Thomas Weelkes
(c1576 -- 1623)

 Thomas Weelkes, whose professional career spanned one of 
the most fertile periods in England's musical history, is without 
doubt one of her finest composers. Like Purcell, he had a vivid 
imagination and love of experiment, and died prematurely at the 
peak of his creative powers (of an "apoplectic fit", in other words, 
he drank himself to death), but not before he had composed 
a very large amount of music. Nowhere are Weelkes' outstanding 
musical abilities more evident than in his four sets of madrigals, 
which appeared between 1597 and 1608, and his splendidly 
sonorous full anthems. The English madrigal school reached 
its peak with Weelkes, the most original madrigalist, and John 
Wilbye, the most polished; while both were deeply indebted to 
Thomas Morley, both surpassed him.


Weelkes is certainly the most paradoxical figure among the English 
madrigalists and one of the most interesting and talented English 
composers of his time.


excerpted from:
(http://www.hoasm.org/IVM/Englandthru1635.html)
My thanks to Chris Whent for his outstanding site and pages 
of information which I absolutely recommend to the reader, 
as well as for his radio programme, likewise recommended.