Adrian Batten

Though much remains undocumented of Batten's early years as a church chorister, he was referred to as a singer during the funeral of James I. His compositions were written for the church and included services and anthems. Noted examples of Batten's works includ "Hear the prayers, O our God," "We Beseech thee," and "O clap your hands." These give a full account of his ability to word-paint, successfully alternate between one and many voices in one composition, and demonstrate solid multi-part writing. As a music historian, Adrian Batten preserved a number of 16th century church pieces in his "Batten Organ Book". ~ Keith Johnson