some association with the court of Henry VIII. Most likely he was chorus master at St. Mary Newarke Hospital and College in Leicester between 1525 and 1548. He was considered for the position of choirmaster at Cardinal Wolsey's new Cardinal College, but Wolsey chose John Taverner instead. His exact date of death is not known, but he was buried on 17 November 1558 in Leicester, at St. Margaret's parish. Additional records show that a pension was paid to him up until that date. The most important sources of his music are the Forrest-Heyther partbooks, the Peterhouse partbooks (Cambridge University), of which the tenor partbook is missing and the treble partbooks lacks some pages, and the Sadler partbooks.
View the Wikipedia article on Hugh Aston.
List of choral works
- Ave Domina Sancta Maria -- only treble part survives, thought to be for 3 voices
- Ave Maria ancilla trinitatis a 5v -- missing treble and tenor parts, but at least one reconstructed edition exists
- Ave Maria divae matris Annae' a 5v - missing tenor part, but at least one reconstructed edition exists
- Gaude mater matris Christi a 5v -- a/k/a Gaude virgo mater Christi -- complete
- Missa Te Deum Laudamus a 5v -- a/k/a Te matrem -- complete
- Mass Videte manus meas a 6v -- complete
- O baptista vates christi a 5v -- missing treble and tenor parts, but at least one reconstructed edition exists
- Te Deum laudamus a 5v -- a/k/a Te matrem dei laudamus -- complete
Two instrumental pieces are known to exist by Aston (Maske and A Hornepype). Additional anonymous pieces exist which may be by Aston, including instrumental pieces and an incomplete Mass for voices that uses a cantus firmus taken from the instrumental piece Maske by Aston.
Choral works at CPDL
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Publications
External links
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