Duration: 2 minutes

Description: In the Merry Month of May was composed in 1608 by the English madrigalist Henry Youll (fl. 1608) and published as part of his collection Canzonets to Three Voyces, printed in London by Thomas Este. A native of Suffolk and tutor to the sons of Edward Bacon, Youll belonged to the final generation of composers associated with the English Madrigal School, which flourished during the late Elizabethan and early Jacobean eras. Like many secular vocal works of its time, In the Merry Month of May celebrates spring, pastoral life, and youthful courtship, themes that were central to the madrigal tradition. The work represents the lighter canzonet style, favoring graceful melodies and clear textures over the denser counterpoint of earlier madrigals. Today In the Merry Month of May survives as one of the best-known pieces from Youll’s small surviving output, appearing regularly in performances and recordings of Renaissance vocal music. Reprint of the Edmund Horace Fellowes edition.

• 60804001 / 36-60804001 IN THE MERRY MONTH OF MAY SSA CHOR SC $1.99Buy Now