Biography
Wilbye served the Kytson household beginning in 1598 and remained until Lady Kytson’s death in 1628, after which he continued working for her daughter in Colchester; through this long association he emerged among the earliest composers of English madrigals. Roughly sixty such works appeared across two collections issued in 1598 and 1609, written for three to six voices. The most accomplished and finely wrought examples are those for four voices, which extend from airy canzonets in the manner of Morley to more intense sonnets whose dramatic character is heightened by precisely responsive text setting. Wilbye showed particular skill in shifting between major and minor modes according to the expressive demands of each line. His command of mood through these means ranks among the finest achievements in the English madrigal repertory. Representative pieces include “Adew, sweet Amarilis,” “Sweet hony sucking bees,” and “Draw on sweet night.”