Walter Frye

Compilations

About Walter Frye

This English composer may well have been in charge of the chorus for the laity at Ely Cathedral. Much of the time, however, he was found on the continent. His music does not reflect continental influences as it retains the English flavorings particularly regarding frequent breve (short) rests. The works which Frye composed were popular on the continent and are found in numerous manuscripts; however, it is possible that his works were copied only because they were one of the few available sources of English music during this time. The mass cycles which he composed were based on a tenor foundational song and are uniquely related through a common thematic device. His music exists but the textual data, song-like in character, is missing; the music remains set to predominantly sacred texts. "Flos regalis," "Nobilis et pulchra," and "Summe Trinitati" were the titles of the important mass arrangements by Frye. ~ Keith Johnson

HOMETOWN
Lincolnshire, England
GENRE
Classical

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