Life in the Tudor court: A Minstrel’s Point of View by Karen Heenan

When I first started writing Songbird, far too many years ago, I didn’t know much about Tudor music—or the musicians, and the levels and hierarchies among them. What I did know was a fair amount about Henry VIII and his queens, and when I stumbled on the fact that Henry was such a music lover that he (at least) once bought a child to sing in the Chapel Royal choir, I knew I had to make something of it.

Things I learned while researching this book: there was more than one choir at the court of Henry VIII. There was the Chapel Royal choir, comprised of approximately two dozen men and boys. There was also the king’s private choir, which traveled with him on shorter progresses or when it was inconvenient to pack up the whole choir and take them along. Cardinal Wolsey also had an excellent choir, which Henry heard frequently enough that in 1518, he got jealous and stole a choirboy from him. This actually happened, and this character became Robin Lewis, who had a part in Songbird, and a whole book to himself in A Wider World.

Choristers didn’t just sing, though with multiple masses per day, that would have been enough to keep them busy. Many adult choristers played at least one instrument, and child choristers were persuaded to take up an instrument against the day when their voice changed and they might not be able to perform anymore. A child whose voice changed could continue on as a musician, in the hopes that his adult voice would be acceptable—either as a chorister or as a singer.

There were other musicians, as well, or I’d have never been able to find a place for my character, Bess, whose father sold her to the king. (I took the story of another child and reworked it to fit my purposes, but for readers of the book, Tom’s story is closest to what really happened).

Minstrels were more than just musicians, encompassing actors, acrobats, jugglers, storytellers, and dancers, all of which were welcome at Henry’s court, at all times. Having been confined to only two minstrels before he became Prince of Wales, Henry craved music. 

He was talented in his own right, and played multiple instruments, in addition to singing and composing music. It must have been difficult, to be a minstrel in the employ of such a man. That was actually a line I gave to William Cornysh, musician, composter, and Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal, when he first meets Bess and tells her of her new life at court.

“King Henry takes a keen interest,” Master Cornysh said. “His Majesty is more than competent on the lute and plays other instruments. He sings and writes music as well.” He raised a hand to smooth his thinning hair, then dropped it to the writing table, where it met and clasped his other hand. He looked at me earnestly. “In other words, if he were not a king, he would be a more than adequate minstrel. You must bear that in mind when performing. He knows your job as well as you ever shall.”

In addition to the minstrels, there was the King’s Music, a select group of the best musicians and singers at court, chosen to perform for the king. While they performed publicly in masques and court entertainments, and played in the gallery to entertain at court functions, they were also at the beck and call of their monarch, playing for the king and queen—and later, Anne Boleyn, when she gained access to the king’s resources—whenever the mood for music struck.

The Music traveled with the king, so they saw a good bit more of England than most court servants as the court relocated frequently so that palaces could be cleaned and freshened—and because Henry was home-improvement mad and always redoing his residences to make them match his own sense of grandeur. 

Henry did genuinely love music, but in addition to purchasing children, he acquired musicians in any way necessary, tempting them away from other monarchs with offers of money, prestige, and the lure of the exceptional instruments in the royal collection. The king with his bag of gold and an offer of unlimited employment would be difficult to resist.

It was a secure life, compared to some. A minstrel was unlikely to offend the king and lose their place, so as long as their talent continued to please, they would likely have a place at court for life.

As Bess says, at the end of Songbird, “What would we be without the court? We’re creatures of its making.”

Illustration 1: Minstrels at Hever Castle, Nikki Piggott, used with permission

Illustration 2: All Saints Church Choir, Wikipedia

Illustration 3: Hampton Court Palace Chapel, Wikimedia 

Songbird: The Tudor Court, Book I

By Karen Heenan

(Blurb) 

She has the voice of an angel...

But one false note could send her back to her old life of poverty.

After her father sells her to Henry VIII, ten-year-old Bess builds a new life as a royal minstrel, and earns the nickname "the king's songbird." 

She comes of age in the dangerous Tudor court, where the stakes are always high, and where politics, heartbreak, and disease threaten everyone from the king to the lowliest musician.

Her world has only one constant: Tom, her first and dearest friend. But when Bess intrigues with Anne Boleyn and strains against the restrictions of life at court, will she discover that the biggest risk of all is listening to her own stubborn heart?

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Narrated by Jennifer Summerfield

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Author Bio

Karen Heenan was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. She fell in love with books and stories before she could read, and has wanted to write for nearly as long. After far too many years in a cubicle, she set herself free to follow her dreams—which include gardening, sewing, traveling and, of course, lots of writing.

She lives in Lansdowne, PA, not far from Philadelphia, with two cats and a very patient husband, and is always hard at work on her next book.

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