“The Triumphs of Oriana” included works by 23 different English composers, including Thomas Tomkins, Thomas Morley, John Farmer, John Wilbye, and Thomas Weelkes, and was based on “Il trionfo di Dori”, an Italian collection from 1592.
Long live fair Oriana
Notice a pattern? Every madrigal in The Triumphs of Oriana ends with “then sang the shepherds and nymphs of Diana, ‘Long live fair Oriana.’” Those lines were taken from Croce’s “Ove tra l’herbe e I fiori”, which was in turn reworked by Morley as “Hard by a crystal fountain.”
Thomas Morley's incredible Oriana Madrigal, 'Hard by a crystal fountain'. Recorded July 2016, Pfarrkirche Mariä Himmelfahrt, Prien-am-Chiemsee, Germany.
Come Gentle Swains
The Triumphs of Oriana was a collection of English madrigals edited by Thomas Morley and published in 1601 for Elizabeth I. In addition to “Vesta” from last week, it also included “Come gentle swains” by Cavendish.
Provided to YouTube by Entertainment One Distribution US Come, Gentle Swains · Pro Cantione Antiqua & Philip Ledger Traditional Glees and Madrigals ℗ Musical...
Word painting in madrigals
Madrigals are famous for their word painting, especially this one by Weelkes. Whether it’s “two by two”, “all alone”, or “ascending” and “descending”, he took advantage of every opportunity with this text!
Thomas Weelkes' madrigal As Vesta was from Latmos hill descending. Compiled in 1601 by Thomas Morley as part of a collection of madrigals entitled 'The Trium...