John Bennet
Despite John Bennet’s rather meager legacy of compositions, his inclusion with 22 other madrigalists in ‘The Triumphs of Oriana’, collected and organized by Thomas Morley for Elizabeth I in 1601, with the brilliant, “All creatures now are merry minded”, shows his standing among the leading composers of the time. His ‘Madrigalls to Fowre Voyces’ (London, 1599) is dedicated to Ralph Assheton, a family with houses in Lancashire, The dedication mentions “these first fruits of . . . a yong wit” leading many writers to place his birth around 1575. The last publication of his work is of 5 pieces in Ravenscroft ‘A Briefe Discourse’ (1614), wherein Ravenscroft speaks well of Bennett’s versatility.
All creatures now are merry minded
Well, how would you impress the Queen?
Bennet: All creatures now
Text
All creatures now are merry minded,
The shepherd’s daughters playing,
the nymphs are falalaing.
Yon bugle was well winded.
At Oriana’s presence each thing smileth.
The flow’rs themselves discover,
Birds over her do hover,
Music the time beguileth,
See where she comes,
with flow’ry garlands crowned,
Queen of all queens reknowned.
Then sang the shepherds and nymphs of Diana,
“Long live fair Oriana!”