ABSTRACT
Thomas Tomkins, the most gifted member of a family of musicians, prospered under the patronage of the Anglican Church and the early Stuart kings. He was by inclination a royalist and it seems that he was clearly much in sympathy with the High Church policies of William Laud. The most notable of Tomkins's self-borrowings are associated with his Songs of 1622. Whole pieces from his madrigal publication appear in Musica Deo sacra with alternative texts, but the success of these adaptations in some cases is questionable. Tomkins's madrigal collection reveals much about the composer's life and times. All those who were closest to him were remembered therein, for he dedicated each of the twenty-eight madrigals to a friend, relative or colleague. Tomkins took this opportunity to pay direct homage to three of his illustrious dedicatees, the composers Dowland, Daniel and Ward, by making reference to their best-known works.
