Nicholas Yonge
Nicholas Yonge (also spelled Young, Younge; c. 1560 in Lewes, Sussex – buried 23 October 1619 in St Michael, Cornhill, London) was an English singer and publisher. He is most famous for publishing the Musica transalpina (1588), a collection of Italian madrigals with their words translated into English. The first of the Elizabethan madrigal anthologies, it was enormously popular, and began a vogue for the composition and performance of madrigals in England which lasted into the first two decades of the 17th century.[1] William Heather, founder of the music chair at Oxford University, included the book in his portrait, painted c. 1627, confirming the longevity of Musica transalpina's influence and popularity.
Nicholas Yonge | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1560 Lewes, Sussex |
| Origin | England |
| Died | 23 October 1619 |
| Occupation(s) | Singer and publisher |
The collection contains 57 separate pieces by 18 composers, with Alfonso Ferrabosco the elder having the most, and Luca Marenzio second most.[2] Ferrabosco was living in England until 1578, which could explain the large number of his compositions in the book; he was relatively unknown in Italy.
In 1597, Yonge published a second book (Musica transalpina: the Second Booke of Madrigalles, ... translated out of Sundrie Italian Authors).[3] Composers such as John Wilbye and Thomas Weelkes used the pieces in both collections as models for their work.
Notes
- E. H. Fellowes, English Madrigal Verse, 1588–1632, 3rd edition rev. and enlarged by F. W. Sternfeld and D. Greer (Oxford 1967), p. 722.
- Reese, p. 821
- Reese, p. 822
References
- David Brown, "Nicholas Yonge". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed. Stanley Sadie. 20 vol. London, Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 1980. ISBN 1-56159-174-2
- Gustave Reese, Music in the Renaissance. New York, W.W. Norton & Co., 1954. ISBN 0-393-09530-4
External links
- . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.