Photo: Unknown artist Unknown artist · Public domain · credits
Tier 3 · vertical & regional
Christopher Simpson
Person · male · United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland · born 1602 · died 1669 · recording since 1998
English musician and composer
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Also known as クリストファー・シンプソン
Timeline
9 events▣ Album 6◦ Birth 1† Death 1★ Debut release 1
1600s
1660s
1990s
· Debut release
Debut release: The Monthes
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
2000s
2010s
2020s
Biography
English biography270 words · 2 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1256615478
Biography
Christopher Simpson (1602/1606–1669) was an English musician and composer, particularly associated with music for the viola da gamba.
Life
Simpson was born between 1602 and 1606, probably at Egton, North Yorkshire. He was the eldest son of Christopher Sympson, a Yorkshireman, who is usually described as a cordwainer but who was also the manager of a theatre company patronised by wealthy Yorkshire Catholics. It is thought that Sympson senior may have preferred to portray himself at times as a simple craftsman, rather than a high-profile Catholic sympathiser, at a time when Catholics were harshly persecuted in England. There is a theory (put forward by Urquhart) that Christopher Simpson (junior), the musician, could have been the same Simpson (or Sampson) who was educated as a Jesuit in continental Europe and was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1629. However, Simpson's death in 1669 is at odds with the evidence that the Jesuit Simpson lived until 1674.
Simpson fought in the English Civil War, on the Royalist side and, in 1642, was a quarter-master in the army of the Earl (later Duke) of Newcastle. Following the siege of York, Simpson took refuge at the manor of Sir Robert Bolles (1619–1663), at Scampton, Lincolnshire, where Bolles employed him as a resident musician and tutor to his son John.
Simpson remained in the Bolles' household (either in Lincolnshire, or their house in London) for the remainder of his life. His will was made on 5 May 1669 and was proved in London on 29 July 1669. It seems likely that he died at Sir John Bolles' house in Holborn, London, or possibly at Scampton Hall.
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 9 | 54.3th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 7 | 80.4th |
| Studio albums | 6 | 86.1th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 9 | 85.5th |
| Recording span (years) | -329 | 1.4th |
| Genres | 3 | 80.4th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (7 release groups · 6 studio albums)
Albums · 6
1998 · studio album
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Tracklist · 17 tracks · 59:49
1The Monthes: January in C major5:072The Monthes: February in C major4:233The Monthes: March in C major4:014Ground in A minor3:095The Monthes: April in A minor3:576The Monthes: May in A minor4:077The Monthes: June in A minor4:098Suite in D major: Pavan3:499Suite in D major: Almaine0:5510Suite in D major: Courante0:4911The Monthes: July in D minor3:3912The Monthes: August in G minor4:0513The Monthes: September G minor3:5014Ground in B-flat major2:5115The Monthes: October in F major3:4016The Monthes: November in F major3:3717The Monthes: December in D major3:41Vivaldi: The Four Seasons / Simpson: The Monthes
2003 · studio album
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Tracklist · 41 tracks · 2:14:34
Disc 11Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 1 in E major "La primavera", RV 269: I. Allegro3:372Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 1 in E major"La primavera", RV 269: II. Largo2:193Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 1 in E major"La primavera", RV 269: III. Allegro3:354Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 2 in G minor "L'estate", RV 315: I. Allegro non molto4:495Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 2 in G minor "L'estate", RV 315: II. Adagio - Presto2:186Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 2 in G minor "L'estate", RV 315: III. Presto2:417Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 3 in F major "L'autunno", RV 293: I. Allegro5:198Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 3 in F major "L'autunno", RV 293: II. Adagio molto2:419Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 3 in F major "L'autunno", RV 293: III. Allegro3:2110Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 4 in F minor "L'inverno", RV 297: I. Allegro non molto3:1311Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 4 in F minor "L'inverno", RV 297: II. Largo1:4812Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 4 in F minor "L'inverno", RV 297: III. Allegro2:5613Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 5 in E-flat major "La tempesta di mare", RV 253: I. Presto2:3714Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 5 in E-flat major "La tempesta di mare", RV 253: II. Largo2:2015Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 5 in E-flat major "La tempesta di mare", RV 253: III. Presto3:3716Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 6 in C major "Il piacere", RV 180: I. Allegro2:5917Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 6 in C major "Il piacere", RV 180: II. Largo2:1518Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 6 in C major "Il piacere", RV 180: III. Allegro2:5319Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 10 in B-flat major "La caccia", RV 362: I. Allegro3:0420Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 10 in B-flat major "La caccia", RV 362: