My Lady Carey's Dompe is sometimes attributed to English innovative
composer of the early
Tudor period,
Hugh Aston. It is in G
Dorian mode and consists of an improvisatory treble line over a drone alternating between two bass notes, G and D. It may have been written for the death of
William Carey, a courtier and favourite of Henry VIII, who died on 22 June 1528, and in this case, Lady Carey may refer to his wife
Mary Boleyn, one of the
mistresses of Henry VIII and the sister of Henry's second wife,
Anne Boleyn, but also to Carey’s mother, sisters and sister-in-law.
Dompe, which may come from
Irish dump that means
lament, can refer to a dance, a
dirge, a lament or a melancholic love song. ==Notable recordings==