Well probably not, but what a magnificent monicker he had.
Osberto Parsley's biography is written out in full on a plaque on the side of the column that bears this lovely memorial in Norwich Cathedral.
Fifty years a chorister and choirmaster at the Cathedral; born in the first year of Henry the Eighth's reign, when the place was still a monastic institution, Osberto Parsley sang in the choir through almost the entire Tudor monarchy: Henry VIII, Edward VI, Jane Grey, Mary and Elizabeth, a time of ridiculous religious shenannigans that saw many a composer or singer imprisoned or worse. Ah, monarchy and religion … mass murderers par excellence.
So let's hear it for the Great Osberto Parsley.
Here's one of the many songs he would have sung (John Browne's Stabat Mater). He'd have also sung all of Thomas Tallis' and William Byrd's music, both in Latin and English as he straddled - and mercifully survived - Mary and Elizabeth's religious schism, but Browne is one of my all time faves so that's what you're getting.
Enjoy! And whenever you hear music as beautiful as this, remember the name of Osberto Parsley.
4 comments:
Fascinating story and history. Your photo of the choir stalls and the cathedral ceiling is magnificent! And this is, indeed, a powerfully beautiful piece. Thank you for the link.
Thank you, Ms.M. I just get a fit of the giggles when I see his name; I wonder what other odd names passed for the norm in Tudor times.
His name is funny -- it sounds like a character in a children's storybook. Osberto Parsley and Lemon Thyme, Basil Basil and Rosemary the Sage....
Hee hee. There's a book waiting to be written, Ms.M.
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