William Byrd (jan 1, 1540 – jan 1, 1623)
Description:
an English composer of the Renaissance. He wrote in many of the forms current in England at the time, including various types of sacred and secular polyphony, keyboard (the so-called Virginalist school), and consort music. Although he produced sacred music for Anglican services, sometime during the 1570s he became a Roman Catholic and wrote Catholic sacred music later in his life.The Recusant William Byrd
1. Byrd’s music is more personal than that of his English predecessors.
2. He wrote well in every genre.
3. England alternated between Catholic and Protestant during his lifetime,
but Byrd remained Catholic.
As Byrd was in essence a Catholic composer, the transition of England to Protestantism in the 16th century dealt a severe blow to his career since the Mass was no longer a compositional vehicle.
The Peak (and Limit) of Stylistic Refinement
1. Byrd represents an end of the ars perfecta as a living style: In the next period it is called stile antico.
2. Historical conditions outside music are part of the reason for this change.
3. Furthermore, how composers saw the relationship between music and text changes drastically around 1600.
Added to timeline:
Date:
jan 1, 1540
jan 1, 1623
~ 83 years