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William Byrd
Renaissance · 1540–1623
William Byrd spent his career walking a dangerous line: he was a Catholic in Protestant England, yet served Queen Elizabeth I as a member of the Chapel Royal, her personal choir. The queen granted Byrd and his older colleague Thomas Tallis a monopoly on music printing in England, and royal favor seems to have shielded him even as his household was repeatedly fined for skipping official church services.
He wrote for both worlds: English anthems for the state church, and Latin masses and shorter sacred pieces for Catholic worship held behind closed doors in country houses. Away from the choir he mattered just as much, shaping the English school of keyboard music and leaving a large body of songs and pieces for viols.
His three Latin masses, written for those secret services, are the heart of his output; the Mass for four voices is a good first listen.
290 works in the catalog, across 2 genres. Log what you listen to with Opus, the classical music journal for iPhone.
Chamber
- 3 French Corantos, for keyboard, MB21
- 5th Galliard
- 5th Pavan
- All in a garden green, MB56
- Alman
- A Voluntarie
- Barley break, MB92
- Browning
- Callino casturame, MB35
- Christ rising again
- Clarifica Me Pater, for keyboard, MB49
- Coranto, for keyboard in C major, MB45
- Echo Pavan and Galliard in G major, MB114
- Fantasia, for keyboard in G major, MB 62
- Fantasia a3
- Fantasia a3 no. 1 in C
- Fantasia a3 no. 2 in C
- Fantasia a3, MB6
- Fantasia a4 In D
- Fantasia a4 in G
- Fantasia a5 in C
- Fantasia a6 no. 1 in G minor
- Fantasia a6 no. 2 in G minor, MB63
- Fantasia a6 no. 3 in G minor
- Fantasia a6, MB81
- Fantasia in A minor, for keyboard
- Fantasia in A minor, MB13
- Fantasia in C major, MB26
- Fantasia in C major, no. 2, MB25
- Fantasia in C major, no. 3, MB27
- Fantasia in D minor, MB46
- Fantasia in G major, MB61, "Voluntary for my Lady Neville"
- Fantasia in G major, no. 2, MB62
- Fantasia in G major, no. 3, MB63
- Fantasia in G minor, MB55
- Fantasia no. 2, BE17/13
- Fantazia Mr Bird
- Fortune, MB6
- Gaillard
- Gaillard for the Victory, MB95
- Galiarda, for keyboard
- Galliard, for lute
- Galliard in C
- Galliard Jig, MB18
- Gipsies' Round, MB80
- Ground, for keyboard in C major, MB43
- Ground, for keyboard in G major, MB9
- Hugh Aston's Ground, MB20
- In nomine a4 no. 2
- In nomine a5 no. 2
- In nomine a5 no. 3
- In nomine a5 no. 4
- In nomine a5 no. 5
- In nomine a5, MB58
- Jig in A minor, MB22
- John come kiss me now, MB81
- John come kiss me now, MB81
- Lady Monteagle's Pavan in G major, MB75
- Lavolta in G minor, no. 2, MB91
- Lavolta in G minor no. 1
- Miserere a4
- Miserere no. 1, MB66
- Monsieur's Alman in G major, no. 1, MB87
- My Lady Nevell's Ground, MB57
- My Lord of Oxenford's Mask
- My Lord of Oxenford's Mask
- My Lord of Oxenford's Mask
- O mistress mine, I must, MB83
- Pavan, for keyboard
- Pavan a5 in C minor
- Pavan a5, MB29
- Pavan and 2 Galliards in A minor, MB15, "The Earl of Salisbury"
- Pavan and Gaillard, for keyboard in A minor no. 3, MB 16
- Pavan and Gaillard in C minor no. 1
- Pavan and Gaillard in C minor no. 2
- Pavan and Gaillard in C no. 1
- Pavan and Gaillard in G no. 2
- Pavan and Galliard, for keyboard, MB 4
- Pavan and Galliard, for keyboard in B flat major, MB 23
- Pavan and Galliard, no. 6
- Pavan and Galliard a6 in C major, MB75
- Pavan and Galliard in A minor no. 1
- Pavan and Galliard in C no. 2
- Pavan and Galliard in F
- Pavan and Galliard in F major, MB59, "Bray"
- Pavan and Galliard in F no. 1
- Pavan and Galliard in G
- Pavan and Galliard in G minor no. 1
- Pavan and Galliard in G minor no. 10
- Pavan and Galliard no. 3
- Pavan in A minor no. 4
- Pavan in A minor no. 4, MB17
- Pavan in G no. 6
- Pavan in G no. 7, MB75, "Lady Monteagle's Pavan"
- Pavan in G no. 8, MB76
- Praeludium, for keyboard, MB116
- Prelude
- Prelude, MB115
- Prelude and Fantasia a5, MB38
- Prelude and Ground a5, MB29
- Prelude and Voluntary
- Prelude in C major, MB24
- Prelude in G minor, MB1
- Prelude to the Fancie in A minor, MB12
- Preludium
- Preludium
- Queen's Alman, MB10
- Qui passe for my Lady Nevell, MB19
- Rowland, or Lord Willoughby's welcome home, MB7
- Sellinger's Round, MB84
- Sellinger's round, MB84
- Sermone blando
- Susanna fair
- The Barley Break, MB92
- The Battle, MB94
- The Bells of Osney, MB38
- The Carman's whistle, MB36
- The Hunt's Up, or Pescodd's Time, MB40
