{{infobox england county | name

Essex | image | motto Essex Works.For a better quality of life | map | status Ceremonial & (smaller) Non-metropolitan county | origin Historic | region East of England | arearank Ranked 11th | area_km2 3670 | adminarearank Ranked 11th | adminarea_km2 3465 | adminhq Chelmsford | iso GB-ESS | ons 22 | nutscode | nuts3 UKH33 | poprank Ranked | popestdate | pop | density_km2 | adminpoprank Ranked | adminpop | ethnicity 96.8% White1.2% S. Asian | council 100px|Arms of Essex County CouncilEssex County Councilhttp://www.essex.gov.uk/ | exec | mps *David Amess (C) John Baron (C) Simon Burns (C) Douglas Carswell (C) Jackie Doyle-Price (C) James Duddridge (C) Mark Francois (C) Robert Halfon (C) Rebecca Harris (C) Alan Haselhurst (C) Bernard Jenkin (C) Eleanor Laing (C) Stephen Metcalfe (C) Brooks Newmark (C) Priti Patel (C) Eric Pickles (C) Bob Russell (LD) John Whittingdale (C) | subdivname | subdivmap | subdivs #Harlow #Epping Forest #Brentwood #Basildon #Castle Point #Rochford #Maldon #Chelmsford #Uttlesford #Braintree #Colchester #Tendring #Thurrock (Unitary) #Southend-on-Sea (Unitary) }}

Essex () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London and is one of the most populous counties in England. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west. Essex County Council is the principal local authority for much of the county, sharing functions with twelve district councils. The county town is Chelmsford. The southern Essex boroughs of Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea are governed separately as unitary authorities. It was established in antiquity and formed the eastern portion of the Kingdom of Essex. Sections of the county closer to London are part of the Metropolitan Green Belt, which prohibits development. It is the location of the regionally significant Lakeside Shopping Centre and London Stansted Airport; and the new towns of Basildon and Harlow.

History

Toponomy

The name ''Essex'' originates in the Anglo-Saxon period of the Early Middle Ages and has its root in the Old English ''Ēastseaxe'' (i.e. the "East Saxons"), the eastern kingdom of the Saxons. In 527 AD, occupying territory to the north of the River Thames, incorporating much of what later became Middlesex and Hertfordshire, though its territory was later restricted to lands east of the River Lea. Colchester in the north east of the county is Britain's oldest recorded town, dating back to before the Roman conquest, when it was known as Camulodunum, and was sufficiently well-developed to have its own mint. Subsequently the Kingdom of Essex was subsumed into the Kingdom of England and Essex eventually became a county.

Modern period

Essex County Council was formed in 1889. However, the County Borough of West Ham, and from 1915 the County Borough of East Ham, formed part of the county but were not under county council control. A few parishes were transferred to other counties at this time; parts of Haverhill, Kedington, and Ballingdon-with-Brundon went to Suffolk, and Great & Little Chishill and Heydon to Cambridgeshire. Southend-on-Sea also formed a county borough from 1914 to 1974.

The boundary with Greater London was established in 1965 when East Ham and West Ham county boroughs and the Barking, Chingford, Dagenham, Hornchurch, Ilford, Leyton, Romford, Walthamstow and Wanstead and Woodford districts were transferred to form the London boroughs of Barking, Havering, Newham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest. Essex became part of the East of England Government Office Region in 1994 and was statistically counted as part of that region from 1999, having previously been part of the South East England region. In 1998, the districts of Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock were separated from the shire county of Essex becoming unitary districts.

Governance

The county of Essex is divided into a number of local government districts. They are Harlow, Epping Forest, Brentwood, Basildon, Castle Point, Rochford, Maldon, Chelmsford, Uttlesford, Braintree, Colchester, Tendring, Thurrock, and Southend-on-Sea. The last two boroughs are unitary authorities which form part of the county but are not administered by the county council. Essex Police also covers the two unitary authorities.

County council

The county council was formed in 1889, and it meets at the County Hall, in Chelmsford. Before 1938, it regularly met in London near Moorgate, which had been more convenient than any place in the county. It currently has 75 elected councillors. Before 1965, the number of councillors reached over 100. The County Hall, which dates largely from the mid-1930s, and is decorated with fine artworks of that period, mostly the gift of the family who owned the textile firm, Courtaulds, was made a listed building in 2007. The Essex County Council is currently controlled by the Conservative Party. The chairman of the county council 2006–08 was Gerard McEwen of Norton Mandeville near Ongar, and since May 2008, Elizabeth ("Bonnie") Hart, of Hockley.

In November 2008, the council advertised in the European Journal for a private sector "delivery partner" to provide a wide range (and potentially all) of its services. The value of such a contract could amount to £5.4 billion. The arguments advanced in favour of such a step include better service quality and greater efficiency. However, critics including the council's opposition leader have complained of zero consultation before launching this procurement. The council nevertheless hopes to choose a partner before the elections scheduled for June 2009.

