# Dr John Bull



## hocket

The good doctor is someone who I find I like more and more as I listen to his music. After initially struggling with some of it I find I'm really falling in love with it. I see that some of the folks on YouTube have christened his style 'Psychedelic Baroque' which is of course completely wrong, and yet it seems so right. I once saw a review describing his music as academic, as if he were only a musician's musician. I must say that I couldn't disagree more.

Some clips:
















Anyone else a fan?


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## sunada

I also like his works.

When I was a high school student, I bought "Fitzwilliam Virginal Book" and played his works.

His varietion is not only Intellectual, but also luxury.
It should be played and listened more.


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## Orpheus

I've recently discovered Bull during my ongoing investigation of Renaissance composers, and been quite intrigued by his virtuosity and originiality. I have a lot more listening to do to really form an opinion, but some of his keyboard music is both fascinating and distinctly radical, reminiscent of some of the other exploratory composers of the later Renaissance such as Gesualdo and Lawes. I doubt that many people are aware that works such as his brilliant and bewildering In Nomine IX, with its intricate figurations in irregular rythym (in 11/4!) were even capable of being composed at this time:


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## clavichorder

I love John Bull! I like one of his Preludes and am learning it, a very improvisatory piece. His music tends to be the most complicated, virtuosic, and eccentric of the five major English Virginalists.


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## hocket

clavichorder said:


> the five major English Virginalists.


This came back to haunt me. In addition to Byrd, Bull and Gibbons I initially presumed you were referring to Giles Farnaby and Thomas Tomkins. However, it later occurred to me that Peter Philips is more renowned than either of them and arguably on a level with the first three. So who did you mean and who's getting left out?


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## clavichorder

hocket said:


> This came back to haunt me. In addition to Byrd, Bull and Gibbons I initially presumed you were referring to Giles Farnaby and Thomas Tomkins. However, it later occurred to me that Peter Philips is more renowned than either of them and arguably on a level with the first three. So who did you mean and who's getting left out?


You were right with your initial assumption that I was referring to Tompkins and G. Farnaby. I did not know that about Peter Philips, but I would like to get into his stuff if its as you say it is.


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## hocket

In addition to his wikipedia page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Philips) you might find this interesting:

http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/notes/a6580b4289fedccd/66734-B.pdf

http://www.naxos.com/mainsite/blurbs_reviews.asp?item_code=8.557864&catNum=557864&filetype=About%20this%20Recording&language=English#


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## clavichorder

I just got really into the Walsingham Variations last Friday. So, I'm gonna re listen. I had sort of avoided the piece for a while, but I have a Peter Jan Belder recording of them(Fitzwilliam CD), and it really struck me as an amazing piece. 

On a side note, there was a Peter Phillips piece on the disc that I really liked as well. He has his own sound, I can hear it, maybe a little more like Gibbons.


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## clavichorder

Listen to this Galliard and you'll see why you might call John Bull the Liszt of the Elizebethans. Very succinct and lively showcasing of John Bull's compositional chops.


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## Jobis

Bless you for posting these videos! Its been a revelation for me; heavenly music.


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