View source for Thomas Morley

'''Thomas Morley''', (1557-1603), [[English]] [[Elizabethan]] [[composer]], had a relatively successful life. He was a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, organist at St. Pauls, [[London]], the writer of “''Plaine and Easie Introduction to Practicall Musicke''” (which was popular for two centuries and is still a major source of information about Elizabethan music making), held for a period the royal monopoly on music publishing, and probably knew [[Shakespeare]] as he wrote music for various of the Bard’s plays.

He was one of the greatest of the English [[madrigal]]ists, wrote much fine instrumental and church music and is known for his light and lilting [[lute song]]s of the ''ballett'' style; including perhaps the most well-known song of the age, and the standard bearer for its type: Shakespeare’s “''It was a lover and his lass''” from "''As you Like it''"
:"It was a lover and his lass,	 
::With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,	 
:That o'er the green corn-field did pass,	 
::In the spring time, the only pretty ring time,	 
:When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;	         
:Sweet lovers love the spring.	 
 	
:Between the acres of the rye,	 
::With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,	 
:These pretty country folks would lie,	 
::In the spring time, the only pretty ring time,	  
:When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding	 
:Sweet lovers love the spring.	 
 	
:This carol they began that hour,	 
::With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,	 
:How that life was but a flower	  
::In the spring time, the only pretty ring time,	 
:When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;	 
:Sweet lovers love the spring.	 
 	
:And, therefore, take the present time	 
::With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,	  
:For love is crownèd with the prime	 
::In the spring time, the only pretty ring time,	 
:When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;	 
:Sweet lovers love the spring."	 

References:

“The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music”

Shakespeare: "As You Like It" Act 5, Scene 3 I think. What page? Why both of them - two Pages ''"...and both in tune, like two gipsies on a horse"''.


==See also==
*[[Madrigal]]
*[[Lute song]] 

[[Category:Composers]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morley, Thomas}}