He was an English composer who was known to write sacred music and madrigals which made him a member of the English Madrigal School that was most prominent during the period 1588 to 1627, after the singer and publisher Nicholas Yonge had published his book of Italian madrigals translated to English, Musica transalpina.
There are only a brief amount of records found about his life, but it is known that he moved to the Bury St. Edmonds area in the late 1500s and tutored some or all of the landowner and magistrate Sir Robert Jermyn’s five daughters at their home in Rushbrooke Hall.
He met and married Anne Saxye in 1598 and moved to Bury St. Edmunds, which wasn’t far from Rushbrooke Hall. His wife died in 1628 and around that time it is known that he worked in Bury St. Edmunds as a churchwarden at St. Mary’s Church, remaining there until his death.
As a composer he had met the more well known madrigalist John Wilbye, who had worked locally and was possibly an influence on the style of some of his work. He wrote and arranged music for Thomas Este for his psalter The Whole Book of Psalmes that was published in 1592. His work on one of the hymns was his arrangement of the piece “Winchester Old” which had been previously arranged by the composer Christopher Tye and the lyrics were added by the poet laureate Nahum Tate. This hymn, originally called “How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place” with lyrics by John Hopkins was what would become the popular Christmas carol “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks“. His madrigals were also published independently in 1597 and by Thomas Este in 1601 in The Triumphs of Oriana.
His works have been recorded by ensembles such as The King’s Singers, Pro Cantione Antiqua and the Purcell Consort of Voices among others.
King’s College Choir, Cambridge recordings
While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks (Nahum Tate/Christopher Tye/George Kirbye)
London 444 848 (CD: Noel – Christmas at Kings)
Conductor – Sir David Willcocks
Sources:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Kirbye
- http://www.hoasm.org/IVM/Kirbye.html
- http://www.kirbyevoices.org.uk/georgekirbye.php
- https://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/How_pleasant_is_thy_dwelling_place_(George_Kirbye)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Madrigal_School
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Jermyn_(1539%E2%80%931614)