Faced with many hundreds of possible candidates for inclusion in The Oxford Book of English Madrigals, the editor worked on the principle that the major composers would each be represented by several madrigals, and the lesser figures by one or more. But no madrigal would be included, for the sake of completeness, if it fell below the outstandingly high level set by the collection as a whole. All have been newly edited from the original sources.

Table of Contents

Those Sweet Delightful Lilies; All Creature Now; Weep, O Mine Eyes; Lullaby, My Sweet Little Baby; This Sweet and Merry Month of May; Though Amaryllis Dance; Come, Gentle Swains; Poor is the Life; Quick, Quick, Away, Dispatch!; No Haste But Good!; Fair Nymphs, I Heard One Telling; Fair Phyllis I Saw; Consture My Meaning; Ah, Dear Heart; Dainty Fine Bird; O That the Learned Poets; The Silver Swan; Trust Not Too Much, Fair Youth; What is our Life?; Come Away, Sweet Love; See What a Maze of Error; April is in my Mistress' Face; Fyer, Fyer!; Hard by a Crystal Fountain; I Love, Alas, I Love Thee; Leave, Alas, This Tormenting; My Bonny Lass She Smileth; Now is the Month of Maying; Sing We and Chant It; Though Philomela Lost Her Love; Whither Away So Fast?; Sleep, Fleshly Birth; Adieu, Ye City-Prisoning Towers; Music Divine; O Yes! Has any Found a Lad?; See, See the Shepherds' Queen; Too Much I Once Lamented; Mother, I Will Have a Husband; Sweet Suffolk Owl; Come, Sable Night; As Vesta Was; Come, Sirrah Jack, Ho!; Hark, All Ye Lovely Saints; O Care, Thou Wilt Despatch Me; Hence, Care, Thou Art Too Cruel; Since Robin Hood; Sing We At Pleasure; Strike It Up, Tabor; Thule the Period of Cosmography; The Andalusian Merchant; Thus Sings My Dearest Jewel; Adieu Sweet Amaryllis; Draw On, Sweet Night; Flora Gave Me Fairest Flowers; Lady, When I Behold; O What Shall I Do?; Sweet Honey-Sucking Bees; Yet, Sweet, Take Heed; Weep, Weep, Mine Eyes