Thomas East

Thomas East, (also spelled Easte, Est, or Este) (c.1540 – January 1609), was an English printer who specialised in music. He has been described as a publisher, but that claim is debatable (the specialities of printer and bookseller/publisher were usually practiced separately). He nevertheless made an important contribution to musical life in England. He printed the significant collection of madrigals Musica Transalpina which appeared in 1588.

His career was complicated by the existence of patents, monopolies granted by the crown to William Byrd and Thomas Morley. East had a close association with William Byrd. He printed religious compositions by Byrd (including some clearly intended for Roman Catholic services, masses and Gradualia).

East was made a freeman of the Stationers' Company on 6 December 1565. The first appearance of his name as a printer occurs in the registers of the company in 1576, when he issued Robinson's 'Christmas Recreacons of Histories and Moralizacons aplied for our solace and consolacons.' After this date his name is of frequent occurrence as a printer of general literature.

East does not appear to have printed music before 1587 when the death occurred of the printer Thomas Vautrollier, who specialised in music and theology. Vautrollier's business continued under the direction of his widow and his former apprentice Richard Field, but not the music side. The music type was acquired by East.

Under the date of 6 November 1587, the Stationers Company recorded a set of partbooks entitled, according to the register, 'Bassus. Sonnettes and Songs made into musick of fyve parts. By William Burd.' This is taken to be identical with the undated edition of Byrd's 'Psalmes, Sonets, and Songs of Sadnes and Pietie', the dated edition of which appeared in 1588. In this 1588 edition East is described as publishing in Aldersgate Street and as Byrd's assignee.

In 1588 the great collection of Italian madrigals entitled 'Musica Transalpina' was published, and became the most important agent in promoting that admiration for the madrigal form as used by the Italians which resulted in the foundation of the splendid school of English madrigalists. The frequency with which the printer's name appears as Este, taken in connection with the fact that he was chosen to introduce the Italian compositions into England, made it difficult to resist the conjecture that the printer was of Italian extraction. However, this theory has now been discounted.

...
Wikipedia