John Redford (c. 1500 - died October or November 1547) was a major English composer, organist, and dramatist of the Tudor period.
[5] Redford also wrote a number of poems, including the 23 verse Nolo mortem peccatoris, which was set to music by Thomas Morley, who was a later organist at St Paul's.
Another poem is The Chorister's Lament, in which choirboys complain of the cruel beatings meted out to them: We have a cursyd master, I tell you all for trew so cruell as he is was never Turke or Jue.
Do we never so well, he can never be content, but for our good wylles we ever more be shente [punished], ofttimes our lytle butokes he dooth all to rent, that we, poore sylye boyes, abyde much woe.
We have many lasshes to lerne this peelde [wretched] song, that I wyll not lye to you now & then among; out of our butokes we may plucke the stumpes thus long that we, poore sylye boyes, abyde much woe.