Walter Porter


Walter Porter was an English composer and church musician. He travelled to Italy to study under Monteverdi, and shows Italian influence in madrigals and his one surviving anthem.

Life

He was son of Henry Porter, who was musician of the sackbuts to James I. Walter. He was on 5 January 1616 sworn a gentleman of the Chapel Royal, to await a vacancy among the tenor singers; and on 1 February 1617 he succeeded Peter Wright.
In 1639 Porter was appointed master of the choristers of Westminster Abbey, Richard Portman being organist at the time. Among his patrons were John Digby, 1st Earl of Bristol, to whom he dedicated his Ayres. Dismissed from his post during the First English Civil War, Porter was supported by Sir Edward Spencer.
Porter was buried at St. Margaret's Church, Westminster, on 30 November 1659.

Works

Porter's printed works are:
Words of anthems set by Porter are in the Harleian MSS..