BULL, DR JOHN, a celebrated musician, and composer, was born in Somersetshire about the year 1563, and, it is said, was of the Somerset family. He was educated under Blitheman. In 1586, he was admitted at Oxford to the degree of bachelor of music, having practised in that faculty 14 years; and in 1592, was created doctor in the university of Cambridge. In 1591, he was appointed organist of the queen's chapel, in the room of his master, Blitheman.
Bull was the first Gresham professor of music, and was appointed to that station upon the special recommendation of Queen Elizabeth. However skilful he might be in his profession, it seems he was not able to read his lectures in Latin; and therefore, by a special provision in the ordinances respecting the Gresham professors, made anno 1597, it is declared, that because Dr Bull is recommended to the place of music-professor by the queen's most excellent majesty, being not able to speak Latin, his lectures are permitted to be altogether English, so long as he shall continue music-professor there.
In the year 1601, he went abroad for the recovery of his health, which at that time was declining; and during his absence was permitted to substitute, as his deputy, a son of William Bird, named Thomas. He travelled incognito into France and Germany; and Wood takes occasion to relate a story of him while abroad, which the reader shall have in his own words.
"Dr Bull hearing of a famous musician belonging to a cathedral in St Omer's, he applied himself, as a novice, to him, to learn something of his faculty, and to see and admire his works. This musician, after some discourse had passed between them, conducted Bull to a vestry or music-school joining to the cathedral, and showed him a lesson or song of 40 parts; and then made a vaunting challenge to any person in the world to add one part more to them, supposing it to be so complete and full, that it was impossible for any mortal man to correct or add to it. Bull thereupon, desiring the use of pen, ink, and ruled paper, such as we call musical paper, prayed the musician to lock him up in the said school for two or three hours; which being done, not without great disdain by the musician, Bull, in that time or less, added 40 more parts to the said lesson or song. The musician thereupon being called in, he viewed it, tried it, and retried it; at length he burst out into a great ecstasy, and swore by the great God, that he that added these 40 parts must be either the devil or Dr Bull. Whereupon Bull making himself known, the musician fell down and adored him. Afterwards, continuing there and in those parts for a time, he became so much admired, that he was courted to accept of any place of preferment suitable to his profession, either within the dominions of the emperor, the king of France, or Spain; but the tidings of these transactions coming to the
English court, Queen Elizabeth commanded him home." Fasti, anno 1586.
Dr Ward, who has given the life of Dr Bull, in his lives of the Gresham professors, relates, that upon the decease of Queen Elizabeth he became chief organist to King James, and had the honour of entertaining his majesty and Prince Henry at Merchant Taylors hall with his performance on the organ. The same author proceeds to relate, that in 1613 Bull quitted England and went to reside in the Netherlands, where he was admitted into the service of the archduke. He suggests, as the reason of Bull's retirement, that the science began to sink in the reign of King James; which he infers from that want of court-patronage, which it seems, induced the musicians of that day to dedicate their works to one another. But surely Bull had none of these reasons to complain of being slighted that others had. He was in the service of the chapel, and at the head of the prince's musicians; and in the year 1604 his salary for the chapel duty had been augmented. The circumstances of his departure from England may be collected from the following entry now to be seen in the cheque book: "1613, John Bull, doctor of music, went beyond seas without license, and was admitted into the archduke's service, and entered into paie there about Mich. and Peter Hopkins a base from Paul's was sworn into his place the 27th of December following. His wages from Mich. unto the day of the swearing of the said Peter Hopkins was disposed of by the deane of his majesty's chapel." Wood says, that Dr Bull died at Hamburg; others have said at Lubeck.
The only works of Bull in print are lessons in the "Parthenia, or the maidenhead of the first music that ever was printed for the virginals." An anthem of his, "Deliver me, O God, is to be found in Bernard's collection of church-music. Dr Ward has given a long list of compositions of Dr Bull in manuscript in the collection of the late Dr Pepusch, by which it appears that he was equally excellent in vocal and instrumental harmony. By some of the lessons in the Parthenia it seems that he was possessed of a power of execution on the harpsichord far beyond what is generally conceived of the masters of that time. As to his lessons, they were, in the estimation of Dr Pepusch, not only for the harmony and contrivance, but for air and modulation, so excellent, that he scrupled not to prefer them to those of Couperin, Scarlatti, and others of the modern composers for the harpsichord.