William Byrd (1540(?)-1623)
Composer
English composer of the Tudor era. Despite his conversion to Roman Catholicism at a time of great religious uncertainty in England, he was able to forge a successful career in the service of monarchs both Catholic and Protestant. This is due in no small part to his musical adaptability - he was able to tailor his compositional style to the changing demands of the religious authorities of his turbulent times, with the result that his output contains both austere, homophonic English-language works such as the Protestants favoured, and the more ornate, Latin polyphony that was preferred by some of the Catholic rulers. Through it all, though, runs a recognisable individual voice that seems strengthened, rather than weakened, by the various upheavals he lived through.
Browse: Byrd
Further Reading: Byrd
Favourites, William Byrd & Thomas Tallis
A Tudor double-whammy - David listens to recordings of William Byrd and Thomas Tallis.
Popular Works: Byrd
- Ave verum Corpus (77)
- Cantiones Sacrae I (14)
- Christe qui Lux (13)
- Civitas Sancti Tui (18)
- Come to me, grief, for ever (11)
- Fantasia (20)
- Galliard (12)
- Haec dies a 6 (Cantiones Sacrae 1591) (28)
- Hughe Ashton's Ground (11)
- Infelix ego (11)
- John come kiss me now (10)
- Justorum animae (12)
- La Volta (12)
- Laetentur coeli (17)
- Laudibus in sanctis (22)
- Lullaby, my sweet little baby (31)
- Mass for five voices (35)
- Mass for four voices (46)
- Mass for three voices (15)
- Miserere mei (17)
- Ne irascaris Domine (20)
- O Lord, make thy servant Elizabeth (28)
- O Lux beata Trinitas (14)
- O magnum mysterium (16)
- Pavan (17)
- Pavana "The Earle of Salisbury" (14)
- Prevent Us, O Lord (10)
- Quomodo cantabimus (10)
- Sellinger's Round (18)
- Senex puerum portabat a 5 (Gradualia 1605) (11)
- Sing joyfully (31)
- Teach me, O Lord (13)
- The Bells (21)
- The Carman's Whistle (15)
- The Great Service (11)
- The Queen's Alman (20)
- Though Amaryllis dance in green (13)
- Ut re mi fa sol la (11)
- Vigilate (from Cantiones sacrae 1589) (30)
- Ye sacred muses - an elegy for Thomas Tallis (17)
