Giles Farnaby

1563 - 1640

A son of Truro, Giles Farnaby made his reputation under Queen Elizabeth I and perhaps, given the popularity of his music at court, had the good fortune to die before the English Civil War.

Farnaby was the son of a Truro schoolmaster. However it was his cousin, Nicholas, a carpenter and virginal maker (a type of harpsichord) that apparently inspired him to go into the same trade. He moved to London and was apprenticed, perhaps to Nicholas, in 1683.

How long he spent on his apprenticeship is uncertain, however we do know he graduated with a degree in music from Christ Church Oxford in 1592.

By 1598 he had composed a significant number of pieces for the virginal which were considered novel defying the current conventions of counterpoint. Possibly the fact that he had not played the organ as most of his contemporaries did, persuaded him to a more radical style.

At least 52 pieces by Farnaby survive in a manuscript known as the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book and include settings for psalms among a predominantly secular collection.

Farnaby died in London in 1640.