The county council has until recently had a partnership with the British Telecom company which has generated a debate locally about the effectiveness of such arrangements. In January 2009, the council's cabinet decided to terminate this contract early. The trade union Unison has questioned the council's competence in managing major private sector contracts. Press reports indicate that BT are considering taking legal action against the council. Unison estimate that the cost to the taxpayer of early termination could be as much as £50m.

The political composition of the county council is as follows.

!Year ! 1

Conservative Party (UK)	Conservatives !! Labour !! Liberal Democrats !! Residents' association !! Independent
2009	60	|	11	1	1

Geography

The highest point of the county of Essex is Chrishall Common near the village of Langley, close to the Hertfordshire border, which reaches . The ceremonial county of Essex is bounded to the south by the River Thames and its estuary (a boundary shared with Kent County); to the southwest by Greater London; to the west by Hertfordshire with the boundary largely defined by the River Lea and the Stort; to the northwest by Cambridgeshire; to the north by Suffolk County, a boundary mainly defined by the River Stour; and to the east by the North Sea.

The pattern of settlement in the county is diverse. The Metropolitan Green Belt has effectively prevented the further sprawl of London into the county, although it contains the new towns of Basildon and Harlow, originally developed to resettle Londoners following the destruction of London housing in World War II but since much expanded. Epping Forest also acts as a protected barrier to the further spread of London. Because of its proximity to London and the economic magnetism which that city exerts, many of Essex's settlements, particularly those on or within driving distance of railway stations, function as dormitory towns or villages where London workers raise their families.

Part of the south east of the county, already containing the major population centres of Basildon, Southend and Thurrock, is within the Thames Gateway and designated for further development. Parts of the south west of the county such as Buckhurst Hill and Chigwell are contiguous with Greater London and are included in the Greater London Urban Area. A small part of the south west of the county (Sewardstone), is the only settlement outside Greater London to be covered by a postcode district of the London post town (). To the north of the green belt, with the exception of major towns such as Colchester and Chelmsford, the county is rural, with many small towns, villages and hamlets largely built in the traditional materials of timber and brick, with clay tile or thatched roofs.

Economy

Industry is largely limited to the south of the county, with the majority of the land elsewhere being given over to agriculture. Harlow is a centre for electronics, science and pharmaceutical companies, while Chelmsford is the home of Marconi (now called telent plc and owned by Ericsson of Sweden since 2005), Basildon home to New Holland Agriculture's European headquarters and Brentwood home to the Ford Motor Company's European HQ. Loughton is home to a production facility for British and foreign banknotes. Chelmsford has been an important location for electronics companies since the industry was born, and is also the location for a number of insurance and financial services organisations, and is the home of the soft drinks producer Britvic. Other businesses in the county are dominated by light engineering and the service sector. Colchester is a garrison town, and the local economy is helped by the Army's personnel living there.

Parts of Eastern Essex suffer from high levels of deprivation, with the most highly deprived wards being in Clacton and Southend. In the Indices of deprivation 2007, Jaywick was identified as the most deprived Lower Super Output Area in Southern England. Unemployment was estimated at 44% and many homes were found to severely lack basic amenities. The Brooklands and Grasslands area of Jaywick were found to be the third most deprived area in England, only Liverpool and Manchester rated higher. In contrast though, South West Essex is a mostly affluent part of Eastern England because the area forms part of the London commuter belt. South West Essex has a large middle class presence and the area is widely known for its Independent schools. In 2008, ''The Daily Telegraph'' found Brentwood and Ingatestone to be the 19th and 14th richest towns in the UK respectively.

Transport

The main airport in Essex is London Stansted Airport, serving destinations in Europe and Asia. The Lib-Con coalition government formed in May 2010 has agreed to resist an additional runway at Stansted, so curtailing the operator's ambitions for expansion. London Southend Airport, once one of Britain's busiest airports, is undergoing rebuilding,will offer schedule flights to Ireland and offers limited passenger flights each summer to the Channel Islands; a new railway station is nearly complete on the airport's eastern boundary and a runway extension will then be built in a south-westerly direction. There are several smaller airfields, some of which owe their origins to military bases built during World War I or World War II. These are popular for pleasure flights or flying lessons; examples include Clacton Airfield, Earls Colne Airfield, and Stapleford Aerodrome.

