Shakespeare may be the most quotable man in history, but is he the most musical? A group of England-based, Renaissance-style musicians seem to think so. Released on the anniversary of Shakespeare's birthday, a cluster of the genius' sonnets have been reworked into modern-pop songs on "Shakespeare: The Sonnets."
Five songs from the album, released today in conjunction with the 2012 cultural Olympiaad, were uploaded to Soundcloud as a preview. The converted sonnets include Sonnet 18 ("Shall I Compare Thee to a Summers Day") and Sonnet 137 ("Blind Fool Love"). Robert Hollingworth, the musical director of the album, said in an interview with Sky.com that Shakespeare's sonnets translate well into lyrics for pop songs.
"The lyrics are so perfect, so beautiful, they say what we all feel about love then and now" Hollingworth said.
The music was composed on instruments that were present at the time the sonnets were written. All of the Elizabethen instruments, like the theorbo, are also played in the style originally intended.
Listen below for a five-song preview of "Shakespeare: The Sonnets":
Watch below for a video on "Shakespeare: The Sonnets" from The Telegraph: