Clear wells spring not

Thomas Weelkes was a notable composer of the English madrigal tradition. This example for three voices, SST, sets a poignant English text that laments the loss of joy and love. The lyrics describe a world where natural beauty and communal pleasures have vanished, leaving only sorrow and isolation. The composer vividly portrays this desolation through his music, depicting a scene where wells run dry, birds fall silent, and even the sounds of bells ring hollow. The final lines express the deepest despair as the singer, Coridon, resigns himself to a life of loneliness, his love lost and his happiness extinguished.