Glee (music) - History

History

The first song to be described as a glee was Turn, Amaryllis, to thy Swain by Thomas Brewer. Glees were occasionally produced during the remainder of the 17th century and increasingly so in the first half of the 18th century by such composers as John Travers and William Hayes. The heyday of the glee was in the years between 1750 and 1850. Perhaps inspired by a revival of the English madrigal (and other early music) by the Academy of Vocal (later Ancient) Music (founded 1726), English composers, unlike their continental contemporaries, began again to compose a cappella music. At first the predominant stylistic influence was Italianate, but later glee composers juxtaposed sections in the French Overture style and style galant with affetuoso 3/4 movements and sections of robust Handelian fugal writing. Glees were also often introduced into stage productions. As the 19th century progressed, and musical tastes changed, the glee as a musical form began to be replaced by the romantic Part song. By the mid-twentieth century, the glee had become a musical curiosity, seldom performed. However professional singing groups have, during the early 21st century, performed glees on CD and in the concert hall with some success.