The Port of Tilbury is one of Britain's three major ports, while the port of Harwich links the county to the Hook of Holland and Esbjerg. A service to Cuxhaven closed in December 2005. Plans have been approved to build the UK's largest container terminal at Shell Haven in Thurrock and although opposed by the local authority and environmental and wildlife organisations now seem increasingly likely to be developed. Despite the existence of the Dartford Road Crossing to Dartford, Kent, across the Thames River, a ferry for pedestrians to Gravesend, Kent, still operates from Tilbury during limited daily hours, and ferries for pedestrians operate across some of Essex's rivers and estuaries during spring and summer. The M25 motorway and M11 motorway both cross the county in the extreme south and west, linking those parts of the county with Kent, Hertfordshire and Cambridge. The A127 and A13 trunk roads are important radial routes connecting London and the M25 to the south of Essex. The A12 runs across the county from the south west to the north east and not only carries traffic within Essex but also traffic between London and Suffolk, east Norfolk and the ports of Felixstowe and Harwich.

There is an extensive public transport network. The main railway routes in Essex include two lines from the City of London to Southend-on-Sea, operated by c2c from Fenchurch Street railway station (including a route via Tilbury) and by National Express East Anglia from Liverpool Street station; the Great Eastern Main Line from Liverpool Street connecting to Harwich and onwards into Suffolk and Norfolk; and the West Anglia Main Line from Liverpool Street linking to Stansted and onwards into Cambridgeshire. The Epping Forest district is served by the London Underground Central Line. The routes operated by National Express East Anglia (formerly known as "One") and c2c, are both owned by National Express. There are also a number of branch lines including the Sunshine Coast Line linking Colchester to the seaside resorts of Clacton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze via the picturesque towns of Wivenhoe and Great Bentley. The Crouch Valley Line, another branch line, links Wickford to a number of riverside communities via South Woodham Ferrers and Burnham-on-Crouch to Southminster.

South Essex Rapid Transit is a proposed public transport scheme which would provide a fast, reliable public transport service in, and between, Thurrock, Basildon and Southend.

Education

Education in Essex is substantially provided by three authorities being Essex County Council and the two unitary authorities, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock. In all there are some 90 state secondary schools provided by these authorities, the majority of which are comprehensive, although one in Uttlesford, two in Chelmsford, two in Colchester and four in Southend-on-Sea are selective. There are also various Independent Schools providing education in Essex.

The University of Essex, which was established in 1963, is located just outside Colchester, with two further campuses in Loughton and Southend-on-Sea. University Campus Suffolk, with a main campus in Ipswich and five centres in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, is a joint venture between University of Essex and University of East Anglia. Anglia Ruskin University was awarded university status in 1992 and has campuses in Chelmsford and Cambridge.

Culture

The County's coat of arms comprises three Saxon seax knives (although looking rather more like scimitars) arranged on a red background; the three-seax device is also used as the official logo of Essex County Council having been granted as such in 1932. The emblem was attributed to Anglo-Saxon Essex in Early Modern historiography. The earliest reference the arms of the East Saxon kings was by Richard Verstegan, the author of ''A Restitution of Decayed Intelligence'' (Antwerp, 1605), claiming that "Erkenwyne king of the East-Saxons did beare for his armes, three [seaxes] argent, in a field gules". There is no earlier evidence substantiating Verstegan's claim, which is an anachronism for the Anglo-Saxon period seeing that heraldry only evolved in the 12th century, well after the Norman conquest. John Speed in his ''Historie of Great Britaine'' (1611) follows Verstegan in his descriptions of the arms of Erkenwyne, but he qualifies the statement by adding "as some or our heralds have emblazed".

The traditional county flower of Essex is the cowslip (''Primula veris''), locally known as the paigle or peggle, and frequently mentioned in the writings of Essex bucolic authors such as Samuel Bensusan and C. H. Warren. In 2002, the Common Poppy (''Papaver rhoeas'') was named the county wildflower after a poll of residents (which excluded the cowslip) by the plant conservation charity Plantlife. Samuel Bensusan and others have suggested that if Essex had a county bird, it would be the lapwing (known locally as the peewit) whose lonely cry characterises the Essex marshes known as saltings.

Essex is also home to the Dunmow Flitch Trials a traditional ceremony that takes place every four years and consists of a test of a married couples devotion to one another. A common claim of the origin of the Dunmow Flitch dates back to 1104 and the Augustinian Priory of Little Dunmow, founded by Lady Juga Baynard. Lord of the Manor Reginald Fitzwalter and his wife dressed themselves as humble folk and begged blessing of the Prior a year and a day after marriage. The Prior, impressed by their devotion bestowed upon them a Flitch of Bacon. Upon revealing his true identity, Fitzwalter gave his land to the Priory on the condition a Flitch should be awarded to any couple who could claim they were similarly devoted.

By the 14th century, the Dunmow Flitch Trials had achieved far-reaching notoriety. The author William Langland, who lived on the Welsh borders, mentions it in his 1362 book ''The Vision of Piers Plowman'' in a manner that implies general knowledge of the custom among his readers.

