Renaissance Composer William Byrd
English Catholic musician served under Protestant royals Queen Mary, Elizabeth Tudor and Henry VIII despite his loyalty to the Latin Mass
Aug 10, 2006
Most of the composers discussed here in the Classical Music section are from the 20th-century, but today we will delve a little further back in history to the English Renaissance in order to look at William Byrd.
It is believed that William Byrd was born in 1540, though the date is uncertain; after a lengthy career, he died in 1623, having lived through the musical transition into the Baroque era. He spent his teenage years singing church music under the reign of Mary Tudor, a Catholic who encouraged lavish arrangements of the Latin mass. When Queen Mary died in 1558, her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth Tudor took the throne.
This change in religious and political authority may have been the cause for Byrd's departure from court in order to serve at the Lincoln Cathedral for a time. He continued to compose elements of the Catholic liturgy and even perform illegal worship services, ignoring the political pressure to reform church music that followed in the wake of Henry VIII's break with Rome.
Despite the strong Protestant climate, Byrd remained not only free but also continued to receive pay from the Chapel Royal, even after he quit actively composing. On the other hand, owning publications of Byrd's music was warrant for arrest in some cases.
Perhaps William Byrd's strong alligiance to Roman Catholicism explains the audible influence of predecessors such as Thomas Tallis on Byrd's sound. Instead of breaking with tradition, he expounded on it.
Suggestions for a quick introduction to the work of William Byrd: Ave Verum Corpus: Motets and Anthems. John Rutter directs the Cambridge Singers in three anthems and fifteen motets composed for various occasions ranging from penitence to rejoicing.
For further reading, check out the article on William Byrd at Wikipedia.
