This Sweet and Merry Month of May

William Byrd
(1543 - 1623)
      
SUPERIUS
Soprano 1     
   
          
This sweet and mer - ry, mer - ry month, and mer - ry, mer - ry month of May,and mer - ry month of


     
SEXTUS
Soprano 2                
This sweet and mer - ry, mer - ry month, and mer - ry,mer - ry month of May, and

MEDIUS
Alto      
  
    
This sweet and mer - ry,mer - ry

CONTRATENOR
Tenor        

             
TENOR
Baritone 
And mer - ry,mer - ry month, and

      
 
BASSUS
Bass


6
   
S1               
May, of May, While Na - ture wan - tons in her prime, wan-

     
S2                

mer - ry month of May, of May, While Na - ture wan - tons,wan - tons

A.        
  
        
  
month, and mer - ry,mer - ry monthof May,
   
While Na - ture wan - tons. wan - tons in her prime, while Na -ture wan -

                   
T.



While Na - ture wan - tons, wan - tons in her prime, wan - tons in her prime,

                
Bar.    
mer - ry,mer - ry month of May, While Na - ture wan - tons, wan - tons in her

B.

                     
Wile Na - ture wan - tons,wan - tons in her prime,while Na - ture wan - tons,

13
 
                  

S1

- tons in her prime, And birds do sing, and birds do

S2                  
in her prime, in her prime, And birds do sing, and

           
    
A.
   
tons in her prime, in her prime, And birds do sing, and birds do

    
T.             


in her prime, And birds do sing, and birds do sing,
        
Bar.
       
prime, in her prime.And birds do sing, and birds do sing,

         
B.
         
wan - tons in her prime, And birds do sing,
2


19

                     

S1 
sing, and birds do sing, and beasts do play, do play, do play,

 
S2                    
birds do sing, and beasts do play, do play, and beasts do play, do play,

A.           
  
           

sing, do sing, and beasts do play, and beasts do play, do play,and beasts do play, do play,

T.                  
     

 
and beasts do play, do play, and beasts do play, do play, and beasts do

       
Bar.
         
     
and birds do sing, and beasts do play,and beastsdo play, do play, and beasts do play,

                  
B.
   
and birds do sing, and beasts do play, do play, and beasts do play, do play,

26


         
w = w.
     
S1

and beasts do play, do play For plea - sure

 
   
S2            
do play, and beasts do play For plea - sure of the joy - ful

A.   
                 
and beasts do play, do play For plea - sure, for plea - sure of the joy - ful

T.                     
 play, do play, do

play, do play, do play For plea - sure

     

Bar.
          
do play, and beasts do play For plea - sure of the joy - ful

     
B.

                
and beasts do play, do play, do play, do play, do play For plea - sure of the joy - ful

33
        
w. = w

           

S1 
of the joy - ful time, of the joy - ful time, I choose the first for

    
                     
S2

time, of the joy - ful time, the joy - ful time, I choose the first for ho - li - day, for ho -

 
                 
  
A.

time, the joy - ful time, the joy - ful time, I choose the first for ho - li - day,

                       
T.
 
 of
  
the joy - ful time, the joy - ful time, the joy - ful time, I choose the first for ho - li - day,

   
Bar.
              
time, the joy - ful time, of the joy - ful time, I choose the first for

                  
        
B.
 
time, of the joy - ful fime, the joy - ful time, I choose the first for ho - li - day, I choose the
 3

40
     
                       

S1 
ho - li - day, for ho - li - day, for ho - li - day, And greet E - li - za, E - li - za with a rhyme,with a

S2                  
- li - day, for ho - li - day, for ho - li - day,


              
       
A.

for ho - li - day, for ho - li - day, for ho - li - day, And greet E - li -

   
                      

T.
 for ho - li - day, for ho - li - day, for ho - li - day,And greet E - li - za, E - li - za with

               
      

 
  
Bar. 
ho - li - day, for ho - li - day, for ho - li - day, And greet E - li - za, E - li - za with a

       
                 
B.
     
first for ho - li - day, for ho - li - day, for ho - li - day, And greet E - li - za, E - li - za with a
48
               
S1  
rhyme, and greet E - li - za, E - li - za with a rhyme,

    
S2                

And greet E - li - za, E - li - za with a rhyme, with a rhyme, with a rhyme, with a

                   
  

A.

za, E - li - za with a rhyme, with a rhyme, and greet E - li - za, E - li - za with a rhyme,

  
T.                     
 a rhyme, E - li - za, E - li - za, and greet E - li - za with a rhyme, with

             
Bar.

       
rhyme, and greet and greet E - li - za with a rhyme, and greet E - li - za with a rhyme,

   
             
B.
 
rhyme, with a rhyme, and greet E - li - za, E - li - za with a rhyme,
55

S1

                
 
with a rhyme, with a rhyme: O beau - te - ous Queen of se -

S2    
              
rhyme,with a rhyme, with a rhyme: O beau - te - ous Queen,

          
       
A.

with a rhyme: O beau - te - ous Queen,

  
              
 
T.
 a rhyme, with a rhyme: O beau - te - ous Queen of se - cond

     
Bar.
     
 
 
    
with a rhyme, with a rhyme: O beau - te - ous Queen of se - cond

        
B.
           
with a rhyme, with a rhyme: O beau - te - ous Queen of
4

64

             

S1

- cond Troy, Take well in worth,

S2                
O beau - te - ous Queen of se - cond Troy,

                    

A.

O beau - te - ous Queen of se - cond Troy, Take well in worth a

           
T.        
 Troy, O beau - te - ous Queen of se - cond Troy, of se - cond Troy, Take
              
Bar.
     
 
Troy, O beau - te - ous Queen of se - cond, of se - cond, of se - cond Troy, Take

            
   
B.
   
se - cond Troy, O beau - te - ous Queen of se - cond Troy, Take well in worth,

73

        
           

S1    
take well in worth a sim - ple toy, a sim - ple toy, take well in worth a

             
S2     
         
Take well in worth a sim - ple toy, a sim - ple toy, take well in worth a sim - ple toy, a sim - ple toy,

A.           
  

       
  
  
sim - ple toy, a sim - ple toy, a sim - ple toy, take well in worth a sim - ple toy, a sim - ple toy,

      
T.                     
 well in worth, take well in worth a sim - ple toy, a sim - ple toy, take well in worth a sim - ple toy,

Bar.
                        


well in worth a sim - ple toy, take well in worth a sim - ple toy, a sim - ple toy, take

                  
B.          
take well in worth a sim - ple toy, take well in worth a sim - ple toy, a sim - ple toy, a

82

S1
 
                      
sim - ple toy, a sim - ple toy, a sim - ple toy, a sim - - ple toy.

S2                       
take well in worth a sim - ple toy, a sim - ple toy, a sim - ple toy.

   
            
      
A.

take well in worth a sim - ple toy, a sim - ple toy, a siim - ple toy, a sim - ple toy.

    
T.      
        
 take well in worth a sim - ple toy, a sim - ple toy, a sim - ple toy.

      
                  
Bar.

well in worth a sim - ple toy, take well in worth a sim - ple toy, a sim ple toy, a sim - ple toy.

      
B.
        
       
sim - ple toy, a sim - ple toy, take well in worth a sim - ple toy, a sim - ple toy.