Landmarks

Over 14,000 buildings have listed status in the county, and around 1000 of those are recognised as of Grade I or II* importance. The buildings range from the 7th century Saxon church of St Peter-on-the-Wall, to the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club which was the United Kingdom's entry in the "International Exhibition of Modern Architecture" held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 1932.

Places of interest

Abberton Reservoir

Arena Essex Raceway

Ashingdon (The site of the Battle of Ashingdon in 1016)

Audley End

Clacton-On-Sea

Colchester Castle File:CL icon.PNG File:Museum icon (red).png Chelmsford Cathedral Colchester Zoo Colne Valley Railway East Anglian Railway Museum

Epping Forest

Frinton-on-Sea

Great Bentley File:Forestry commission logo.svg Home to the Largest Village green in England

Harlow New Town

Hedingham Castle

Ingatestone Hall

Kelvedon Hatch (Secret Nuclear Bunker)

Loughton

Maldon Historic market town site of the Battle of Maldon

Mangapps Railway Museum File:HR icon.svg File:Museum icon (red).png (Burnham-on-Crouch)

Marsh Farm Country Park

Mersea Island

Mistley towers

Mountfitchet Castle

North Weald Airfield

Orsett Hall

St Peter-on-the-Wall Saffron Walden

Southend Pier

Thaxted

University of Essex (Wivenhoe Park, Colchester)

Waltham Abbey

Notable persons

''See :Category:People from Essex.''

Sister counties and regions

Jiangsu, China Picardy, France Thuringia, Germany Henrico County, Virginia Accra, Ghana

See also

The Earl of Essex

Q Camp: WWII camp in Essex

List of civil parishes in England

Lord Lieutenant of Essex

High Sheriff of Essex

Notes and references

External links

Visit Essex

Essex County Council

Seax – Essex Archives Online

Digital Images of Essex

Essex Registration Service

Dunmow Flitch Trials

Essex Gigs 2010

BBC Essex

British History Online

Essex Churches

Essex Community Forums

Category:Non-metropolitan counties Category:NUTS 2 statistical regions of the United Kingdom

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Name	David Essex
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	David Albert Cook
Born	July 23, 1947Plaistow, (then Essex,now Greater London), England
Genre	Pop, Musical theatre
Occupation
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, harmonica
Years active	1971–present
Label	Columbia, Lamplight Records
Website	www.davidessex.com }}

David Essex OBE (born David Albert Cook on 23 July 1947) His father, Albert, was an East End dock worker and his mother, Olive (née Kemp), was a self-taught pianist and an Irish Traveller. His grandfather, Thomas Kemp, was named 'Philimore' which was the anglicised version of 'Philly Mor' - being Irish for 'Big Philly'. Essex was two years old when his parents moved out of the overcrowded home the family was sharing with relatives, to Canning Town where he grew up. Essex attended Star Lane Primary School, he loved playing football and did not answer any of the questions in the Eleven plus exam for entry into a Grammar School, so that he could ensure he attended Shipman County Secondary School where he knew they played the game. He was also a member of West Ham United Juniors for a while and dreamed of one day being a professional player. He then also became interested in music and played drums with a local band, before becoming a singer.

Early career

He made his first record entitled "And The Tears Came Tumblin' Down" for the Decca label in 1963. He then toured with a band called 'David Essex and the Mood Indigo' for two years. His first notable acting role aside from small appearances in the films ''Assault'' and ''All Coppers Are...'' was the lead in the stage musical, ''Godspell'' in 1971 at the age of 23. Two years later, he starred in the film ''That'll Be The Day'' (1973) and recorded his only international hit single, the self penned "Rock On", in the same year. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in March 1974. A second single, "Lamplight", also reached the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart.

In the 1970s, Essex emerged as a performer of some note. His biggest hits during this decade included two UK Number One singles: "Gonna Make You a Star" (1974), and "Hold Me Close" (1975). He also appeared in ''Stardust'', a 1974 sequel to ''That'll Be The Day''; the title song was another Top 10 hit. In 1976, Essex covered the Beatles song, “Yesterday”, for the musical documentary ''All This and World War II''.

Essex's pop idol looks gave him a strong female fan base and his British tours created scenes of hysteria reminiscent of Beatlemania. According to ''The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles'' - 16th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-190-X, he was voted the number one British male vocalist in 1974, and was a teen idol for more than a decade.

Musical roles

In December 1973, Essex appeared in the stage version of ''Tommy'' at London's Rainbow Theatre.

In 1978, he appeared on Jeff Wayne's concept album, a musical version of ''The War of the Worlds'', as the Artilleryman. In the UK the two-record set remains a bestseller.

