Directed by W. G. Williams

Literally, a Madrigal means no more than any secular piece for two or more voices, and in its simplest form it is one of the oldest kinds of music as we know it now. In the Middle Ages the music was very closely knit with the poetry, and the literature of Madrigals is a subject which has involved many learned discussions. The composition and the singing of Madrigals nourished in England as early as the thirteenth century, reaching its flower in the Elizabethan age. Those of Byrd, Morley, Weelkes, Wilbye, Gibbons and many others are still often heard, although the happy custom of singing Madrigals when friends met together has almost vanished from modern usage. But the way in which the Madrigal made itself a real part of our national life is one small piece of musical history of which England may be justly proud.