RAVENSCROFT, TimmAs, an eminent English musical composer. He was b. in 1592, received his musical education in St.. Paul's choir, and had the degree of bachelor of •nuNic conferred on him when only 15 years of age. In 1611 appeared his Melismato, Musical Phansies, etc., a collection of 23 part-songs, some Of them of great beauty; and three years later lie brofight out another collection of part-songs under the title of Brkf _Discourses, with an essay on the old musical modes. Turning his attention to psalmody, he published, iu 1621, a collection of psalm-tunes for four voices. entitled The Whale Book of Psalms, composed into Four Parts by Sundry Authors to such Tunes as have been and are usually sung en England, Scotland,1Vales, Germany, Italy, France, and the _Aretherlands. This was the first publication of its kind, and all similar works of later date been largely indebted to it. Among the contributors to this collection were Tanis, Morley,
Dowland, and all the great masters of the day; the name of John Milton, the father of the poet, appears as the composer of York and Norwich tunes; while St. Davids, Canterbury, Bangor, and many others which have since became popular, are by Ravens croft himself. Each of the 150 psalms has a distinct melody assigned it. Two collec tions of secular songs similar to the Atelismata, and entitled Pammelitt and Deutcrontelia, have been assigned to Ravenscruft; but it is probable that only a few of these songs were composed by him, while he may have revised the whole. A selection from the ..lIe!ismata, Brief Discourses, Pammelia, and Deuteromelia was printed by the Box burghe club in 1823. Ravenscroft died about 1640.