Biography
In 1554 he supplicated, apparently unsuccessfully, for the degree of Doctor of Music at Oxford University, stating that he had studied music for 20 years and had "composed many songs". If his study period began in 1534 it is probable that he was born in the second decade of the sixteenth century. At Michaelmas 1543 he was appointed Informator Choristarum at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he remained until 1548. By 1552 he was a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, a post which he may have assumed directly after his departure from Magdalen. On New Year's Day 1556 he presented a roll of songs to Mary Tudor. Research by David Chadd has revealed that his will was made on 1 December 1558 and that he was buried on 21 December, though he was awarded liveries for the funeral of Queen Mary on 13 December and even for the coronation of Elizabeth I on 15 January 1559, evidently in ignorance of his death. His son Nathan Sheppard worked for the Petre family at Ingatestone Hall and was eventually ordained priest.
Read more about this topic: John Sheppard (composer)
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