In the same year, Essex played the character Che, loosely based on Che Guevara, in the original production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical ''Evita'', and his recording of the show's "Oh What a Circus" reached Number 3. Two years later, he starred in the film ''Silver Dream Racer''; and the soundtrack song "Silver Dream Machine" was yet another Top 10 hit in the UK Singles Chart.

In 1985, he co-wrote and starred as Fletcher Christian in the West End musical ''Mutiny!'', based on the novel ''Mutiny on the Bounty'' by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. The score produced two more hit singles, including "Tahiti," his tenth Top 10 success.

Essex continued to perform in all areas of show business, to varying degrees of success. A 1988 sitcom, "The River", achieved good ratings. In 1991, a compilation entitled ''His Greatest Hits'' reached Number 13; a 1993 album, ''Cover Shot,'' featuring a cover version of the Buzz Cason/Mac Gayden song "Everlasting Love", peaked at Number 3. His autobiography, ''A Charmed Life'', was published in 2002, and became a bestseller.

In 1999, Essex was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. He still tours the UK on a yearly basis and releases albums through his website. Despite his long and successful British career, he remains largely unknown in the United States. "Rock On" reached Number 5 in 1974, and was his only US ''Billboard'' Top 40 hit single.

Essex, who comes from a family of Irish Travellers, played a kind-hearted nomad in one episode of ITV1's 1960s Yorkshire-based drama ''Heartbeat'' in 2000. Essex told Jake Bowers of the BBC's Rokker Radio, a programme for Gypsies and Travellers, on 30 July 2006, that he has always been openly proud of his Traveller roots, but that having moved to the US, Essex has said he feels it inappropriate for him to continue as Patron of Britain's National Gypsy Council, which works for equal rights, education, and services for Romany and Irish Travellers.

In 2005, he appeared as a guest vocalist on Saint Etienne's album ''Tales from Turnpike House''. Also that year, he appeared in the Channel 4 documentary ''Bring Back...The Christmas Number One''.

Essex was due to join the cast of soap opera ''EastEnders'', in early 2006, as new character Jack Edwards. However, the role was expanded beyond the three weeks planned, and Essex was unable to commit the time. The role instead went to Nicky Henson.

A model and recording of Essex is featured in the museum of West Ham United Football Club. In the recording, he explains his reasons for supporting West Ham and his love of the team.

Essex spent six years as an ambassador for Voluntary Service Overseas, which earned him an OBE in 1999. "That was a big day. I took my two eldest kids, and me mum even went out and bought a hat".

Present

Essex used to record and release records on his own 'Lamplight' record label. He has since changed the name of his company to Joseph Webster Ltd, named after his first grandchild. He tours regularly and still treads the boards, appearing in ''Boogie Nights 2'', ''Footloose'' and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical ''Aspects Of Love''. From September 2008 to the summer of 2009 he took his own musical, ''All The Fun Of The Fair'', on a tour of the United Kingdom. He followed this in the autumn with a sell out tour of the UK, named the Secret Tour. Essex has released a DVD on his website of the last night of the tour, filmed in Bournemouth. He returned to London's West End with ''All The Fun Of The Fair''.

In 2010, Essex married Welsh actress Susan Hallam-Wright, his third wife, at St Cross Church, Talybont, near Bangor, Wales.

In January 2011, it was announced that Essex had finally joined the cast of ''EastEnders'' as Eddie Moon, five years after he was initially supposed to appear in the show. His first on-screen appearance was on 3 June 2011. Eddie left the square on Thursday 6th October 2011

