The first sett, of Italian madrigalls Englished, not to the sense of the originall dittie, but after the affection of the noate. By Thomas Watson Gentleman. There are also heere inserted two excellent madrigalls of Master VVilliam Byrds, composed after the Italian vaine, at the request of the sayd Thomas Watson

Abstract

Six partbooks, each with separate dated title page and register. At head of title, part 1, "Superius."; part 2, "Medius."; part 3, "Contratenor."; part 4, "Tenor"; part 5, "Sextus."; part 6, "Bassus.". At foot of titles, "Cum priuilegio Regiæ Maiestatis.". The Medius imprint reads "Imprinted at London by Thomas Este, the assigné of William Byrd. 1590". Variant: this imprint has "assigne". The words are chiefly free translations or imitations of Luca Marenzio. Signatures: [A]² B-D⁴ E² ; [A]² C⁴ C⁴ E² ; [A]² B-D⁴ E² ; [A]² B-D⁴ E² ; [A]² B⁴; [A]² B-D⁴ E² . Reproduction of the original in the Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery.