Alfonso Ferrabosco II was an English composer and gambist from the transitional time between the Renaissance and Baroque eras. He served the royal family, and composed for royal masques, but was ultimately known for his consort music. He was born in Greenwich around 1575 and was the oldest of two nonmarital children of Alfonso Ferrabosco I. In 1578, his father was married to Susanna Symons, who was probably Alfonso's mother, and the couple moved to Italy without the children. Queen Elizabeth refused to release the children to Alphonso I, because she wanted him to stay in England. Later attempts to move the children to Italy were also unsuccessful. Instead, the Queen assigned the care of the siblings to another musician in her court, Gomer van Awsterwyke. Young Alphonso II and his sister Susanna remained in this arrangement until Awsterwyke passed away in 1592. Queen Elizabeth funded Ferrabosco's education, and he surely studied with the top musicians of the time, but these details are lost. There is no record of his activities for the next 12 years, but it is likely that he was finishing his schooling and refining his skills as a composer and performer. His first documented professional experience began in 1604 when he composed the music for Samuel Daniel's masque for Queen Anne of Denmark, The Vision of the Twelve Goddesses. At this time, he was also engaged in service to Prince Henry, as his private music tutor. The following year, he collaborated with Ben Jonson on another masque for Queen Anne, The Masque of Blackness. Ferrabosco composed for other masques as well but became very popular for his consort music. He stopped tutoring Prince Henry in 1610, and his position was taken over by lutenist Robert Johnson. Like Ferrabosco, Johnson also collaborated with Ben Jonson on the production of masques. It's also likely that Ferrabosco knew William Shakespeare since they shared many of the same professional connections. In 1612 he began teaching Prince Charles, published two popular books of viol music, and married Ellen Lanier. After a series of failed business ventures with his brother-in-law Innocent Lanier, he began experiencing financial difficulties, but was able to secure a fourth position in the royal court as composer for King Charles I in 1626. Ferrabosco died in 1628 in Greenwich, and his two oldest sons took over his positions in the court. ~ RJ Lambert, Rovi