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Welcome to Harmonia . . . I’m Angela Mariani. This hour, we’ll celebrate the life and music of William Byrd 400 years after his death. Writing for the Chapel Royal of the Anglican Church, Byrd was Catholic in a time and place where it was easier to be Protestant-and his Catholic activism did not go unnoticed. A favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, Byrd survived when others did not. Later, our featured release is George Frideric Handel: Coronation Anthems. Justin Doyle leads Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and RIAS-Kammerchor Berlin in ceremonial English music from their 2023 Harmonia Mundi release.
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MUSIC TRACK
Michael Nyman: No Time in Eternity
Ensemble Céladon, Paulin Bündgen
Aeon 2017 / AECD1757
Nathaniel Patrick
Tr. 12 Send forth thy sighs (2:13)
MUSIC TRACK
Delight in Musicke
Seldom Sene (recorder quintet) / Klaartje van Veldhoven, soprano
Brilliant Classics 2018 / Naxos BC95654
Nathaniel Patrick
Tr. 10 Climb Not Too High (2:40)
“Send forth thy sighs” performed by Ensemble Celadon and “Climb not too high” performed by Soprano Klaartje van Veldhoven and recorder quintet Seldom Sene. Two pieces by Nathaniel Patrick, a contemporary of William Byrd.
English composer William Byrd was born around 1539 into an upper class, musical family. In his youth, Byrd studied with Thomas Tallis, and he took his first professional position at Lincoln Cathedral as master of choristers and organist in 1563.
When William Byrd left Lincoln Cathedral for [a job at the Chapel Royal in] London [in 1572], he still drew an income from the Lincoln position. Byrd’s business savvy served him well, particularly as a Catholic in a time and place of significant political and spiritual conflict when Protestantism took reign.
Byrd’s many compositions for Lincoln Cathedral included some “In Nomine” settings. This a type of instrumental fantasia based on the phrase “In nomine” from the plainchant tune “Gloria tibi Trinitas.” It is often performed on viols, violin band, or recorders. We’ll hear two “In Nomine” pieces by William Byrd performed on recorders. Here are “In Nomine [for] 5 No. 5” and “In Nomine, ‘Seldome sene’.”
MUSIC TRACK
Delight in Musicke
Seldom Sene (recorder quintet)
Brilliant Classics 2018 / Naxos BC95654
William Byrd
Tr. 19 In Nomine a 5 No. 5 (2:32)
Tr. 21 In Nomine, “Seldom sene” (1:57)
Two settings of “In Nomine” by Elizabethan composer William Byrd, the second of which is called “In Nomine Seldom Sene,” which I’m guessing was the inspiration for the name of the ensemble, the Dutch recorder quintet Seldom Sene.
Byrd was close colleagues with Thomas Tallis for much of his life. Tallis’s high-profile career included working for four British monarchs: Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. Let’s hear “Let God arise in Majesty” by Thomas Tallis.
MUSIC TRACK
An Immortal Legacy
The Sixteen / Dir. Harry Christophers
Coro 2013 / Naxos COR16111
Thomas Tallis
Tr. 2 9 Psalm Tunes for Arch Bishop Parker’s Psalter: Let God arise in majesty (0:53)
“Let God arise in majesty,” from “9 Psalm Tunes for Arch Bishop Parker’s Psalter” by English composer Thomas Tallis. Harry Christophers directed The Sixteen.
Together with Tallis, Byrd secured an enviable professional feat: Queen Elizabeth granted the two composers special printing rights for over a decade. Byrd and Tallis alone were able to sell printed staff paper and part-music in England. The two published Cantiones sacrae in 1575. Even with the Queen’s backing, however, this publication was a bit of a commercial flop. We’ll hear: “Sermone blando angelus …” by Thomas Tallis from Cantiones sacrae.
MUSIC TRACK
Thomas Tallis & William Byrd: Cantiones Sacrae (1575)
Alamire / Dir. David Skinner
Obsidian 2011 / Naxos OBSID-CD706
Thomas Tallis (Tr. 16)
CD 1, Tr. 16 Sermone blando angelus … [(Sermone blando) Illae dum pergunt concite] (4:55)
“Sermone blando angelus …” by Thomas Tallis from the 1575 publication Cantiones sacrae. David Skinner led Alamire vocal ensemble.
Byrd and Tallis’s monopoly lasted over a decade. Many of Byrd’s pieces from this time are wildly innovative, using the latest compositional techniques from Italy, like double imitation. While the Queen appreciated Byrd’s resemblance to great Italian masters like Alfonso Ferrabosco, Byrd’s popular appeal may have been limited for amateur musicians gathering around a table to read consort music after a long day, since his motets may have seemed a bit academic and technically difficult for that situation. Byrd and Ferrabosco knew each other well and had a sort of amicably competitive relationship; their joint attempt to write 40 settings of the compline chant Miserere mihi was to be released in 1603 under the publisher’s puffed-up title “Medulla: Musicke sucked out of the sappe of two of the most famous musitians that ever were in this land.” For some reason it was never published. Let’s hear “Pavane for 5 in C Major” by Alfonso Ferrabosco.
MUSIC TRACK
Phantasm: Four Temperaments
Phantasm (viol consort)
Linn Records 2014 / Naxos BKD487
Alfonso Ferrabosco (I)
Tr. 7 Pavane a 5 in C Major (2:06)
Phantasm viol consort performed music by Alfonso Ferrabosco: “Pavane a 5 in C Major.
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Early music can mean a lot of things. What does it mean to you? Let us know your thoughts and ideas. Contact us at harmonia early music dot org, where you’ll also find playlists and an archive of past shows.
You’re listening to Harmonia . . . I’m Angela Mariani.
