About The Mulliner Book

Very little is known about Thomas Mulliner, the manuscript’s compiler. We know that he was an anthologist and composer. It is possible that he began his education at Corpus Christ College, Oxford before moving to London in 1558.[1] In 1564 he was appointed Modulator Organum of Corpus Christ College, Oxford. After this appointment, the concrete records of Mulliner disappear. It is suspected that he compiled The Mulliner Book between 1558-1564 in London while he was a student of John Heywood. Heywood also bore witness to Mulliner’s ownership of the book.[2] It is also possible that during 1558-64, Mulliner was associated with the choir and music of St Paul’s Cathedral, London. However, there is no solid evidence of this connection.[3]

Of The Mulliner Book’s many important contents, some of the most important are the copies of Catholic choral and organ music. These Catholic pieces make up over half of the total pieces found in the Mulliner Book. Of these pieces a considerable number are Marian in devotion.[4] Most of these compositions are liturgical plainchant settings or settings of various parts of the Mass for choir and organ in alternatim. The inclusion of such a large amount of Catholic music in this manuscript raises an important question: was Thomas Mulliner a Catholic? Given how little we know about his life, it is impossible to say. However, the people Mulliner was associated with were mostly Catholics: notably John Heywood, Sebastian Westcote, and other associated court musicians. These associations, along with Mulliner’s long standing connection with Corpus Christi College, Oxford – which was known for its traditional Catholic stance even after the Reformation – suggest that he was at the very least a Catholic sympathiser, if not a Catholic.[5] It is therefore possible, and not entirely inconceivable, that The Mulliner Book is an attempt to save some of the rich Catholic choral music for future generations. The Mulliner Book could also be an anthology intended for private use (whether alone or for a secret Catholic Mass) by Thomas Mulliner of music that was, from the 1559, no longer considered acceptable for public performance.

Alongside this vast selection of Catholic music there are also works intended for secular performance, such as dances and madrigals, and works intended for performance in the new English Rite, such as English language anthems and motets. Thomas Mulliner transcribed most of these pieces for secular occasions and the anthems for the English Church for unprescribed keyboard instruments. These arrangements are accompanied by a fully copied choral scores. Occasionally, where there are many possible texts of a piece, Mulliner copies all possible versions of the piece (including his transcription for keyboard). One such example is piece 25, Ffonde [sic] youthe is a bubble, which is copied three times in The Mulliner Book with three completely different texts.[6]

Regarding The Mulliner Book’s suggested origins as an educational manuscript, it is possible that it might have been representative of the education Mulliner underwent while he was living in London. However, the manuscript is not graded in any way that seems to suggest Mulliner underwent a thoroughly pedagogical course. Likewise, compositions exemplifying one technique are frequently interrupted by vastly different compositions focusing on a completely different technique.[7] Caldwell presents an alternative theory to the educational one; he suggested that Mulliner compiled the anthology to reflect his own tastes in music, and the tastes of those whom he was associated with.[8] The pieces contained within The Mulliner Book represent too wide of a scope to be considered purely educational. Given the large quantity of secular madrigals and dance music, it is entirely possible that the manuscript was compiled for self-entertainment and private performance – alongside possibly documenting the music of the Catholic Church.[9]

At the end of his preface, Caldwell rather eloquently writes:

Altogether one gains the impression of a collection formed, certainly, in part by pedagogic interests but beyond that bearing witness to a distinctive personal taste and to a penchant for pure entertainment. These reflect the influence of a variety of personal contacts, but in the end the collection is Mulliner’s and Mulliner’s alone.[10]

This quote ultimately gets to the very core of what I am trying to understand through The Mulliner Project: how we might better understand and appreciate this incredible personal collection of varied Tudor music. To label this collection as one thing, and not another is counterproductive. Likewise, to only perform certain pieces in one way and others in another is far too restrictive. We know so little about the much of the repertoire contained within The Mulliner Book and know almost nothing about the manuscript’s original purpose. Therefore, why shouldn’t this collection be explored from all possible sides, including its origins as a performative medium. Educationally, it has been studied by numerous scholars, such as Steven Denis, Jane Elizabeth Flynn, and John Caldwell. However, what about the manuscript’s importance as a medium for the exploration of instruments and entertainment?

[1] Mulliner, The Mulliner Book, ed. Caldwell, xxvi.

[2] John Caldwell et al., “Mulliner, Thomas,” Grove Music Online, accessed 14 Sep. 2021, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000019341.

[3] Caldwell et al., “Mulliner, Thomas.”

[4] Mulliner, The Mulliner Book, ed. Caldwell, xxvii.

[5] Mulliner, The Mulliner Book, ed. Caldwell, xxvii.

[6] Mulliner, The Mulliner Book, ed. Caldwell, 38-41.

[7] Mulliner, The Mulliner Book, ed. Caldwell, xxix.

[8] Mulliner, The Mulliner Book, ed. Caldwell, xxix.

[9] Mulliner, The Mulliner Book, ed. Caldwell, xxix.

[10] Mulliner, The Mulliner Book, ed. Caldwell, xxxi.