William Byrd: Masses for 3, 4 and 5 Voices

William Byrd: Masses for 3, 4 and 5 Voices – DIAMM – Mus. 489-493 – Christ Church Library (Oxford, United Kingdom)

England β€” Ca. 1590

From a dedicated fighter for ecumenism: an incredibly popular collection of religious music that it is still sung by Catholics and Protestants today

  1. These polyphonic songs by William Byrd (ca. 1539/40–1623) continue to be popular today with Protestants and Catholics alike

  2. Their popularity today belies the chance Byrd took in creating them by defying the Act of Uniformity

  3. Combining the Catholic and Protestant liturgies earned Byrd fines and imprisonment

William Byrd: Masses for 3, 4 and 5 Voices

Facsimile Copy Available!
Price Category: €
(under 1,000€)
  1. Description
  2. Detail Picture
  3. Single Page
  4. Facsimile Editions (1)
Description
William Byrd: Masses for 3, 4 and 5 Voices

William Byrd is known as the most important composer during the time of William Shakespeare and his masses can probably be counted among the greatest examples of Latin vocal polyphony from England during the late 16th century. The Englishman took a chance with the scoring of these compositions, which no one else had had the courage to do for 30 years. Since the 1559 Act of Uniformity, the practice of the old Catholic liturgy was strictly forbidden, violation of which brought the threat of high fines and prison terms, or even death in exceptional cases. Today, the masses with their clear lines and expressive intonation of the words of both the Catholic and Protestant liturgy also enjoy great popularity today in concert programs.

William Byrd: Masses for 3, 4 and 5 Voices

William Byrd (ca. 1543–1623) took a particularly big chance with his β€œMasses for 3, 4 and 5 Voices”, because the practice of the old Catholic liturgy was forbidden since 1559 by the Act of Uniformity. As the English composer and organist published the pieces in five books ca. 1590, he had the courage to do what no English composer had dared for 30 years and thus earned fines and imprisonment. The works were each a mass composed for three to five voices, which corresponded to the typical way for recording 16th century vocal polyphony. Today, the three masses enjoy great popularity in both the Catholic and Protestant liturgies, as well as in concert programs.

Exciting History behind Creative Compositions

After his 20 years of service in the Royal Capella as the court composer for Queen Elizabeth I, Byrd decided to move to Essex in order to betake himself into the protective hands of the Catholic Petre of Writtle and his family. In their manor house, Ingatestone Hall, Catholic masses took place behind closed doors. It was for them that Byrd wrote his three pieces, which he first dared to publish as the climate grew more tolerant under James I. They are probably the greatest examples of Latin polyphonic verse in late 16th century England, which distinguish themselves through their clear lines and expressive intonation of the words.

Codicology

Alternative Titles
William Byrd: Messen fΓΌr 3, 4 und 5 Stimmen
Size / Format
144 pages (5 partbooks) / 16.0 Γ— 21.6 cm
Date
Ca. 1590
Language
Content
Partbooks for Masses
Artist / School

Available facsimile editions:
Detail Picture

William Byrd: Masses for 3, 4 and 5 Voices

Historiated β€œP” Initial

Surrounded by flowering vines, a barefooted male figure with a halo is depicted reclining and reading a book with a large carpenter’s square slung over his right shoulder. He is either Saint Thomas the Apostle, commonly known as β€œDoubting Thomas”, or Saint James the Younger, another of the Twelve Apostles. The carpenter’s square is a symbol associated with both figures, but is more commonly identified with Thomas, who is the patron saint of architects and builders.

William Byrd: Masses for 3, 4 and 5 Voices – DIAMM – Mus. 489-493 – Christ Church Library (Oxford, United Kingdom)
Single Page

William Byrd: Masses for 3, 4 and 5 Voices

Kyrie Eleison

Byrd’s Mass for Four Voices includes a Kyrie eleison, an important prayer of Christian liturgy whose name originates from the Ancient Greek ΚύριΡ, ἐλέησον or β€œLord have Mercy”. The phrase originates from the Bible: β€œhave mercy on me, Lord” appears in ten of the Psalms and is uttered three times in the Book of Matthew. It continues to be an important part of the liturgy in both Western and Eastern Christianity.

This page features two woodcuts of historiated initials: a β€œK” initial showing St. Peter holding a giant key in one hand and a tablet in the other as well as an β€œE” initial with Luke the Evangelist writing his Gospel and accompanied by his symbol, the winged bull. The top of the page is signed by 17th century academic Thomas Holbech.

William Byrd: Masses for 3, 4 and 5 Voices – DIAMM – Mus. 489-493 – Christ Church Library (Oxford, United Kingdom)
Facsimile Editions

#1 William Byrd: Masses for 3, 4 and 5 Voices

DIAMM – London, 2012

Publisher: DIAMM – London, 2012
Binding: The facsimiles come in a lightweight slipcase.
Commentary: 1 volume by John Milsom
Language: English
Facsimile Copy Available!
Price Category: €
(under 1,000€)
You might also be interested in:
Eton Choirbook – DIAMM – Ms 178 – Eton College Library (Eton, United Kingdom)
Eton Choirbook
Eton (England) – 1490–1502

The largest collection of pre-Reformation England's Latin choral tradition: a valuable music manuscript with 64 medieval compositions written at the famous Eton College

Experience More
Dow Partbooks – DIAMM – Mss 984-988 – Christ Church Library (Oxford, United Kingdom)
Dow Partbooks
Oxford (England) – Ca. 1581–1588

An important source on the music of the Tudor period: Latin motets, English doxologies, and a selection of textless chansons compiled by a gifted calligrapher

Experience More
Henry VIII Book – DIAMM – Add. MS 31922 – British Library (London, United Kingdom)
Henry VIII Book
London (England) – Ca. 1518

With personal compositions by King Henry VIII: an outstanding collection of 112 musical pieces as the most important source of secular music in medieval England

Experience More
Ferrell-VogΓΌΓ© Machaut Manuscript – DIAMM – MS Ferrell-VogΓΌΓ© – Parker Library, Corpus Christi College (Cambridge, United Kingdom)
Ferrell-VogΓΌΓ© Machaut Manuscript
Paris (France) – Ca. 1370–1372

Fabulous pieces concerning chivalry, mythology, and the power of nature richly illuminated by the Bouqueteaux Master: the most comprehensive collection of works by composer Guillaume de Machaut

Experience More
Messiah HWV 56 by George Frederick HΓ€ndel – BΓ€renreiter-Verlag – British Library (London, United Kingdom)
Messiah HWV 56 by George Frederick HΓ€ndel
London (England) – 1741–1742

The captivating original score with variations and alternative versions: Handel's most famous work and one of the most popular pieces of Western choral music, first performed in Dublin on April 13, 1742

Experience More
Winchester Troper – Stainer and Bell – MS 473 – Parker Library in the Corpus Christi College (Cambridge, United Kingdom)
Winchester Troper
England – Ca. 1020–1075

The crystallization of political change in England down to individual notes: two 11th-century musical manuscripts reflecting the transition from Anglo-Saxon to Norman rule

Experience More
Blog articles worth reading
Filter selection
Publisher