John Norlie


John Norlie was an English musician at the Scottish royal court.
Little is known of Norlie's background, training, or early career. He played the lute and the viol at the Scottish court, as the Hudson brothers had done.
On 1 May 1599 he was described as a daily servitor or servant to James VI, and was awarded the relatively large annual salary of £1,000 Scots, on condition he maintain four other "musicians apt and meet to serve his majesty's music, and that they be always attending on his majesty's service as the occasion shall require."
Payments to Norlie appear in the royal treasurer's accounts, and in May 1603 he received £66-13s-4d. There are also payments to four English violers.
On a receipt for money received from the depute-treasurer John Arnot in November 1601, Norlie described himself as "musicinar to the quenis majestie", indicating that he usually worked for Anne of Denmark.
The parish register of Dunfermline describes him as "John Orliance" and "John Orlie, violer to her majestie", in notes of the baptism of his son Frederick in December 1600 and daughter Anna in January 1602. His wife's name was Dorothy Lokie. Anna of Denmark was frequently resident at Dunfermline Palace. Another son, Frederick, was baptised on 8 February 1603. This time the father was recorded in the Canongate register as "Jhone Norlie master violer to her majestie." The witnesses were the king, John, Master of Erskine, and John Logan.
Norlie followed the court to London, mentioned in royal accounts in 1604.
There are few references to the queen's music. An English visitor, Henry Lee, was received by James VI in his cabinet room at Holyrood Palace in October 1599 and he wrote that he could hear music from the adjacent queen's chamber, as the door was a little ajar.