Madrigals are vocal compositions and can be traced back to 13th Century Italy. During the latter part of the 16th Century, Nicholas Yonge of St.Paul's Cathedral in London published a collection of Italian Madrigals and translated the words into English. Thomas Morley, organist of St. Pauls, and around the same time as Nicholas Yonge, wrote many of the finest madrigals of this, the greatest madrigal period. It was a very rich period of English musical composition, made so by such illustrious names as Byrd, Gibbons, Tallis and Weelkes. Madrigal societies are still activeand date from 1741 when the first was formed in the City of London. Ame rica also has participated in the revival of singing madrigals and has activated madrigal singing in universities and high schools.
