Cloris, whenas I woo

Thomas Tomkins’s Cloris, whenas I woo is a delightful madrigal for SSATB voices, setting a playful English text. The poet imagines a suitor trying to woo the unresponsive Cloris. He questions her repeated refusals, suggesting that if she insists on acting like a maid, she should say ‘No’ and perhaps not refuse him entirely. Tomkins’s music captures the witty rhetorical questions and the lighthearted teasing of the text, with imitative passages and moments of gentle dissonance. This secular part-song, typical of the English madrigal tradition, offers a charming and engaging musical setting for choirs looking for Renaissance repertoire with a touch of humour.