Francis Cutting
Francis Cutting (c.1550–1595/6) was an English lutenist and composer of the Renaissance period. He is best known for "Packington's Pound" and a variation of "Greensleeves" called "Divisions on Greensleeves", both pieces originally intended for the lute. Cutting was employed as a musician for the Howard family, which included Philip Howard, earl of Arundel.
Francis Cutting
- Born
- 1550
- Died
- 1595
- Nationality
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland · England
- Occupation
- composer · lutenist
- Fields
- classical
- Languages
- English
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Documentary evidence
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wikidata · Q3404004 · wikipedia · Francis Cutting
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Institutions cited
Bibliothèque nationale de France
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Thomas Cutting
Little is known of the composer's early life, but he had ten children with his wife, Elizabeth, eight of whom appear in the parish registers of St Clement Danes, Westminster, the parish in which Arundel House, the London residence of the Howards, was located. Cutting is among the earliest English lute composers whose names are known. Several of his forty surviving works appear in William Barley's A New Booke of Tabliture (1596); his compositions include "Sir Walter Raleigh's Galliard," "Sir Fulke Greville's Pavan," and "Mrs Anne Markham's Pavan and Galliard". "His surviving music is of high quality, comprising about 51 lute pieces, two bandora solos and one consort part for bandora: an output exceeded only by Dowland, Bacheler and Holborne." The diplomat William Trumbull compiled a manuscript anthology of lute music which includes works by the Bassano family and Francis Cutting.
Documentary record
Francis Cutting, died in January 1596 in London, is documented in the authority records of the Bibliothèque nationale de France. The death is recorded by the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
His son, Thomas Cutting, became a distinguished lutenist himself. He worked for Arbella Stuart. In March 1608, Anne of Denmark, Prince Henry, and the courtier John Elphinstone wrote to her at Sheffield to request that Thomas Cutting be sent to the queen's brother Christian IV of Denmark. Arbella reluctantly agreed. Thomas Cutting subsequently joined Prince Henry's household.
Primary material
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reference work
- “Francis Cutting”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q3404004: Francis Cutting
General reference · Wikidata
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Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Francis Cutting, revision 1369332623 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.David Mateer. Cutting [Cuttinge], Francis. 3 January 2008. 10.1093/ref:odnb/6983.
- 2.Spencer, Robert subscription required. Cutting, Francis. 2001.
- 3.Cambridge Digital Library. Music : Trumbull lute book.
- 4.Ethel C. Williams, Anne of Denmark (London: Longman, 1970), pp. 122–123.
- 5.Sara Jayne Steen, Letters of Arbella Stewart (Oxford, 1994), pp. 224–227, 284–286.
- 6.Thomas Birch, Life of Prince Henry (London, 1760), p. 467.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 2
- Spring, Matthew. The Lute in Britain: A History of the Instrument and its Music. 2nd ed. 2001.
- Wentzel, Wayne Clifford. The Lute Pavans and Galliards of John Johnson, Anthony Holborne, Francis Cutting, John Dowland, and Daniel Bacheler: A Stylistic Comparison. University of Pittsburgh, doctoral dissertation, 1976.
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General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 19 August 2026.
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