History Of English Music The Elizabethan Period - Part 1

An increased interest in the arts especially music,This publication of the "Musica" created the
began soon after the Wars of the Roses ended inmassive interest in this kind of music. People
1487, and reached a climax in the reign ofsuddenly to notice and started to listen to this
Elizabeth (1558-1603). Of all the arts, music waskind of music. Composers were just as
about to have a major face-lift which wouldenthusiastic and wanted to write in this style.
increase its popularity from the listeners, and theWithin the next quarter of a century, nearly
composers.every composer of all abilities had published one
This increased artistic activity of the Elizabethanor more sets of madrigals.
age compares with the Renaissance age of Italy,Thomas Morley (1557-1604) published a set in
and Elizabethan England owed a great deal to the1594. The madrigals of Thomas Weelkes
Italian examples for new and exciting creativity ofappeared in 1597. Those of John Wilbye,
all art.esteemed the greatest of English madrigal writers,
Music in particular was about to transformappeared in 1598.
dramatically with the introduction of a new musicalMadrigals by John Benet appeared in 1599 and in
style called the Madrigal, a music form most1601; there appeared a very remarkable
associated with that of Elizabethan music. Thismonument of the madrigal writer's art the
type of music was first created in Italy and like"Triumphs of Oriana."
many art forms from that region made its wayOriana was one of the names under which the
west to England.poets and courtiers of Elizabeth's reign would sing
As already mentioned the Madrigal was a veryher praises, and the "Triumphs" was a collection
popular and a highly regarded music form in Italy,of prize madrigals in her honour by twenty-six
and a great number of Italian writers andEnglish madrigal composers of the day.
composers wrote many excellent compositions.The interest in Madrigals gradually decreased after
Apart from a few hit and miss, not very wellthis, but Thomas Bateson, organist of Chester
constructed examples, which had alreadyCathedral, and the first to receive the degree of
appeared and failed to capture people'sMus. Bac. from the University of Dublin, Michael
imagination, its probably safe to say that the firstEste, and Orlando Gibbons, great in almost every
proper introduction of the Madrigal to English musicdepartment of music, all produced sets of
lovers was the publication of Nicholas Yonge'smadrigals during the early years of the reign of
"Musica Transalpina," in 1588.James I.