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Pierre Attaingnant John Playford was not a composer but a music publisher. In the 2nd half of the 17th century he was the most important music publisher in London - and so in England, since London was virtually the only place where a lot of music was printed. He was loved not because there were a lot of jealous rivals. He was loved by musicians and poets, with whom he played a major role.
Playford gave many books: music theory textbooks, liedbundles, collections of instrumental music and liturgical music. His best-known collections include The English Dancing Master and A Musicall Banquet (both from 1651). Hugely influential was his An Introduction to the Skill of Musick (1654), which for decades was later used and quoted. The work under the Playford's name MuziekWeb are not composed by him - but no composers' names often stood by, and are only known from the bundle issued to Playford. (TC)more
