BENNET, JOHN  BIOGRAPHY

The exact dates of the birth and death of the English madrigal composer John Bennet are unknown, although his first collection of madrigals was published in 1599. The English madrigal, derived from earlier Italian models, is a significant element in the vocal music of the later 16th century, the age of Queen Elizabeth I.

Vocal Music

Bennet's most popular madrigals are Weep, o mine eyes, apparently based on John Dowland's famous Flow, my teares, one of the most internationally famous of all songs of the period, and All creatures now, part of the collection of madrigals by a number of composers in praise of Queen Elizabeth I, under the guise of Oriana, Queen of the Shepherds.