II. Adagio2:1821Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 10 in B-flat major "La caccia", RV 362: III. Allegro2:2622Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 11 in D major, RV 210: I. Allegro4:4223Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 11 in D major, RV 210: II. Largo2:2624Concertos, op. 8: Concerto no. 11, in D major RV 210: III. Allegro4:31Disc 21The Monthes: January in C major5:072The Monthes: February in C major4:233The Monthes: March in C major4:014Ground in A minor3:095The Monthes: April in A minor3:576The Monthes: May in A minor4:077The Monthes: June in A minor4:098Suite in D major: Pavan3:499Suite in D major: Almaine0:5510Suite in D major: Courante0:4911The Monthes: July in D minor3:3912The Monthes: August in G minor4:0513The Monthes: September G minor3:5014Ground in B-flat major2:5115The Monthes: October in F major3:4016The Monthes: November in F major3:3717The Monthes: December in D major3:41The Seasons, the Monthes & other divisions of Time - I
2005 · studio album
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Tracklist · 17 tracks · 1:18:04
1The Winter: I. Fancy5:552The Winter: II. Aire3:173The Winter: III. Galliard4:504Divisions in a3:205January5:196February4:177March4:298Prélude2:149Minuritiones septimae (divisions in e)7:3710The Spring: I. Fancy6:2311The Spring: II. Ayre4:5612The Spring: III. Galliard5:3613Divisions in G5:5214April4:0015May4:3316June4:2517Sujet … "à divertir"…1:012015 · studio album
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Tracklist · 24 tracks · 57:57
120 Ayres for Two Trebles and Two Basses: Nos. 14–16 in D minor: Pavin5:03220 Ayres for Two Trebles and Two Basses: Nos. 14–16 in D minor: Galliard1:43320 Ayres for Two Trebles and Two Basses: Nos. 14–16 in D minor: Aire1:12420 Ayres for Two Trebles and Two Basses: Nos. 4–7 in B flat major: Pavin3:55520 Ayres for Two Trebles and Two Basses: Nos. 4–7 in B flat major: Galliard1:56620 Ayres for Two Trebles and Two Basses: Nos. 4–7 in B flat major: Aire1:43720 Ayres for Two Trebles and Two Basses: Nos. 4–7 in B flat major: Sarabande0:588Two Divisions: Divisions in F major for two bass viols3:019Two Divisions: Divisions in A minor for treble and bass viol1:301020 Ayres for Two Trebles and Two Basses: Nos. 1–3 in C major: Pavin4:291120 Ayres for Two Trebles and Two Basses: Nos. 1–3 in C major: Aire2:131220 Ayres for Two Trebles and Two Basses: Nos. 1–3 in C major: Sarabande1:531320 Ayres for Two Trebles and Two Basses: Nos. 17–20 in G minor: Pavin5:061420 Ayres for Two Trebles and Two Basses: Nos. 17–20 in G minor: Galliard1:571520 Ayres for Two Trebles and Two Basses: Nos. 17–20 in G minor: [Aire]2:031620 Ayres for Two Trebles and Two Basses: Nos. 17–20 in G minor: [Sarabande]1:3817Two Divisions: Divisions in C major for two bass viols2:1518Two Divisions: Divisions in A minor for treble and bass viol2:121920 Ayres for Two Trebles and Two Basses: Nos. 8–13 in D major: Pavin4:412020 Ayres for Two Trebles and Two Basses: Nos. 8–13 in D major: Aire1:522120 Ayres for Two Trebles and Two Basses: Nos. 8–13 in D major: Corant1:352220 Ayres for Two Trebles and Two Basses: Nos. 8–13 in D major: Aire1:442320 Ayres for Two Trebles and Two Basses: Nos. 8–13 in D major: Aire1:202420 Ayres for Two Trebles and Two Basses: Nos. 8–13 in D major: [Sarabande]1:582016 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 1:13:44
1Winter: I. Fan6:442Winter: II. Ayre3:313Winter: III. Gallilard5:264Spring: I. Fan7:315Spring: II. Ayre5:286Spring: III. Gallilard7:247Summer: I. Fan6:108Summer: II. Ayre5:549Summer: III. Gallilard5:4210Autumn: I. Fan6:5311Autumn: II. Ayre4:2112Autumn: III. Gallilard4:3213[untitled]4:08The Seasons, The Monthes & Other Divisions of Time - II
2026 · studio album
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Tracklist · 15 tracks · 1:15:15
1The Monthes: July3:392The Monthes: August4:353The Seasons, Summer: I. Fancy5:324The Seasons, Summer: II. Aire6:115The Seasons, Summer: III. Galliard5:386Division in D minor8:397The Monthes: September4:388The Monthes: October4:179Duet for two division viols in F major5:4310The Seasons, Autumne: I. Fancy6:0711The Seasons, Autumne: II. Aire5:0712The Seasons, Autumne: III. Galliard4:1713The Monthes: November4:2014Almain solo in high harp-way sharp2:1215The Monthes: December4:20
Single · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | On The GroundSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track · 3:231On The Ground3:23 | 8 August 2025 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Christopher Simpson head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 9 | 54.3th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 7 | 80.4th |
| Studio albums | 6 | 86.1th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 9 | 85.5th |
| Recording span (years) | -329 | 1.4th |
| Genres | 3 | 80.4th |
Awards & honours
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christopher_simpson.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/1c173e15-de57-4d06-9b79-a6d4287919e0discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/1c173e15-de57-4d06-9b79-a6d4287919e0core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q731249seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Simpson_%28musician%29biography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Simpson_%28musician%29
Why this artist is in the database
- List of composers by name
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: Unknown artist Unknown artist · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q731249 · MusicBrainz: 1c173e15-de57-4d06-9b79-a6d4287919e0
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