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The original form of this work, upon which this edition is based, is for a singer plus four viol (viola da gamba) players.  Byrd later added words to each of the other parts, so that all parts could be sung, with or without viols.  In his 1611 edition of Psalms, Sonnets, and Songs, Byrd writes, “If thou delight in music of great compass, here are diverse songs, which being originally made for instruments to express the harmony and one voice to pronounce the ditty, are now framed in all parts for voices to sing the same.” 

In the later version, he identified the original voice part as “The first singing part,” and in this edition, the part is so marked (unnecessarily).  There are four stanzas in the Sir Walter Raleigh text; repeating the work would be quite proper.  Performing time is about 1:50.