Divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived! Is that what comes to mind when you think of the famous Tudor King of England? I imagine that his chat up line should have gone something like this: “Don’t worry; I won’t keep you for long!”

• England King Henry Viii
• What Is King Henry Viii Most Famous For
• What Did Henry Viii Eat

Did He or Didn’t He?!? Henry VIII Songbook. An extraordinary collection of his music is today kept at the British Library in London; the so-called Henry VIII’s Songbook. This book contains over 100 secular compositions by contemporary Tudor composers, 33 of which were written by the King himself. Henry VIII wanted to promote the image of a warrior king, so he engaged in a wide variety of sports, including jousting, horseback riding, hunting and martial sports like fencing, archery and even wrestling. He played most of his favourite sports at Hampton Court Palace. King Henry VIII Married Six Wives. In his youth, Henry VIII was one of the Catholic Church’s staunchest supporters. In 1521 Henry VIII. Tudor football Henry VIII's boots needed to be strong because football during the 16th century, when he was King, was a very tough game. 'Football in Tudor times was a very vicious game, with no teams and no rules, so it was not a game for gentlemen,' said Dr Hayward.

On a more serious note, probably a lesser known side to this colourful character of history was his ability as a musician and a composer! Born in 1491, Henry received an excellent education from the leading tutors of the day. As was expected of children born of the nobility, Henry was to become proficient in many skills such as hunting, fencing, jousting, archery, hawking, wrestling, dancing, writing poetry, singing as well as learning to play several musical instruments.

A Very Long iTunes Playlist!

Henry developed a life-long love of listening to, performing and composing music. He built an extensive collection of musical instruments over the years including some 78 flutes, 76 recorders, 10 trombones, 14 trumpets, 5 bagpipes and many others! He was well respected as a competent musician and singer, doing much to actively encourage the very best musicians of the day to attend court. Many of the finest musicians and composers were attracted to this centre of musical culture with some coming from faraway European countries! During his reign, much experimentation in combining different musical instruments together in ensemble playing contributed greatly to the developing Renaissance era. At the height of this musical community, Henry had almost one hundred musicians and composers at his beck and call! They were highly organised, taking shifts to provide the King with an almost constant soundtrack to his day. From his waking moments, appropriate instruments would entertain his seemingly insatiable appetite for music.

Who Needs a Barry White CD!

Perhaps rather shocking is King Henry the VIII’s requirement for musical accompaniment whilst he entertained the ladies in his bedchamber! That must have been a very awkward working environment for those unfortunate musicians! And who dared defy the King? Heads were known to roll…

Henry the Composer

Most fascinating is the King’s compositional output. He wrote a great deal of music although sadly some of which has been lost including many of his masses and ballads. A testament to his ability as a composer is the popularity with which some of his pieces enjoyed, spreading from his court, across the realm and into Europe. And not only in his lifetime. Some of his songs have passed through the generations and are still performed by early music ensembles today!

For many years, the belief was that King Henry the VIII wrote the popular folk song Greensleeves. Much speculation arose about the subject of the song possibly being Anne Boleyn but scholars have rejected this claim. It is now felt that this piece was written in an Italian style of composition which only arrived on English shores sometime after Henry’s death, therefore dating it as Elizabethan.Did He or Didn’t He?!?

Henry VIII Songbook

An extraordinary collection of his music is today kept at the British Library in London; the so-called Henry VIII’s Songbook. This book contains over 100 secular compositions by contemporary Tudor composers, 33 of which were written by the King himself. Beautifully notated and illuminated by one of his inner circle onto parchment, this manuscript gives us an amazing insight into the developing composer, taking us from his early works when he was as young as eleven through to his extremely mature and complex compositions as an adult.

A Number One Hit!

Contained in this collection is Henry’s greatest success, a song written in 1509 shortly after his coronation entitled “Pastime with Good Company.” So popular was this catchy tune with its raucous lyrics, that it “broke out” of his court and quickly spread through England becoming a national hit. People sung it in the streets and in the taverns and before long it travelled into Europe! It also endured the passage of time, being handed down orally to later generations; Henry’s daughter Queen Elizabeth I, herself an excellent keyboard player, said that this was her most favourite song. Take a listen! (You will need to open up this article on the MTH website to hear the recording below. If you can read music, click on the original manuscript above or the modern version below to enlarge and follow along!)

Recording of Pastime With Good Company, composed by Henry VIII, recorded by Christ Church Cathedral Choir Oxford

“Pastime with Good Company”

Bearing in mind that you are following a score written 500 years ago, it is an interesting comparison to the sheet music we musicians use today, acting as a milestone in the constantly evolving journey of notation practice. The first thing you might notice as missing is a time signature or bar-lines; those concepts came later! Just a vertical line to mark the end of each verse. However the notes are recognisably written on a five lined stave (staff) with the lyrics underneath. As you look closely, the same rhythmic values that we use today are discernible; semibreves (whole notes), minims (half notes), crotchets (quarter notes) and breves (double whole notes) at the end of the first and last phrase/line of each verse. Also, at the start of every line, is an early C clef. If you count up from the line in the middle of the clef you can work out that the first note is in fact B flat! (You will notice that a flat is neatly positioned as a key signature at the start of every line).

