This sweet and merry month of May (a 4) (William Byrd)

From ChoralWiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Music files

L E G E N D Disclaimer How to download
ICON SOURCE
Icon_pdf.gif Pdf
Icon_snd.gif Midi
MusicXML.png MusicXML
Logo_capella-software_kurz_2011_16x16.png Capella
Sibelius.png Sibelius
File details.gif File details
Question.gif Help
  • (Posted 2017-03-13)  CPDL #43518:         
Editor: James Gibb (submitted 2017-03-13).   Score information: A4, 6 pages, 72 kB   Copyright: CPDL
Edition notes: SATB version.
  • (Posted 2008-10-15)  CPDL #18159:        (Sibelius 4)
Editor: David Fraser (submitted 2008-10-15).   Score information: A4, 5 pages, 142 kB    Copyright: CPDL
Edition notes: ATTB version.

General Information

Title: This sweet and merry month of May
Composer: William Byrd

Number of voices: 4vv   Voicings: ATTB or SATB
Genre: SecularMadrigal

Language: English
Instruments: A cappella

First published: 1590 in The first sett, of Italian madrigalls Englished (Thomas Watson), no. 8
    2nd published: 1611 in Psalmes, Songs, and Sonnets, no. 9
Description: N.B. despite the title of Watson's publication, Byrd's madrigal is not based on an Italian original. The title continues There are also heere inserted two excellent Madrigalls of Master William Byrds, composed after the Italian vaine… Fellowes's monumentally careless scholarship is shown at its worst with regard to this publication, where he explains the "two excellent Madrigalls" as being the two separately-numbered sections of the 6-part setting of This sweet and merry month, having failed to notice that the 4-part version is also included in the book. Needless to say, neither of these is in two sections, and each bears only one number. (E.H. Fellowes, William Byrd (OUP, 2nd ed. 1948), p.154)

External websites:

Original text and translations

Original text and translations may be found at This sweet and merry month of May.