John Playford
He served an apprenticeship in London with publisher John Benson from 1639/40 to 1647, after which he remained in the capital, opening a shop in the porch of Temple Church.
This came about after Playford, working as an English Civil War correspondent, was captured by Cromwell's men and told that, if he valued his freedom (as a sympathiser with the King), he might consider a change of career.
He regretfully observed in 1666 that 'all solemn musick was much laid aside, being esteemed too heavy and dull for the light heels and brains of this nimble and wanton age,' and he therefore ventured to 'new string the harp of David' by issuing fresh editions of his 'Skill of Music,' with music for church service, in 1674, and, in 1677, 'The Whole Book of Psalms' in which he gave for the first time the church tunes to the cantus part.
These were quavers or semiquavers connected in pairs or series by one or two horizontal strokes at the end of their tails, the last note of the group retaining in the early examples the characteristic up-stroke.
Generally, however, Playford clung to old methods; he recommended the use of lute tablature to ordinary violin players; and he resisted, in an earnest letter of remonstrance (1673), Thomas Salmon's proposals for a readjustment of clefs.
By November 1680, Playford had established himself in a house in Arundel Street 'near the Thames side, the lower end, over against the George.'
He suffered from a long illness in that year, and retired, leaving the main running of the business to his son Henry Playford (see below).
[1] Playford's original compositions were few and slight, and included some vocal and instrumental pieces in the following collections: Catch ... or the Musical Companion, 1667; Choice Songs, 1673; Cantica Sacra, 1674; The Whole Book of Psalms and The Harmonicon.
He complained of the expense of good-quality paper, and of the scandalous abuse of selling single songs at a penny a piece, a practice 'which hindered good collections.'
His name appears on the fifth edition of ' The Pleasant Musical Companion,' dated 1707, but as a rule these publications were antedated; and his name does not occur again in advertisements or on title-pages.
His last work for his uncle was the seventh edition of The Dancing Master, dated 1686; he printed only one of Henry's publications, The Theatre of Musick, 1685.
