From the Organist & Choirmaster
The choir sings many arrangements of the Eucharistic text “Ave Serum Corpus” in English “Hail, one true Body.” By far my favorite is the Renaissance composer William Byrd’s arrangement.
William Byrd was most likely born in London and was the third surviving son of Thomas Byrd and Margery, however no record of William Byrd’s birth survived. Many associate 1540 as his birth year, this date is supported by a document from October 1598 where Byrd states that he is “58 yeares or ther about.” He was born into a musical and relatively wealthy family. While there is no documentation of Byrd’s early education or early musical training, it is thought that Byrd along with his two brothers were choristers at Saint Paul’s Cathedral, though many believe Byrd was a chorister with the Chapel Royal. Confirmation that Byrd was a student of Thomas Tallis proves the Chapel Royal theory to be correct. Byrd’s most notable position was his appointment in 1563 as master of the choristers at Lincoln Cathedral where he stayed until 1572. Byrd’s salary was suspended in 1569 when the Dean and Chapter cited him for “certain matters alleged against him.” Since Puritanism was influential at Lincoln, the allegations may have been connected with too elaborate polyphony or organ playing. Another directive of the same year issues detailed instructions for Byrd to use when using the organ during the liturgy.
In 1572 when composer Robert Parsons drowned in the Trent near Newark, Byrd obtained the post of Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, the largest choir of its kind in England. The appointment was for life and came with a good salary. His appointment increased his opportunities to grow as a composer and also make contacts at the court of Queen Elizabeth I. Tallis and Byrd were granted a joint monopoly for the printing of music and ruled music paper for 21 years by the Crown in 1575. The two monopolists soon published “Cantiones quae argumento sacrae vocantur,” a collection of 34 Latin motets with 17 by Byrd and 17 by Tallis, one for each year of the Queen’s reign. The collection was a failure and Byrd and Tallis were forced to petition Queen Elizabeth I for financial help. They were granted leasehold of various lands in East Anglia and the West Country.
From the 1570s-1590s Byrd became increasingly involved with the Catholic Church. Following Pope Pius V’s papal bull “Regnans in Excelsis,” which absolved Queen Elizabeth’s subject from allegiance to her and essentially made her an outlaw, Catholicism was identified as sedition in the eyes of Tudor authorities. In 1583 Byrd got into serious trouble because of his association with Lord Thomas Paget and as a result his membership of the Chapel Royal was suspended for a time, restrictions were placed on his movements, and his house was placed on the search list. His adherence to Catholicism did not prevent him from contributing memorially to Anglican Church music. He played a role in the emergence of the new verse anthem (a style of anthem that alternates solo and choir). He composed four settings of the ordinary ranging from the simple Short Service and the aptly named “Great” Service which is grandiose with eight-part counterpoint at some sections.