UK discography

Singles

"Rock On" - 1973 - Number 3

"Lamplight" - 1973 - Number 7

"America" - 1974 - Number 32

"Gonna Make You a Star" - 1974 - Number 1

"Stardust" - 1975 - Number 7

"Rolling Stone" - 1975 - Number 5

"Hold Me Close" - 1975 - Number 1

"If I Could" - 1975 - Number 13

"City Lights" - 1976 - Number 24

"Coming Home" - 1976 - Number 24

"Cool Out Tonight" - 1977 - Number 23

"Stay With Me Baby" - 1978 - Number 45

"Oh What A Circus" - 1978 - Number 3

"Brave New World" - 1978 - Number 55

"Imperial Wizard" - 1979 - Number 32

"Silver Dream Machine (Part 1)" - 1980 - Number 4

"Hot Love" - 1980 - Number 57

"Me And My Girl (Night-Clubbing)" - 1982 - Number 13

"A Winter's Tale" - 1982 - Number 2

"The Smile" - 1983 - Number 52

"Tahiti (From 'Mutiny In The Bounty')" - 1983 - Number 8

"You're In My Heart" - 1983 - Number 59

"Fishing For The Moon" - 1984 - Number 76

"Welcome" - 1984 - Number 80

"Fallen Angels Riding" - 1985 - Number 29

"Friends" - 1985

"Myfanwy" - 1987 - Number 41

"The River" - 1988

"Rock On" (remix) - 1989

"The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" - 1989

"True Love Ways" - 1994 (with Catherine Zeta Jones) - Number 38

Albums

''Rock On'' - 1973 - Number 7

''David Essex'' - 1974 - Number 2

''All The Fun Of The Fair'' - 1975 - Number 4

''On Tour'' - 1976 - Number 51

''Out On The Street'' - 1976 - Number 31

''Gold and Ivory'' - 1977 - Number 29

''David Essex Album'' - 1979 - Number 29

''Imperial Wizard'' - 1979 - Number 12

''Hot Love'' - 1980 - Number 75

''Silver Dream Racer'' - 1980 ''Be-Bop the Future'' - 1981

''Stage-Struck'' - 1982 - Number 31

''The Very Best Of David Essex'' - 1982 - Number 32

''The Whisper'' - 1983 ''This One's For You'' - 1984

''Central Stage'' - 1987

''Living in England'' - 1995

''A Night at the Movies'' - 1997 - Number 14

''I Still Believe'' - 1999

''Thank You'' - 2000

''Wonderful'' - 2001

''Theatre Of Dreams'' - 2001

''Forever'' - 2001

''Sunset'' - 2004

''It's Gonna Be Alright'' - 2004

''Greatest Hits'' - 2006

''Beautiful Day'' - 2006

''Happy Ever After'' - 2007

''All The Fun Of The Fair - Greatest Hits'' - 2008 - UK #23

Selected filmography

''Smashing Time'' (1967)

''Assault'' (1971)

''All Coppers Are...'' (1972)

''That'll Be the Day'' (1973)

''Stardust'' (1974)

''The Big Bus'' (1976)

''Silver Dream Racer'' (1980)

''The River'' (1988)

''Tribe'' (2011)

''EastEnders'' (2011) Eddie Moon

References

External links

Official David Essex website

Allthefunofthefair.com

Jeff Wayne's "The War Of The Worlds" 1978

Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita, song "Oh What a Circus" by David Essex

David Essex to appear in "Aspects Of Love" a new musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Saint Etienne: Tales From Turnpike House released: 13 June 2005

former patron of the Gypsy Council in Britain

David Essex awarded the OBE in 1999 in recognition of his charity work with Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO)

Essex starred in and wrote score for movie "Silver Dream Racer"

''A Charmed Life: The Autobiography of David Essex'' - published 2002 (Orion)

"Essex played Fletcher Christian in his own musical Mutiny! (co-written with Richard Crane) which played at the Piccadilly Theatre for sixteen months

Category:English pop singers Category:English male singers Category:English musical theatre actors Category:English songwriters Category:English people of Irish descent Category:English television actors Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:People from Plaistow, Newham Category:1947 births Category:Living people

da:David Essex de:David Essex et:David Essex fr:David Essex it:David Essex pl:David Essex sv:David Essex

John Dowland (1563 – buried 20 February 1626) was an English Renaissance composer, singer, and lutenist. He is best known today for his melancholy songs such as "Come, heavy sleep" (the basis for Benjamin Britten's ''Nocturnal''), "Come again", "Flow my tears", "I saw my Lady weepe" and "In darkness let me dwell", but his instrumental music has undergone a major revival, and has been a source of repertoire for lutenists and classical guitarists during the twentieth century.

Career and compositions

Very little is known of Dowland's early life, but it is generally thought he was born in London. Irish historian W. H. Grattan Flood claimed that he was born in Dalkey, near Dublin, but no corroborating evidence has ever been found either for that statement or for Thomas Fuller's claim that he was born in Westminster. In 1580 Dowland went to Paris, where he was in service to Sir Henry Cobham, the ambassador to the French court, and his successor, Sir Edward Stafford. He became a Roman Catholic at this time. In 1588 he was admitted Mus. Bac. from Christ Church, Oxford. In 1594 a vacancy for a lutenist came up at the English court, but Dowland's application was unsuccessful - he claimed his religion led to his not being offered a post at Elizabeth I's Protestant court. However, his conversion was not publicized, and being Catholic did not prevent some other important musicians (such as William Byrd) from having a court career in England.

From 1598 Dowland worked at the court of Christian IV of Denmark, though he continued to publish in London. King Christian was very interested in music and paid Dowland astronomical sums; his salary was 500 daler a year, making him one of the highest-paid servants of the Danish court. Though Dowland was highly regarded by King Christian, he was not the ideal servant, often overstaying his leave when he went to England on publishing business or for other reasons. Dowland was dismissed in 1606 and returned to England; There are few compositions dating from the moment of his royal appointment until his death in London in 1626. While the date of his death is not known, "Dowland's last payment from the court was on 20 January 1626, and he was buried at St Ann's, Blackfriars, London, on 20 February 1626."