- The Maiden's song, MB82
- The March before the Battle, or The Earl of Oxford's March, MB93
- The Queen's Good Night
- The second ground in C major, MB42
- The Woods So Wild, MB85
- The Woods So Wild, MB85
- The woods so wild, MB85
- Tregian's Ground
- Ut mi re, MB65
- Ut re mi, for 2 harpsichords
- Ut re mi, in F major, MB58
- Ut re mi, in G major, MB64
- Verse in C major, for keyboard
- Walsingham, MB8
- Wilson's wild, or Wolsey's wilde, MB37
Vocal
- Ad Dominum cum tribularer
- Ah silly soul
- Alack, when I look back
- Alleluia, Ave Maria
- An aged dame
- Arise O Lord, why sleepest thou
- Aspice, Domine, quia facta est desolata civitas
- Aspice Domine de sede
- Attollite portas
- Ave Maria gratia plena
- Ave regina caelorum
- Ave verum corpus
- Beata viscera
- Beati mundo corde
- Blame I confess
- Blessed is he that fears the Lord
- Cantate Domino
- Christe qui lux es
- Christe qui lux es
- Christ is risen again
- Christus resurgens
- Circumspice, Hierusalem
- Civitas sancti tui
- Come to me, grief
- Come woeful Orpheus
- Constant Penelope
- Content is rich
- Cradle Song
- Crowned with flow'rs and lilies
- Da mihi auxilium
- De lamentatione Jeremiae,
- Delight is dead
- Deus venerunt gentes
- Diliges Dominum
- Domine, non sum dignus
- Domine, salva nos
- Domine, tu jurasti
- Domine praestolamur
- Domine quis habitabit
- Domine secundum actum meum
- Domine secundum multitudinem
- Earthly tree, duet for 2 sopranos
- Ecce advenit Dominator Dominus
- Ecce Virgo concipiet
- Emendemus in melius
- Exsurge Domine
- Fair Britain isle
- Farewell false love
- First Preces and Psalms
- From Virgin's Womb
- Gaudeamus omnes
- Gradualia, Book 2
- Haec dies
- Haec dies
- Have mercy upon me, O God
- He that all eathly pleasure scorns
- Hodie Christus natus est
- If in thy heart, madrigal
- In angel's weed
- Infelix ego
- In fields abroad
- In manas tuas Domine
- In resurrectione tua
- Justorum animae
- Justorum animae
- Laetentur coeli
- Laudate, pueri, Dominum
- Laudate Dominum omnes gentes
- Laudibus in sanctus
- La verginella
- Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna
- Lord, in thy wrath reprove me not
- Lullaby, my sweet little baby
- Lullaby, my sweet little baby
- Magnificat
- Mass for 3 Voices
- Mass for 4 Voices
- Mass for 5 Voices
- Memento, homo
- Miserere
- Miserere mei Deus
- Miserere mihi, Domine
- My mind to me a kingdom is
- My mistress had a little dog
- Ne irascaris Domine
- Non nobis Domine
- Non vos relinquam Orphanos
- Nunc dimittis
- Nunc dimittis servum tuam
- O admirabile commercium
- O dear life
- O God, the proud are risen
- O God that guides the cheerful sun
- O Lord, bow down
- O Lord, how long wilt thou forget?
- O Lord, how vain
- O Lord, make Thy servant Elizabeth
- O lux, beata Trinitas
- O magnum misterium
- O quam gloriosum
- O quam suavis est
- O that most rare breast
- Out of the orient crystal skies
- O you that hear this voice
- Peccantem me quotidie
- Penelope that longed for the sight
- Plorans Ploravit
- Plorans Ploravit
- Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles
- Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles
- Prevent us, O Lord
- Propers for the Mass of Easter Day
- Propers for the Mass of Pentecost
- Propers for the Mass of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Propers for the Mass of the Nativity
- Puer natus est nobis
- Quis et homo
- Quis me statim
- Quomodo cantabimus
- Reges tharsis et insulae
- Regina coeli
- Rejoice unto the Lord
- Rorate caeli desuper
- Salve Regina
- Salve Regina
- Second Preces and Psalms
- Siderum Rector
- Sing Joyfully
- Solve iubente Deo
- Terra tremuit, motet
- The Great Service, for 5-10 voices
- The man is blest
- The noble famous queen, "While Phoebus used to dwell"
- This sweet and merry month of May
- This sweet and merry month of May
- Though Amaryllis dance in green
- Though Amaryllis dance in green
- Though God that guid'st
- Timete Dominum
- Tollite portas
- Tribue Domine
- Tribulationes civitatum
- Tribulatio proxima est
- Tristitia et anxietas
- Triumph with pleasant melody voices
- Truth at the first
- Turn our captivity, O Lord
- Veni sancte Spiritus, et emite
- Vigilate
- Viri Galilaei, quid admiramini?
- Visita quaesumus Domine
- Weeping full sore
- What pleasure have great princes?
- Who likes to love
- Who made thee, Hob, forsake the plough?
- Why do I use my paper, ink and pen?
- Ye sacred Muses, "Elegy for Thomas Tallis"
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