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John Wilbye

 

(born March 7, 1574, Diss, Norfolk, Eng. — died September 1638, Colchester, Essex) British composer. He spent his entire life in the employ of the Kytson family, as a domestic musician at Hengrave Hall, and then in Colchester (from 1628). One of the finest of the English madrigalists, he published only two collections (1598, 1609). His madrigals are less chromatic than those of his contemporary Thomas Weelkes, but he made subtle use of varying textures for expression.

For more information on John Wilbye, visit Britannica.com.

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Music Encyclopedia: John Wilbye
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(b Diss, bap. 7 March 1574; d Colchester, Sept-Nov 1638). English composer. He served the Kytson family at Hengrave Hall, near Bury St Edmunds, from at least 1598 until Lady Kytson's death in 1628, then moved to Colchester to serve her daughter. He was one of the first English madrigalists: his madrigals (c 60 in 2 bks, 1598, 1609) range from light canzonets in Morley's style to larger-scale serious sonnets of great intensity; they include some of the most refined and superbly crafted of all English madrigals (e.g. Adew, sweet Amarillis, Sweet hony sucking bees, Draw on sweet night). He had a gift for matching textual mood perfectly with music, using pictorial imagery, and for varying textures and sonorities for expressive purposes. A few of his sacred vocal and instrumental pieces also survive.

works:
Secular music

  • c60 madrigals incl. Adew, sweet Amarillis, Draw on sweet night
  • inst(s) pieces
Sacred music
  • 2 anthems
  • 2 Latin pieces


 
Columbia Encyclopedia: John Wilbye
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Wilbye, John (wĭl'), 1574-1638, English madrigal composer. Although only two sets of his madrigals (1598, 1609) are extant, their excellence distinguishes him as perhaps the greatest English madrigalist of the 16th cent.
Artist: John Wilbye
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  • Period: Renaissance (1450-1599)
  • Country: England
  • Born: 1574 03 in Diss, Norfolk, England
  • Died: 1638 09 in Colchester, England
  • Genres: Choral Music, Vocal Music

Biography

John Wilbye was a prominent exponent of the English madrigal. Born the third son of an English tanner in Diss, Norfolk, Wilbye attracted the notice of a nearby wealthy landowner, Sir Thomas Cornwallis. Cornwallis' daughter Elizabeth married the son of another local wealthy landowner, Sir Thomas Kytson, who subsequently employed Wilbye as resident musician of Hengrave, his magnificent estate. The Kytsons were patrons of all the arts, and Wilbye was continually encouraged to provide madrigals and musical instruction. He remained in this position until the death of Lady Kytson in 1628, at which point he retired to the home of her younger daughter, Lady Rivers, until his death in 1638. Perhaps as a result of his having been permitted to rent a profitable sheep farm, Wilbye died a wealthy man. As of the end of the twentieth century, both the magnificent house at Hengrave and the "Great brick house opposite Holy Trinity Church" of Lady Rivers still stand, and Wilbye's living quarters, furnishings, and some of his effects may be seen. He was never married.

Considered by many the finest of all English madrigal composers, Wilbye was prolific in the form. In 1598, his first set of madrigals was published under the title The First Set of English Madrigals to 3, 4, 5, and 6 Voices; it was dedicated to Sir Charles Cavendish, who had married the elder daughter of Sir Thomas Kytson, Wilbye's patron. The set contains 30 works, six each of which are for three and four voices, ten of which are for five voices, and eight for six voices. The set is considered early -- some of the works came from Wilbye's teen years and early twenties -- but the works range from fetching to masterful and the young composer already asserts his mastery of the form.

Ten years later, a second set was published, "both for Voyals [viols] and Voyces." It was dedicated to Lady Arabella Stuart, whose mother, Lady Lennox, was Elizabeth Cavendish, sister of Sir Charles, the patron and sponsor of the first set. Of these there are 34, eight each of which are for three, four, and six voices and the remaining ten for five voices. This set is considered more mature and masterful than the first set and is thought of by many scholars as the pinnacle of madrigal writing. Of particular note among these are Draw on, sweet night, Stay Corydon, and Softly, O softly drop. Among the most popular works in this collection is Sweet honey sucking bees, possibly because of its peculiar title but also because of its contrasting sections and superb vocal counterpoint.

These two sets include most of Wilbye's surviving music. He composed a work as part of Morley's The Triumphes of Oriana entitled The Lady Oriana, for six voices, and a pair of motets, I am quite tired with groans and O God, the rock of my whole strength for four and five voices, respectively. He is supposed to have written a book of lessons for lute, but this, having been sold in the library of the Reverend William Gostling of Canterbury in 1777, seems to have vanished. The decline in popularity of the madrigal coincides almost exactly with Wilbye's death in 1638, although many of his madrigals are commonly heard to this day. ~ Michael Morrison, All Music Guide
Wikipedia: John Wilbye
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John Wilbye (baptized 7 March 1574 – September 1638), was an English madrigal composer. The son of a tanner, he was born at Brome, Suffolk, near Diss, and received the patronage of the Cornwallis family. It is thought that he accompanied Elizabeth Cornwallis to Hengrave Hall near Bury St. Edmunds in around 1594 when she married Sir Thomas Kytson the Younger. Wrote the poem Love me not for comely grace.

A set of madrigals by him appeared in 1598 and a second in 1608, the two sets containing sixty-four pieces. In 1600 he was chosen to proofread John Dowland's Second Booke of Songs. In 1628, on the death of Elizabeth Cornwallis, Wilbye went to live with her daughter Mary Darcy, Countess Rivers in Colchester, where he died.

Wilbye is probably the most famous of all the English madrigalists; his pieces have long been favourites and are often included in modern collections. His madrigals include Weep, weep o mine eyes and Draw on, sweet night. His style is characterized by delicate writing for the voice, acute sensitivity to the text and the use of "false relations" between the major and minor modes.

                           Love me not for comely grace
                           Love me not for comely grace,
                           For my pleasing face;
                           Not for any outward part,
                           No, nor for my constant heart:
                              For those may fail to turn to ill,
                              So thou and I shall sever.
                           Keep therefore a true woman's eye,
                           And love me still, but know not why;
                           So hast thou the same reason,
                           Still to doat upon me ever.

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