Two major influences on Dowland's music were the popular consort songs, and the dance music of the day. Most of Dowland's music is for his own instrument, the lute. It includes several books of solo lute works, lute songs (for one voice and lute), part-songs with lute accompaniment, and several pieces for viol consort with lute. The poet Richard Barnfield wrote that Dowland's "heavenly touch upon the lute doth ravish human sense."

One of his better known works is the lute song "Flow my tears", the first verse of which runs:

He later wrote what is probably his best known instrumental work, ''Lachrimae, or Seaven Teares, Figured in Seaven Passionate Pavans'', a set of seven pavanes for five viols and lute, each based on the theme derived from the lute song "Flow my tears". It became one of the best known collections of consort music in his time. His pavane, "Lachrymae antiquae", was also popular in the seventeenth century, and was arranged and used as a theme for variations by many composers.

Dowland's music often displays the melancholia that was so fashionable in music at that time. He wrote a consort piece with the punning title ''"Semper Dowland, semper dolens"'' (always Dowland, always doleful), which may be said to sum up much of his work.

Dowland's song, "Come Heavy Sleepe, the Image of True Death", was the inspiration for Benjamin Britten's "Nocturnal after John Dowland for guitar", written in 1964 for the guitarist Julian Bream. This work consists of eight variations, all based on musical themes drawn from the song or its lute accompaniment, finally resolving into a guitar setting of the song itself.

Richard Barnfield, Dowland's contemporary, refers to the lutenist in poem VIII of ''The Passionate Pilgrim'' (1598):

Publications

In 1597, Dowland published his "First Book of Songs" in London. It was one of the most influential and important musical publications of the history of the lute. This collection of lute-songs was set out in a way that allows performance by a soloist with lute accompaniment or various combinations of singers and instrumentalists.

Dowland published two books of songs after the "First Book of Songs", in 1600 and 1603, as well as the Lachrymae in 1604. He also published in 1609 a translation of the Micrologus of Andreas Ornithoparcus, originally printed in Leipzig 1517, a rather stiff and medieval treatise, but nonetheless occasionally entertaining.

Dowland's last, and in the opinion of most scholars, best work, A Pilgrimes Solace, was published in 1612, and seems to have been conceived more as a collection of contrapuntal music than as solo works.

Suspicions of treason

There is an unsubstantiated rumour that Dowland performed a number of espionage assignments for Sir Robert Cecil in France and Denmark; his high rate of pay notwithstanding, Dowland seems to have been only a court musician. However, we have in his own words the fact that he was for a time embroiled in treasonous Catholic intrigue in Italy, whither he had travelled in the hopes of meeting and studying with Luca Marenzio, a famed madrigal composer. Whatever his religion, however, he was still intensely loyal to the Queen, though he seems to have had something of a grudge against her for her remark that he, Dowland, "was a man to serve any prince in the world, but [he] was an obstinate Papist." But in spite of this, and though the plotters offered him a large sum of money from the Pope, as well as safe passage for his wife and children to come to him from England, in the end he declined to have anything further to do with their plans and begged pardon from Sir Robert Cecil and from the Queen.

Private life

John Dowland was married and had children, as referenced in his letter to Sir Robert Cecil, but family life does not seem to have been important to him, as his wife stayed in England while he worked on the Continent.

His son Robert Dowland was also a musician, working for some time in the service of the first Earl of Devonshire,

Dowland's melancholic lyrics and music have often been described as his attempts to develop an "artistic persona" though he was actually a cheerful person, but many of his own personal complaints, and the tone of bitterness in many of his comments, suggest that much of his music and his melancholy truly did come from his own personality and frustration.

Modern interpretations

In 1935, Australian-born composer Percy Grainger, who had a deep interest in music made before Bach, arranged Dowland’s ''Now, O now I needs must part'' for piano. Some years later, in 1953, Grainger wrote a work titled ''Bell Piece (Ramble on John Dowland’s ‘Now, O now I needs must part’)'', which was a version scored for voice and wind band, based in his previously mentioned transcription.

Dowland's music became part of the repertoire of the early music revival with lutenist Julian Bream and tenor Peter Pears, and later with Christopher Hogwood and David Munrow and the Early Music Consort in the late 1960s and later with the Academy of Ancient Music from the early 1970s.

Jan Akkerman, guitarist of the Dutch progressive rock band Focus, recorded "Tabernakel" in 1973 (though released in 1974), an album of John Dowland songs and some original material, performed on lute.

The Collected Lute Music of John Dowland with lute tablature and keyboard notation has been transcribed and edited by Diana Poulton and Basil Lam, Faber Music Limited, London 1974.

