Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 18.djvu/381

  to his native country, married, and in 1814 established himself at Melton Mowbray, where he resided until his death, only leaving it for professional visits. He painted innumerable portraits of hunting scenes, and of the noblemen and gentry who were the chief patrons of the sport. Though not a great painter or a finished artist, he possessed industry and the art of pleasing his patrons, with most of whom he was on terms of personal friendship, becoming by degrees one of the best-known characters in Melton Mowbray society. There is hardly a house in the district inhabited by sportsmen that does not boast some specimen of Ferneley's work. He occasionally painted turf, coaching, and other sporting subjects, but the chase was his speciality, and brought out his best work. Ferneley died 3 June 1860, and was buried at Thrussington. He married, first, Miss Sally Kettle (d. 1836), by whom he had seven children, of whom two followed his profession: John (1815–1862), who resided chiefly in Yorkshire, painting hunting and military pictures, and Claude Loraine, still living, a landscape and animal painter. Ferneley married, secondly, Miss Ann Allan (d. 1853), by whom he had one son. Ferneley was a frequent exhibitor and visitor at the London exhibitions; many of his pictures have been engraved in the ‘Sporting Magazine’ and other similar works.

[New Sporting Magazine, July 1860; Leicestershire Mercury, 9 June 1860; Royal Academy Catalogues; private information.]  FERRABEE, GEORGE (fl. 1613). [See ]  FERRABOSCO or FERABOSCO, ALFONSO (fl. 1544–87), musical composer, contributed madrigals and motets to the set of each collected by Cipriano di Rore and published by Gardano in Venice in 1544. He seems to have settled in England, possibly at Greenwich, some time before 1567, when a pension was conferred upon him by Queen Elizabeth. In a letter written by him to Cecil, 10 Sept. 1567 (State Papers, Eliz. Dom. Ser. vol. xliv. No. 4), he says that he has heard of the queen's intention from ‘the Sigr. Conte di Laester’ (Leicester), and that, being unable to ride through indisposition, he writes to ask that the patent may be continued to his heirs after his death. The mention of his heirs makes it at least probable that his son Alfonso (d. 1628) [q. v.] was already born at this time. During his residence in England he became intimate with William Byrd, with whom he had ‘a vertuous contention in loue made vpon the plainsong of Miserere,’ which contention is subsequently explained to have been the composition of forty different settings of the plainsong, not, as stated in Grove's ‘Dictionary’ and elsewhere, one composition in forty parts. Their productions were afterwards published by East, under the title of ‘Medulla Musicke,’ in 1603 (see, Introduction to Practicall Musicke, p. 115; also , and ). ‘Alphonso,’ as he was usually called, attained to great reputation in England, and Peacham, in his ‘Compleat Gentleman’ (ed. 1661, p. 102), says: ‘Alphonso Ferabosco the father, while he lived, for judgement and depth of skill (as also his son yet living), was inferiour unto none; what he did was most elaborate and profound, and pleasing enough in Aire, though Master Thomas Morley censureth him otherwise. That of his “I saw my Lady weeping” and “The Nightingale” (upon which Ditty Master Bird and he in a friendly æmulation exercised their invention) cannot be bettered for sweetnesse of Ayre or depth of judgement.’ Morley's censure, it may be observed, is not to be found, but he recommends him to the student as an example of ‘deep skill’ (Introd. p. 180). ‘The Nightingale’ here noticed was not composed to the English words, but was adapted by Nicholas Yonge for his ‘Musica Transalpina’ from an early composition of Ferrabosco's. The ‘friendly æmulation’ is probably another version of the story told by Morley as to the plainsong ‘Miserere.’ The writer has been misled by the fact that Byrd also set the words ‘The Nightingale, so pleasant and so gay.’ Peacham's authority being thus doubtful, we may surmise that for ‘son’ we should read ‘grandson.’ In the latter part of his life Ferrabosco returned to Italy, and published his ‘second’ book of madrigals in Venice (Gardano) in 1587 (possibly the contributions to Cipriano di Rore's collection ranked as his first set). From the title-page and preface we gather that he had taken service at the ducal court of Savoy. He calls himself ‘gentil'huomo dell' Altezza di Savoia,’ and the madrigals are dedicated to Catherine of Austria, infanta of Spain and duchess of Savoy. The preface is dated ‘Venetia, il di 4. Settembrio. 1587.’ There is no evidence as to his having come back to England; indeed, had it been so, his compositions could hardly with justice have been included in Yonge's ‘Musica Transalpina,’ which consisted exclusively of works by foreign composers, with the single exception of Byrd, mentioned on the title-page. Besides the printed part-books in which his compositions are contained, and which are, of course, of extreme rarity, madrigals by him are included in many of the modern collections, and 