Thomas Morley

Thomas Morley (1557 – early October 1602) was an English composer, theorist, singer and organist of the Renaissance. He was one of the foremost members of the English Madrigal School. Referring to the strong Italian influence on the English madrigal, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians states that Morley was "chiefly responsible for grafting the Italian shoot on to the native stock and initiating the curiously brief but brilliant flowering of the madrigal that constitutes one of the most colourful episodes in the history of English music."

Living in London at the same time as Shakespeare, Morley was the most famous composer of secular music in Elizabethan England. He and Robert Johnson are the composers of the only surviving contemporary settings of verse by Shakespeare.

Morley was active in church music as a singer, composer and organist at St Paul's Cathedral. He was also involved in music publishing. From 1598 up to his death he held a printing patent (a type of monopoly). He used the monopoly in partnership with professional music printers such as Thomas East.

Birth and Death Data: Born 1559 (Norwich), Died October, 1602 (London)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1912 - 1938

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-15040 10-in. 7/3/1914 O mistress mine Raymond Dixon Male vocal solo, with harp and cello composer  
Victor B-15057 10-in. 7/13/1914 It was a lover and his lass Raymond Dixon [i.e., Lambert Murphy] ; Harry Macdonough Male vocal duet, unaccompanied composer  
Victor BVE-34530 10-in. 2/6/1926 Now is the month of Maying Associated Glee Clubs of America Male vocal chorus composer  
Victor CRC-72268 12-in. 4/11/1932 A June moonrise Chicago A Cappella Choir Mixed vocal chorus, unaccompanied composer  
Victor CVE-72644 12-in. 5/27/1932 Look down, o Lord Bryn Mawr College. Chorus Female vocal chorus composer  
Victor BS-88971 10-in. 5/21/1935 It was a lover and his lass Bruno Reibold Instrumental ensemble composer  
Victor BS-98825 10-in. 1/10/1936 Sumer is icumen in London Madrigal Singers Mixed vocal chorus, unaccompanied composer  
Victor BS-98826 10-in. 1/10/1936 Fire, fire my heart London Madrigal Singers Mixed vocal chorus, unaccompanied composer  
Victor BS-98827 10-in. 1/10/1936 Now is the month of May London Madrigal Singers Mixed vocal chorus, unaccompanied composer  
Victor BS-98828 10-in. 1/10/1936 Shoot false love London Madrigal Singers Mixed vocal chorus, unaccompanied composer  
Victor B-[Unnumbered 1922-06-09-02] 10-in. 6/9/1922 Now is the month of Maying Stokowski Chorus Mixed vocal chorus, unaccompanied composer  
Victor BS-07544 10-in. 3/27/1937 Fire, fire, my heart Harvard Glee Club ; G. Wallace Woodworth Male vocal chorus, unaccompanied composer  
Victor BS-021056 10-in. 3/1/1938 It was a lover and his lass Claude Thornhill Orchestra ; Maxine Sullivan Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band composer  
Columbia 6239 12-in. approximately 1912 Fire, fire, my heart Henry Coward ; Sheffield & Leeds United Choir Chorus, with piano composer  
Gramophone 0EA2911 10-in. 3/9/1936 Sumer is icumen in Thomas Bertie Lawrence ; London Madrigal Singers Vocal ensemble (unaccompanied) composer  
Gramophone 0EA2913 10-in. 3/9/1936 My bonnie lass she smileth Thomas Bertie Lawrence ; London Madrigal Singers Vocal ensemble (unaccompanied) composer  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Morley, Thomas," accessed November 25, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/102442.

Morley, Thomas. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 25, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/102442.

"Morley, Thomas." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 25 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/102442

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