Go ye, my Canzonets

Thomas Morley's Go ye, my Canzonets is a secular part-song from the Renaissance, written for two sopranos and two tenors. The text, presented in English, addresses the singer's beloved with lyrical longing. The 'canzonets' are small songs themselves, sent as messengers to convey the singer's sentiments. The composer urges his listeners to imagine these musical messages pleading with the beloved to acknowledge the singer's heartfelt laments and to bestow upon the messengers a crown of celestial rays, thus immortalising them through her favour. This intimate and charming piece would be well suited to a light-hearted occasion or a programme of English Renaissance music.