William Cornish 'Senior'

(c.1430?-1502) It was long believed that there was only one composer named William Cornysh [Cornish] active during the Tudor age. William Cornysh (or Cornish) 'Senior', is believed to be the father of William Cornysh aka William Cornysh 'Junior', and was Informator choristarum at St Peter's Abbey, Westminster, in the 1480s, and enjoyed a prosperous retirement in and around Westminster until his death in 1502. Based on the inclusion of a Magnificat by Cornysh in the Caius Choirbook, some scholars argue that it was Cornysh 'Senior,' who became a member of the Fraternity of St Nicholas (or the London Guild of Parish Clerks) in 1480, and who is most likely to be associated with the other composers in that collection, namely Fayrfax, Ludford, Turges, Prentes and Pasche, all of whom were members of the Guild. William Cornysh 'Junior', Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, never became a member of the Guild. This profile is for entries where a composer credit has been specifically attributed to the older William Cornysh or William Cornish 'Senior'.