(Vocal). ’Tom O’Bedlam’ is one of the best known examples of c.17th mad-song poetry. Part saga, part stream-of-consciousness, in this operatic ’ayre’ Tom recounts his descent to madness by virtue of his libidinous lifestyle and speaks of his life begging on the streets of London. The original chamber ensemble version of the work was commissioned by the University of Notre Dame’s DeBartolo Performing Arts Center in 2016, before being arranged for trio in 2020 for performance by members of the Britten Sinfonia.