The complete works of Dowland have been recorded in a boxed set by the Consort of Musicke.

The 1999 ECM New Series recording ''In Darkness Let Me Dwell'' features new interpretations of Dowland songs performed by tenor John Potter, lutenist Stephen Stubbs, and baroque violinist Maya Homburger in collaboration with English jazz musicians John Surman and Barry Guy.

Nigel North recorded Dowland's complete works for solo lute on four CDs between 2004 and 2007.

Elvis Costello included a recording (with Fretwork and the Composers Ensemble) of Dowland's "Can she excuse my wrongs" as a bonus track on the 2006 re-release of his ''The Juliet Letters''.

In October 2006, Sting, who says he has been fascinated by the music of John Dowland for 25 years, released an album featuring Dowland's songs titled ''Songs from the Labyrinth'', on Deutsche Grammophon, in collaboration with Edin Karamazov on lute and archlute. They described their treatment of Dowland's work in a ''Great Performances'' appearance. To give some idea of the tone and intrigues of life in late Elizabethan England, Sting also recites throughout the album portions of a 1593 letter written by Dowland to Sir Robert Cecil. The letter describes Dowland's travels to various points of Western Europe, then breaks into a detailed account of his activities in Italy, along with a heartfelt denial of the charges of treason whispered against him by unknown persons. Dowland most likely was suspected of this for traveling to the courts of various Catholic monarchs and accepting payment from them greater than what a musician of the time would normally have received for performing.

Other interpretations of Dowland's songs have been recorded by Windham Hill artist, Lisa Lynne, (for her CD, ''Maiden's Prayer'') and Lise Winne (for her ''Wing'd With Hopes, New Interpretations of Renaissance Songs'' CD). Several bands, such as Die Verbannten Kinder Evas, Aesma Daeva and Qntal, have recorded albums featuring lyrics by John Dowland. The countertenor Andreas Scholl sings in Crystal Tears English consort songs with Concerto Viole of Basel. A rendition of Dowland's "Come again" (sung by Sting) can also be found on Joshua Bell's 2009 album, ''At home with Friends''.

In popular culture

The science fiction author Philip K. Dick was a fan of Dowland's and his lute music is a recurring theme in Dick's novels. Dick sometimes assumed the pen-name ''Jack Dowland''. Dick also based the title of the novel ''Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said'' on one of Dowland's best-known compositions. In his novel The Divine Invasion, the character Linda Fox (a thinly disguised proxy for Linda Ronstadt) is a popular singer whose repertoire consists of remakes of John Dowland compositions.

Rose Tremain's 1999 novel ''Music and Silence'' is set at the court of Christian IV of Denmark some years after Dowland's departure and contains several references to the composer's music and temperament: in the opening chapter, Christian remarks that "the man was all ambition and hatred, yet his ayres were as delicate as rain".

Aesma Daeva's song "Darkness" uses "Flow my Tears" as lyrics.

Both Dowland and Thomas Tallis are referenced in the Half Man Half Biscuit song, "I went to a wedding".

References

Peter Holman/Paul O'Dette: "John Dowland", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed July 10, 2007), (subscription access)

Notes

Bibliography

''John Dowland'' by Diana Poulton, published by Faber & Faber (2nd edition, 1982). ISBN 0-520-04687-0.

''A History of the Lute from Antiquity to the Renaissance'' by Douglas Alton Smith, published by the Lute Society of America (2002). ISBN 0-9714071-0-X

''The Lute in Britain: A History of the Instrument and its Music'' by Matthew Spring, published by Oxford University Press (2001).

''The Collected Lute Music of John Dowland'' edited by Diana Poulton, published by Faber Music (2nd edition, 1978). ISBN 0-571-10024-4.

''The English Ayre'' by Peter Warlock, published by Greenwood Press, Publishers (1970). (Originally published 1926, Oxford University Press, London). ISBN 8371-4237-7.

''New Oxford History of Music, Volume IV: The Age of Humanism 1540-1630'' edited by Gerald Abraham, published by Oxford University Press (1968).

Recordings

External links

johndowland.co.uk - site containing videos, essays, and scores

Some video performances of John Dowland's songs by Valeria Mignaco, soprano & Alfonso Marin, lute

John Dowland's ''Come Again'' sung by male alto Russell Oberlin

Four Pieces by John Dowland performed by lutenist Brian Wright

Category:1563 births Category:1626 deaths Category:Composers for lute Category:English composers Category:Baroque composers Category:English songwriters Category:Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Category:Converts to Roman Catholicism Category:English Roman Catholics Category:People of the Tudor period Category:Renaissance composers Category:English lutenists Category:English singers Category:16th-century English people Category:17th-century English people Category:16th-century Roman Catholics Category:17th-century Roman Catholics Category:English expatriates in France Category:English expatriates in Denmark

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