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Tudor music and politics

A suspicious locket, a specially composed song and the hidden documents which reveal a story of Tudor court rivalries: Christina Faraday explores the political uses of music.

How musician Robert Hales and a witty song helped Robert Cecil, Elizabeth I's counsellor, win back the Queen's favour. Documents show us that Cecil supported many musicians, paid for a full-time consort, and had to temporarily dismiss one player for "lewdness". New Generation Thinker Christina Faraday tells the story and explores what we know about the role of music at the Tudor court.

Christina Faraday is a Research Fellow at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge and is the author of the book Tudor Liveliness: Vivid Art in Post-Reformation England. You can hear her discussing Tudor history in several Essays and episodes of Free Thinking available as Arts & Ideas podcasts.

Producer: Natalia Fernandez

Available now

14 minutes

Broadcast

  • Tue 24 Sep 2024 21:45

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