I love and have my love regarded

Thomas Weelkes was a leading English composer of madrigals in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. This secular work, for SSATB and SSTTB voices, exemplifies the genre with its lighthearted and amorous text. The lyrics express the joy of requited love, delight in kisses, and an enduring commitment to a sweetheart, all set with playful refrains of 'Fa la la la'. The music would have been designed to charm and entertain, reflecting the typical sentiments and musical style of English madrigal part-music. The composer's skill in setting words to music is evident in the way the notes joyfully convey the singer's happy state of mind, contrasting with the woes of others.