The flowering of the Italian madrigal is one of the greatest stories of music history. Beginning modestly in the early 16th century, the movement accelerated with the revival of the poetry of Petrarch, inspiring an avalanche of poetry and music which continued unabated into the 17th century. Enthusiasm in England for this intimate, expressive form was kindled by a 1588 publication entitled Music Transalpina, containing 'Englished' madrigals by Luca Marenzio and others. We explore the music of Marenzio, its passage to England, and madrigals by English composers, including Thomas Morle, Thomas Weelkes and Peter Philips.