Thomas Morley

Thomas Morley was a very famous music maker in England.

He lived during the late Renaissance period. This was a time of great art and new ideas. Morley was a singer, a composer, and an organist. He was also a teacher of music theory. He is best known for his work with madrigals. A madrigal is a special kind of song. Morley helped make these songs very popular in England. He brought styles from Italy to the English people. This created a bright and colorful time for English music.

Morley's music had a very special way of working. His madrigals were often light and quick. They were also very easy for people to sing together. One of his most famous songs is "Now Is the Month of Maying." He also wrote music for many different instruments. He wrote pieces for the keyboard. He also wrote music for a group called a broken consort. This group used a flute, a lute, and a cittern. They also played the bandora and two viols. This created a unique sound that was very English.

Morley's life began in a city called Norwich. He was the son of a man who made beer. As a boy, he likely sang in the local cathedral. He became a master of young singers in 1583. Later, he moved to London before the year 1574. He became a singer and organist at St. Paul's Cathedral. In 1588, he earned a degree from the University of Oxford. He studied with a great teacher named William Byrd. Byrd was a mentor who helped Morley learn his craft. Morley even wrote a book to teach others about music.

Many interesting facts surround Morley's career and time. He lived in London at the same time as William Shakespeare. Morley and Robert Johnson wrote the only surviving music for Shakespeare's poems. One such song is "It was a lover and his lass." This song was published in the year 1600. Morley also worked in music publishing. From 1598 until he died, he held a special printing patent. He worked with professional printers like Thomas East. Morley published eleven different collections of his own madrigals. These collections helped spread his music to many people.

Morley's work connects to many things we know today. His book, "A Plain and Easie Introduction to Practicall Musicke," was very important. It stayed popular for almost two hundred years after he died. People still use it to learn about old music. His songs are still played in concerts today. Even though he died in early October 1602, his music lives on. He was buried in a church called St. Botolph Billingsgate. That church was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. Because of this, his exact grave is lost to time. However, his beautiful music is never lost.