Career

Wilbye received the support of the Cornwallis family, who lived at Brome Hall.

Wilbye worked at Hengrave Hall, near Bury St Edmunds, for many years. He was hired in the 1590s by Elizabeth Kitson, who was married to the owner of Hengrave Hall, Sir Thomas Kitson (or Kytson). The Kitson family also had a long connection with Edward Johnson, a composer who was more than twenty years older than Wilbye. Johnson began working at Hengrave Hall in the 1570s.

In addition to working in Suffolk, Wilbye was involved in London’s music community. The Kitson family owned a town house in London, first in Austin Friars and later in Clerkenwell starting around 1601. Wilbye’s first book of madrigals was published in London in 1598. The book contained 30 madrigals, which were described as “newly composed.” The publication was dedicated to Sir Charles Cavendish, whose first wife had been a Kitson.

Wilbye stayed in contact with his printer, Thomas East. In 1600, Wilbye and Edward Johnson helped proofread the first edition of Dowland’s Second Book of Songs for East. This work was completed while Dowland was away from England. East died in 1608, and the following year, Wilbye’s second book of madrigals was printed by East’s nephew, Thomas Snodham. Snodham had trained under his uncle as an apprentice.

Compositions

Hengrave was a household that refused to attend church services, but few religious songs by Wilbye remain today. Even fewer keyboard compositions survive, with only one piece found in a book called Virginal Book by Clement Matchett. Wilbye’s main focus was writing madrigals, which are a type of vocal music. A collection of his madrigals was published in 1598, and another in 1608. These two sets together include sixty-four pieces.

Wilbye is likely the most famous English madrigalist. His music has been widely admired for many years and is often included in modern music collections. Some of his well-known madrigals are "Weep, weep mine eyes," "Weep, O mine eyes," and "Draw on, sweet night." He also wrote a poem titled "Love not me for comely grace." His musical style is known for soft and detailed singing parts, careful attention to the words of the songs, and the use of a technique called "false relations," which involves combining major and minor musical scales in a way that creates a unique sound.

Personal life

Wilbye never married. In 1628, after Lady Kitson died, all the furnishings, books, and musical instruments at Hengrave Hall were given by her will to the new owners of the house. First, they went to her daughter, Mary Darcy, and later to her granddaughter, Penelope. However, Wilbye left Hengrave and lived a retired life at Mary Darcy's home in Colchester, where he died. He is buried in the graveyard of Holy Trinity Church, located in the center of Colchester town.