# A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Lawes, Henry

From volume 2 of the work.
​LAWES, Henry, son of William Lawes, was born at Dinton, Wiltshire, probably in Dec. 1595, as he was baptized Jan. 1, 1595–6. He received his musical education from Giovanni Coperario. On Jan. 1, 1625–6 he was sworn in as epistler of the Chapel Royal, and on Nov. 3 following, one of the gentlemen, and afterwards became clerk of the cheque. In 1633 he joined his brother William and Simon Ives in composing the music for Shirley's masque, 'The Triumphs of Peace,' and in the same year furnished music for Thomas Carew's masque, 'Cœlum Britannicum,' performed at Court, Feb. 18, 1633–4. In 1634 he composed the songs for Milton's masque, 'Comus,' produced at Ludlow Castle on Michaelmas night, in that year, Lawes performing the part of the Attendant Spirit. (Both Hawkins and Burney have printed 'Sweet Echo,' one of the songs in 'Comus.' The whole of the songs are in the British Museum, Add. MS. 11,518.) It is probable that the friendship between Milton and Lawes had its origin in Comus.
Henry Lawes taught music to Lady Alice Egerton—'The Lady' of the masque. In 1637 appeared 'A Paraphrase vpon the Psalmes of David. By G[eorgej S[andys]. Set to new Tunes for private Devotion. And a thorow Base, for Voice or Instrument. By Henry Lawes'; and in 1648 'Choice Psalmes put into Musick for Three Voices … Composed by Henry and William Lawes, Brothers and Servants to His Majestie. With divers Elegies set in Musick by several friends, upon the death of William Lawes. And at the end of the Thorough Base are added nine Canons of Three and Four Voices made by William Lawes.' A copper-plate portrait of Charles I, believed to be the last published in his life time, accompanies each part, and amongst the commendatory verses prefixed to the work is the sonnet, addressed by Milton to Henry Lawes in Feb. 1645–6, commencing 'Harry, whose tuneful and well measured song.' Lawes composed the songs in the plays and poems of William Cartwright, and the Christmas songs in Herrick's 'Hesperides.' In 1653 he published 'Ayres and Dialogues for One, Two and Three Voyces,' with his portrait, from which the above is taken, finely engraved by Faithorne, on the title. This was received with such favour as to induce him to issue two other books with the ​same title in 1655 and 1658. In 1656 he was engaged with Capt. Henry Cooke, Dr. Charles Colman and George Hudson in providing the music for Davenant's 'First Day's Entertainment of Musick at Rutland House.' On the Restoration in 1660 Lawes was reinstated in his Court appointments. He composed the anthem 'Zadok the Priest,' for the coronation of Charles II. He died Oct. 21, 1662, and was buried Oct. 25 in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey. Many of his songs are to be found in 'Select Musicall Ayres and Dialogues,' 1652, 1653 and 1659, and 'The Treasury of Musick,' 1669.
Henry Lawes was highly esteemed by his contemporaries, both as a composer and performer. Milton praises him in both capacities, and Herrick in an epigram places him on a level with some of the most renowned singers and players of his time; but later writers have formed a lower estimate of his abilities as a composer. Burney declares his productions to be 'languid and insipid, and equally devoid of learning and genius'; and Hawkins speaks of his music as deficient in melody and 'neither recitative nor air, but in so precise a medium between both that a name is wanting for it.' But both appear to judge from a false point of view. It was not Lawes's object to produce melody in the popular sense of the word, but to get 'words with just note and accent,' to make the prosody of his text his principal care; and it was doubtless that quality which induced all the best poetical writers of his day, from Milton and Waller downwards, to desire that their verses should be set by him. To effect his object he employed a kind of 'aria parlante,' a style of composition which, if expressively sung, would cause as much gratification to the cultivated hearer as the most ear-catching melody would to the untrained listener. Lawes was careful in the choice of words, and the words of his songs would form a very pleasing volume of lyric poetry. Hawkins says that notwithstanding Lawes 'was a servant of the church, he contributed nothing to the increase of its stores'; but, besides the coronation anthem before mentioned, there are (or were) in an old choir book of the Chapel Royal fragments of 8 or 10 anthems by him, and the words of several of his anthems are given in Clifford's 'Divine Services and Anthems,' 1664. A portrait of Henry Lawes is in the Music School, Oxford.
John Lawes, a brother of Henry, was a lay vicar of Westminster Abbey. He died in Jan. 1654–5, and was buried in the Abbey cloisters.
Rev. Thomas Lawes, commonly but erroneously stated to be the father, but probably the uncle, of William and Henry Lawes, was a vicar choral of Salisbury Cathedral. He died Nov. 7 1640, and was buried in the north transept of the cathedral.
[ W. H. H. ]
* ↑ The work is in separate parts.
* ↑ Really ten.