In conclusion, I’ve added the lyrics and a modern score to help you further in your studies. It is worth noting that the ‘9’ in the first line is an abbreviations for com as is also ‘c?’, in the 9th line.

England King Henry Viii

Henry VIII of England is an iconic Tudor king, famous for marrying six wives and breaking away from the authority of the pope and the Roman Catholic Church. But there’s more to him than marriage and faith. Here are 10 surprising Henry VIII facts.

Interesting Facts about Henry VIII’s Personal Life

1. He Was Athletic for Most of His Life

   Famous portraits of Henry VIII show a stout monarch, but the king was lean and athletic for most of his life. Only in later life did he have a 60-inch waistline. In the 16th century, monarchs led troops into battle, so a strong, robust king is believed to have a military advantage.

   Henry VIII wanted to promote the image of a warrior king, so he engaged in a wide variety of sports, including jousting, horseback riding, hunting and martial sports like fencing, archery and even wrestling. He played most of his favourite sports at Hampton Court Palace.

2. King Henry VIII Married Six Wives

   The most well-known fact about King Henry VIII was that he married six women:

• Catherine of Aragon. She was the daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. She married Henry’s older brother, Arthur, but he died at 15 years old. Henry then married his brother’s widow, and Catherine became Queen of England. She was also the mother of the future Mary I.
• Anne Boleyn. She was a lady-in-waiting to Catherine of Aragon. Henry married Anne in secret in January 1533, and by June 1533, she was crowned Queen of England. She was the mother of the future Elizabeth I.
• Jane Seymour. She was a lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn, and the only wife to have given Henry the male heir he wanted. She was the mother of the future Edward VI. She died of birth complications.
• Anne of Cleves. After Jane Seymour’s death, Henry married Anne, the daughter of the Duke of Cleves, to cement an alliance.
• Catherine Howard. Catherine was a lady-in-waiting to Anne of Cleves and first cousin to Anne Boleyn.
• Catherine Parr. The last wife of Henry VIII, Catherine Parr, looked after him in his later life and became a stepmother to Princess Mary, Princess Elizabeth, and Prince Edward. She was widowed in 1547.

3. His Wives Met Different Fates

   Henry’s wives faced different endings. When Catherine of Aragon could no longer give him a male heir, he divorced her and married Anne Boleyn. He then had Anne beheaded. His third wife, Jane, died from postnatal complications, and he divorced Anne of Cleves. He had his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, beheaded, too. Catherine Parr, the sixth, outlived him.

   His love life was immortalised by a rhyme: Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived.

4. He Was a Paranoid Hypochondriac

What Is King Henry Viii Most Famous For

The time of Henry VIII was characterised by many diseases that affected commoners and nobles alike. The king was careful not to contract any of them. Henry VIII was something of a hypochondriac, living in fear of deadly diseases like the sweating sickness and plague.

The king did his due diligence and steered clear of anyone who might have been exposed to the diseases. He isolated himself, and when a wave of sweating sickness hit London in 1517-1518, he left for a year. In fact, Henry VIII avoided important ambassadors suspected to have the disease.

5. Henry Was Something of a Prude

   Despite the image of being a ladies’ man (he did, after all, have six wives), it’s a fascinating fact that Henry VIII was considered prudish behind closed doors. Evidence showed that Henry VIII was discreet and valued propriety. He was even reportedly shocked by the behaviour of Anne Boleyn.

6. He Was an Author

It may sound surprising, but the fact is, Henry VIII wrote and published his own book — the first English king to do so. He authored the Defense of the Seven Sacraments, also known as the Assertio Septem Sacrementorum, in 1521.

7. He Was a Composer, TooIn addition to his many abilities, Henry VIII also composed music. The king was said to have composed the tune “Greensleeves”, but that’s all myth. The king did compose 33 different works and played wind and string instruments proficiently.

Henry VIII: His Legacy as a King

8. He Was a Brutal Monarch

   Henry VIII accomplished great feats for his kingdom, but he was also one of the most brutal English kings. The exact number of prisoners sent to the Tower of London (then a prison and place of execution) is unknown, but Henry VIII condemned many illustrious people to the death penalty, including two of his queens, his principal adviser Thomas Cromwell, and Thomas More, an influential statesman. Henry VIII reportedly imprisoned and executed more people than any other English monarch.

9. He Expanded the British Royal Navy

What Did Henry Viii Eat

A big part of Henry VIII’s legacy is the establishment of the Royal Navy. His father, Henry VII started building warships for a royal navy and by the time of his death, had assembled a fleet of five. Henry VIII continued this programme, and when he died, the Royal Navy had more than 40 ships.

The king built dockyards, as well as storehouses for shipbuilding supplies. The water vessels were large enough to contain 200 sailors, 200 soldiers, 30 gunners and many more archers, alongside cannons.

10. He Was the Only English King to Have Ruled over Belgium

    In 1513, he captured the city of Tournai in modern-day Belgium, which was then a significant territory. Tournai became part of his dominion for six years, but the city was returned to French rule in 1519, following the Treaty of London.

Did we miss any funny fact about King Henry VIII? Share them in the comments!

And if you want to get to know the current monarch of England, here are royal facts about the Queen of England, Elizabeth II.

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