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Welsh Celebrities & Personalities

Bull, John (c. 1562-1628)

Composer and keyboard player, one of the leading harpsichord and organ virtuosos of his time. Bull is thought to have been born in Radnorshire, Wales. In 1573 he became a chorister at Hereford Cathedral but within a year he had been taken into the Chapel Royal choir. From 1582 to 1583 he combined duties as organist and master of the choristers at Hereford with commitments in London including the post of Queen's Organist. He was awarded doctorates in music by both Cambridge and Oxford universities. In 1597 he was elected the first Public Reader in music at Gresham College, London. Subsequently, Bull was involved in several scandals. Eventually he had to flee from England in 1613 after he was charged with adultery though Bull claimed religious persecution. His ability as a player and experience as an instrument builder ensured that he found employment in the Netherlands. From 1617 until shortly before his death in 1628, he was organist of Antwerp Cathedral. His surviving compositions are predominantly for keyboard. Their technical difficulties testify to Bull's brilliance as a performer while the intricate rhythmic and contrapuntal structures of pieces such as the first fantasia on "Ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la" show that Bull possessed a formidable intellect.