This edition was prepared by Andrew Sims — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Flora gave me fairest flowers
Staff Notation • Secular, Madrigals
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4 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
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Flora gave me fairest flowers by John Wilbye — Lyrics
Flora gave me fairest flowers,
None so fair in Flora's treasure:
These I plac'd on Phillis' bowers,
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About Flora gave me fairest flowers
John Wilbye's Flora gave me fairest flowers is a joyous and playful SSATB madrigal for mixed voices, sung in English. The text paints a picture of abundant nature, with the singer offering the fairest flowers from Flora's garden to Phillis, who is delighted by the gift. This delights the singer in return, and the poem concludes with an invitation to all 'wantons' to come and play in the smiling meadows. Wilbye's setting captures the lighthearted and amorous spirit of the text, with delightful word-painting and intricate vocal interplay characteristic of the English madrigal tradition. It is a charming example of secular Renaissance part-music.
