Abstract
Winter nights could be long in Western Europe where our instruments developed, especially in the north, and people gathered to conserve warmth and light, sharing music, poetry, wine, and dancing. Thomas Campion's ayre "Now winter nights enlarge" captures the warmth and intimacy of such a candle-lit scene, enclosed from the blustering winds outside. Thomas Campion was an educated man who had studied classical literature at Cambridge before entering Gray's Inn to study law--though he appears to have been more interested in taking part in the masques and plays the collegians presented than in the law itself. Later, he took a degree in medicine at the University of Caen. He was best known in his day for his verse and his songs, as well as for his writings on the theory of poetry and music. He collaborated with both Rosseter and Coperario and was involved in the creation of a number of masques at court.