Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Ward, John (fl.1613)
WARD, JOHN (fl. 1613), composer, was the author of ‘The First Set of English Madrigals to 3, 4, 5, and 6 parts, apt for both Viols and Voyces. With a Mourning Song in memory of Prince Henry,’ printed by T. Snodham, London, 1613, 4to. The book is in six parts, the words and music for each voice being printed separately. It is dedicated to Sir Henry Fanshawe [q. v.], remembrancer of the exchequer. One of the madrigals for five voices, ‘Hope of my Hart,’ was arranged by Thomas Oliphant, and republished in 1847; and another, ‘Upon a Banke of Roses,’ was republished by Novello & Co. in 1890. The best known of the collection, however, is ‘Dye not, fond Man,’ arranged for six voices, which has always remained popular among madrigal singers. One of the madrigals, also, was edited by Mr. W. Barclay Squire for Breitkopf and Haertel with English and German words. Ward contributed two pieces to Sir Thomas Leighton's ‘Tears or Lamentations of a Sorrowful Soule,’ 1614, and two anthems by him are included in Barnard's ‘First Book of Selected Church Musick’ (1641). One of them, ‘Let God arise,’ has a very elaborate organ part. As this collection only included the works of deceased musicians, Ward died before 1641. John Ravenscroft's ‘Psalter,’ published in 1621, contains a few settings by Ward, and there are several fancies for five and for six viols by him in the collection of music in British Museum Additional MSS. 17786–96. Three very elaborate anthems with verses, besides an unpublished madrigal, are in Addit. MSS. 29372–7. One of the ‘Songs’ by Thomas Tomkins (d. 1656) [q. v.] was dedicated to Ward.
[Grove's Dict. of Music; Davy's Hist. of Engl. Music. 1895, pp. 173, 190, 199, 237, 255; Rimbault's Bibliotheca Madrigaliana, 1847, p. 38.]