William Byrd (c. 1540-1623)
Musical period: Late Renaissance/Early Baroque
Style: sacred and secular polyphony, instrumental – Although he lived into the Baroque period, he continued to compose in the Renaissance style.
Fun Facts: Byrd studied under Thomas Tallis, and together they had a monopoly on the music printing business starting in 1575.
Byrd was a prolific composer and, like the other composers of the Tudor era, composed for both catholic and protestant services. Although he was a Catholic, Byrd remained quite popular with Queen Elizabeth I and he wrote many wonderful English anthems. He also branched out from sacred music to compose quite a few secular pieces and instrumental consort dance music.
Like his contemporary Orlando Gibbons, Byrd composed for keyboard, adding a substantial number of beautifully crafted pieces to this relatively new genre of music.
For your listening pleasure: Here is one of his sacred latin works, Tristitia et Anxietas.
Score: http://www2.cpdl.org/wiki/images/1/11/BYRD-TR3.pdf
English translation:
Sadness and anxiety have overtaken my inmost being. My heart is made sorrowful in mourning, my eyes are become dim. Woe is me, for I have sinned. But thou, O Lord, who dost not forsake those whose hope is in thee, comfort and help me for thy holy name’s sake, and have mercy on me.
