Celebrating the 400th anniversary of composer William Byrd

Essex has a long and rich musical history, with the county known for its classical music. Here we celebrate the 400th anniversary of composer William Byrd.

Born in 1540 William Byrd was an English Renaissance composer. Considered to be one of the greatest of his time - due to the influence he had on composers in England and Europe - William died in 1623 in Stondon Massey, a village he had lived in for over 25 years.

As a non-conformist (or recusant) Catholic - Byrd adhered to the Roman Catholic faith after the English Reformation - he refused to attend Church of England services. It was while living in Stondon Massey that he composed two books of illegal Latin religious music known as the ‘Gradualia’.

The first set of the ‘Gradualia’ in 1605 was dedicated to the Earl of Northampton and the second set dated 1607 was dedicated to Byrd’s great friend and patron, Lord Petre of Writtle, who lived nearby at Ingatestone Hall.

A 1608 household inventory stated that the Petre family possessed “two sets of Mr.Byrd’s books intituled Gradualia, the first and the second set”, along with other books containing “songs” written by the composer. It is believed that Byrd would have tried out his pieces at Ingatestone Hall prior to publication.

Fortunately, two books from the household of John, 1st Baron Petre - both he and his family were recusantsfeature music by Byrd and date from around 1590. Both books are at the Essex Record Office.

While these are ‘part books’, as they only show one part of the composition, it does include Byrd’s motet, which is a short piece of sacred choral music, dating from 1589. Ne irascaris Domine, its Latin title means ‘Be not angry O Lord’, was part of Cantiones Sacrae I or Sacred Songs I.

The music portrays a dark time for English Catholics. Following the Spanish Armada in 1588, many Catholics like Byrd were persecuted for their faith. Despite this, Byrd successfully managed to navigate being a Catholic in late Elizabethan and early Stuart England.

In 1623, Byrd died at the age of 82-years-old in Stondon Massey and left a remarkable musical legacy which lives on and is still enjoyed to this day by composers, musicians and audiences alike.

To find out more about William Byrd, along with many other fascinating facts about Essex and its inhabitants both past and present, visit: www.essexrecordoffice.co.uk

To find out more visit: www.essexrecordoffice. co.uk/events