Richard Pygott

Richard Pygott was an English composer of the first half of the sixteenth century, born around 1485 and died between October and November 1549. His significance lies chiefly in his connection with courtly and ecclesiastical musical life in the England of Henry VIII, where he held posts in the chapel of Thomas Wolsey and in the Chapel Royal. Information about his early years is scarce and unclear.

By around 1517 he was already master of the choristers in Wolsey's household chapel. Several letters written in 1518 by the Dean of the Chapel Royal to Wolsey himself suggest that the king considered his minister's choir better than his own, and they praise Pygott for training a chorister who had been transferred from one choir to another. He accompanied the cardinal on his visit to Calais in 1521 and possibly on his journey to France in 1527, although this latter identification is not certain. He received pensions from the priories of Bridlington and the abbey of Whitby, probably thanks to Wolsey.

Following the cardinal's death in 1530, Pygott became one of the gentlemen of the Chapel Royal. Although he appears in the salary lists around 1533–4, he may have joined earlier, judging by the grants and prebends he received in those years, among them a canonry at Tamworth. He was also a prebendary of Wells Cathedral, although the date of his appointment is unknown. In 1545 his situation seems to have changed, perhaps out of a desire for retirement: he resigned and was reappointed to Tamworth. He remained in London until his death, as indicated by his will of August 1549 and the later codicil.

His music is distinguished by polished and imaginative craftsmanship, although it is less impulsive in rhythm and less solid in melodic line than that of Taverner. The Missa "Veni Sancte Spiritus", built on a cantus firmus of eleven notes, shows his mastery of large structures, while the unfinished Salve regina, one of the most extensive votive antiphons, resembles the mass in style. Quid petis O fili, one of his secular pieces, combines regular imitation in the refrain with a more traditional treatment in the verses. Thomas Morley included him among the practitioners consulted in his 1597 treatise, which attests to his later reputation.