%2> John of Padua. 



dated June 6th, 1515" [this,however,was in an earlier part of Henry's 

 reign], " to one of the Foscari, there is an excellent description of the 

 magnificent entertainment given to the ambassador at Greenwich. 

 After the banquet they were taken into rooms containing a number 

 of organs, harpsichords, flutes, and other musical instruments, where 

 the prelates and nobles were assembled to see the jousts then in 

 preparation. The ambassador told some of these grandees that he 

 (Sagudino) was a proficient on some of those instruments. He was 

 consequently asked to play, and did so for a long time, being listened 

 to with great attention. Among the listeners was a Brescian, to 

 whom the King gave 300 ducats a year for playing the lute, and 

 who took up his instrument and played a few things with him 

 (Sagudino). Afterwards two musicians, also in the King's service 

 (it is to be hoped they were not Englishmen) , played the organ, hut 

 very badly : they kept bad time, their touch was feeble, and their 

 execution not very good. The King practises on these instruments 

 day and night." In another passage of his letter Sagudino asks 

 for new music from Venice, especially some compositions of Giovanni 

 Maria's, to exchange for some of the English, and particularly for a 

 few new " ballata/' or music for State entries. 



Two things are to be chiefly noted in this letter. 



1. That the organ-playing at King Henry's court admitted of great 



improvement, and called for better performers. 



2. A Giovanni Maria of Venice is introduced. Of whom presently. 

 1, — As to the organ-playing. John Paduanius of Verona, the 



maker of wonderful sun-dials, was also very well qualified "to 

 render the King " [as the patent specifies] " good service " in this 

 department of " Res Musica." 



In the dedication of one of his treatises to the Bishop of Torcelli, 

 he says : — " It has been the peculiar, almost the natural, privilege 

 of several members of my family to be of much use to churchmen, 

 chiefly bishops, and thereby to become their clients and confidential 

 friends. Not to mention still earlier instances, my father Francis, 

 to the very end of his life, helped the Monks of Olivet, at Verona, 

 in adapting sacred music to the organ in their Church. My uncle, 

 Blasius, himself a member of the Helenian Brotherhood, as long 



