His pleasures were not always so boisterous. He inherited from his Welsh forbears an abiding love of music, and could play a number of instruments, sing and compose. He was particularly accomplished on the lute, harpsichord, recorder, flute and virginals, and would often entertain the court by singing and playing his own compositions. He could ‘sing from the book at sight’, often set his own verses to music, and composed anthems and hymns. One, ‘O Lord, the maker of all things’, is still sung in churches today. Yet Henry preferred writing secular songs, mostly in the courtly tradition, with
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