Biography
Though regarded by his peers as a capable composer, Ravenscroft remained limited in skill, showing varied abilities yet offering little breadth, substance, or lasting depth. During his student years and while employed, he performed as a singer at St. Paul's Cathedral through 1600, after which he enrolled at Cambridge and earned a Bachelor of Music degree near 1605. Details of his activities stay sparse until 1618, when he began teaching at Christ's Hospital and continued there through 1622. His most significant musical legacy appears in "Pammelia," England's earliest printed anthology of rounds and catches, which features the piece "Three Blind Mice" and reached publication around 1609. A further volume followed in 1621, presenting one hundred and five psalm settings, fifty-five of them arranged by Ravenscroft. He also produced the 1614 treatise "Briefe Discourse," though its remarks on the misuse of mensuration yield little of value.