\These sad distracted tymes\" : the impact of the Civil War and Interregnum on English music c.1640 to c.1660"

The music of mid-seventeenth-century England, and particularly of the Civil War and Interregnum, is a period frequently overlooked or misconstrued by musicology. The powerful image of the 1640s and 1650s as two decades of artistic desolation under the harsh administration of an oppressive religious regime has impacted heavily on the historiographical perception of its music. The Civil War, Commonwealth and Protectorate undoubtedly altered aspects of English musical culture, whether through the disbanding of the royal musical establishment, restriction of the use of music in worship, or prohibition of stage plays. However, these events and influences must be seen in the context of their time rather than isolated as examples of Puritan aggression. For instance, the position of the Commonwealth government in regard to the church and stage was not without general precedent or political justification ‚ÄövÑvÆ power merely provided the opportunity to instigate long-desired reforms and necessitated the careful use of censorship. In direct contrast with the image of the Civil War and Interregnum as a time of bleak silence, these years witnessed an enthusiastic continuation of domestic music and a marked increase in musical publication. Even in the religious and theatrical settings, the composition and performance of music was a recurrent feature. The Civil War and Interregnum therefore had a varied, but not necessarily devastating effect on English music of the 1640s and 1650s. In awareness of the historiographical forces that have hitherto shaped the reception of the period, this thesis will determine the impact of \these sad distracted tymes\" on the music of mid-seventeenth-century England."