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Chelys, vol. 7 (1977), article 3
[47]
ALFONSO FERRABOSCO II—
THE ART OF THE FANTASY
GORDON DODD
This is a paraphrase of remarks made before a demonstration of six of
Alfonso Ferrabosco II’s four-part fantasies, VdGS (Meyer) 7, 12, 13, 20, 21
and 23, at the Society’s London meeting on 30th October 1976.
Manfred Bukofzer once called Coprario a ‘first-class, second-rate
composer’; on the same scale of values, James Riley called William Gregory
a ‘second-class, second-rate composer’. 1 I propose to rank Alfonso
Ferrabosco II with Byrd, Gibbons, Jenkins and Lawes, as a ‘first-class, firstrate
composer’, and to name him as the leading pioneer of the new Jacobean
consort music.
The main sources of information about Alfonso II are Vaught, Grove,
Meyer, Fellowes, Lafontaine and Boyd. 2 The principal work done in this
Society comprises Derek Davidson’s critical editions of eight of the four-part
fantasies, 3 Richard Nicholson’s edition of four more of those fantasies and of
the five-part pavans and almains, 4 Nathalie Dolmetsch’s edition of the fivepart
In Nomine, VdGS (Meyer) 2, 5 and the Provisional Index sheets which I
have contributed to this journal and to the old Bulletin. 6
Life
There appear to be no new discoveries concerning the life. Alfonso II was
born at Greenwich in 1575, was ten when his father emigrated to Italy for the
last time, and thirteen when his father died. According to Wood, 7 `from his
childhood he was trained up to music’. By 1603 he was a King’s Musician for
the Viol, then became music master in succession to Prince Henry and Prince
Charles. ‘He was most excellent at the lyra viol’, continued Wood, ‘and the
most famous man ... [48] for fantasias of 5 or 6 parts’. He became Composer
1 See J. Riley: ‘The Identity of William Gregory’, M&L, x1viii (1967), p. 236-46.
2 R. Vaught: The Fancies of Alfonso Ferrabosco 11 (PhD. thesis, U. of Stanford,
1959); Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians (5/1954); E. H. Mever:
English Chamber Music (London, 1946); E. H. Fellows: English Madrigal
Composers (London, 1948); H. C. de Lafontaine: The King’s Musick (London,
1909); M. C. Boyd: Elizabethan Music and Musical Criticism (Philadelphia,
1940).
3 VdGS (Meyer) no.. 6-9, 16, 18, 21 & 23 issued as SP’s 48, 49, 55, 56, 58, 59, 60
& 65 respectively.
4 VdGS (Meyer) nos. 1, 2, 4, 13 issued as English Consort Series nos. 1, 2, 4, 3
respectively (reissued as Series No. 5). The five-part works are in English Consort
Series nos. 16-25 .
5 VdGS publication no. 4 (Schott Edition).
6 Most recently in Chelys, ii (1970), p. 46 & 52-3.
7 Anthony Wood: MS. biographical notes on musicians, Ob MSS. Wood D. (19) 4 .