A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Wilbye, John

by William Henry Husk

WILBYE, John, the chief of English madrigal writers, published in 1598 'The First Set of English Madrigals to 3, 4, 5 and 6 voices,' containing 30 compositions, among them the well-known and popular 'Flora gave me fairest flowers,' and 'Lady, when I behold.' In 1601 he contributed a madrigal, 'The Lady Oriana,' to 'The Triumphes of Oriana.' In 1609 he published 'The Second Set of Madrigales to 3, 4, 5 and 6 parts, apt both for Voyals and Voyces,' thirty-four compositions, including the beautiful madrigals, 'Sweet honey-sucking bee,' 'Down in a valley,' 'Draw on, sweet night,' and 'Stay, Corydon, thou swain.' In 1614 he contributed two pieces to Leighton's 'Teares or Lamentacions, etc.' The above, which constitute the whole of Wilbye's known vocal works, were all printed in score by The Musical Antiquarian Society. He composed some Lessons for the Lute, a volume of which occurred in the sale of the library of Rev. William Gostling of Canterbury in 1777. He dated the dedication of his first set of madrigals from 'the Augustine Fryers,' and this fact, with the probable conjecture that he was a teacher of music and possibly a lutenist, are all that is known of the biography of one who, in his particular walk, had no superior.

[ W. H. H. ]