Penshurst and Beyond.

This article is a special issue of the Sidney Journal that features articles inspired by a conference held at Penshurst Place. The conference aimed to explore the connections and collaborations between members of the Sidney family and the wider literary and cultural contexts in Britain and Europe. The articles cover various topics, including the contexts of Sir Philip Sidney's poetry, Mary Sidney's writing and its connection to textiles, Nicholas Breton's poetic reworking of Mary Sidney Herbert, scribal interventions in manuscripts, and new geographical and architectural contexts for the Sidney-Herbert writings. The article also briefly mentions the musical contexts that inform the Sidney-Herbert writings and performances, specifically discussing the music used in the 2022 production of "Love's Victory" by Lady Mary Wroth. The production incorporated music from composers such as William Brade, Robert Johnson, John Dowland, and Martin Peerson, among others, aiming to find tunes that fit the lyrics and the mood of the play. The production concluded with an unscripted song set to the tune "Durant's Masque," symbolically marking a move beyond Penshurst, the setting of the play. [Extracted from the article]