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(1:00) Mid Break Music Bed:
Phantasm: Four Temperaments
Phantasm (viol consort)
Linn Records 2014 / Naxos BKD487
Alfonso Ferrabosco (I)
Excerpt of Tr. 20 Pavane and Galliard a 6: Galliard (excerpt of 1:29)
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Welcome back, we’re celebrating the life of English Renaissance composer William Byrd this hour.
In the 1570s and 80s, fierce enforcement of recusancy laws began in England. These laws punished English subjects who refused to attend Church of England services. While the still-new church had many followers, the devout as well as the reluctant, Catholicism was still strong in England, and many prominent English either hid their faith to avoid persecution or escaped harm due to their connections. Byrd protested the recusancy laws in his compositions, and many works from this time include last words from well-known martyrs.
Let’s hear “Deus venerunt gentes.” The Psalm text laments deaths of the faithful, saying [quote] “They have placed the dead bodies of your servants as food for the birds of the sky, the flesh of your saints for the beasts of the earth.” In writing this piece, Byrd was likely referring to Edmund Campion, a Jesuit leader who was executed in 1581.
MUSIC TRACK
Spem in alium: Music for Monarchs and Magnates
The Sixteen / Dir. Harry Christophers
Coro 2003 / Naxos CORSACD16016
William Byrd
Tr. 3 Deus venerunt gentes (13:25)
Harry Christophers directed The Sixteen in “Deus venerunt gentes” by William Byrd.
Although Byrd was eventually excommunicated, many of his pro-Catholic works survive. Some pieces use biblical martyrs as parallels for contemporary Catholic leaders, including Robert Southwell and Henry Garnet, Jesuits with whom Byrd met in secret. His piece Circumspice Hierusalem, which celebrates sons returning from the East, may have been written for Southwell and Garnet. Despite these challenges to his faith, Byrd remained a favorite artist of Queen Elizabeth, and was therefore kept from any physical harm.
MUSIC TRACK
The Byrd Edition (vol 3) [Early Latin Church Music: Propers for Epiphany]
The Cardinall's Musick / Dir. Andrew Carwood
Universal Classics 2015 / Naxos 00743625017922
William Byrd
Tr. 2 Circumspice, Hierusalem (4:11)
“Circumspice, Hierusalem” by William Byrd. The Cardinall’s Musick was led by Andrew Carwood.
For our featured release, we remain in Great Britain, and even closer to the crown, with a recording by Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin of “Coronation Anthems.” Such anthems have been used to mark the ascension of a new monarch in the British Isles for over a thousand years. The ceremony garnered special attention in 1660 at the end of Cromwell’s English Commonwealth period at the ascension of Charles II. Charles was a major supporter of the arts, and employed 24 violinists similar to those at much richer courts, like Louis XIV’s in France. He also employed a wind band, His Majesty’s Sackbuts and Cornetts, as well as 17 trumpeters, many choirs, musicians, and other artists.
Let’s hear music for the coronation of a monarch a few decades later, George II. Here is William Croft’s “Now I know that the Lord saveth his anointed” from his coronation work The Lord is a sun and a shield.”
MUSIC TRACK
George Frideric Handel: Coronation Anthems
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin / RIAS-Kammerchor Berlin / Dir. Justin Doyle
Harmonia Mundi 2023 / HMM902708_Akademie_fuer_Alte_Musik_Berlin
William Croft
Tr. 6 The Lord is a sun and a shield: Now I know that the Lord saveth his anointed (2:13)
That was “Now I know that the Lord saveth his anointed” from The Lord is a Sun and a Shield by English composer William Croft. Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and RIAS-Kammerchor Berlin were led by Justin Doyle in our featured release, George Frideric Handel: Coronation Anthems.
Handel’s coronation anthems for George II are some of the most famous works for any coronation. His anthem “Zadok the priest” was so well received that it’s been used at every English coronation since 1727. The anticipatory orchestral introduction to the text is nearly a minute and a half long—the long, suspenseful buildup releases powerful joy when the choir enters with a biblical account of Solomon’s ascension:
“Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet
Anointed Solomon King;
And all the people rejoiced and said:
‘God save the King! Long live the King!
May the King live for ever! Amen! Alleluia!’”
MUSIC TRACK
George Frideric Handel: Coronation Anthems
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin / RIAS-Kammerchor Berlin / Dir. Justin Doyle
Harmonia Mundi 2023 / HMM902708_Akademie_fuer_Alte_Musik_Berlin
George Frideric Handel
Tr. 11 Coronation Anthem: Zadok the Priest (HWV 258) (5:31)
Handel’s coronation anthem, “Zadok the Priest” featuring Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and RIAS-Kammerchor Berlin.
We’ll conclude with a Chaconne, not written specifically for a coronation, but included in the Coronation Anthems CD. The Chaconne in G major for strings was composed by John Blow, who was appointed to the prestigious post of organist at Westminster Abbey when he was still a teenager, and was associated with the court of James II.
MUSIC TRACK
George Frideric Handel: Coronation Anthems
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin / Dir. Justin Doyle
Harmonia Mundi 2023 / HMM902708_Akademie_fuer_Alte_Musik_Berlin
John Blow
Tr. 10 Chaconne in G Major (5:09)
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin were led by Justin Doyle in that recording of John Blow’s chaconne in G Major, from our featured CD, the 2023 Harmonia Mundi release George Frideric Handel: Coronation Anthems.
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Harmonia is a production of WFIU and part of the educational mission of Indiana University.
Support comes from Early Music America: a national organization that advocates and supports the historical performance of music of the past, the community of artists who create it, and the listeners whose lives are enriched by it. On the web at EarlyMusicAmerica-dot-org.
Additional resources come from the William and Gayle Cook Music Library at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
We welcome your thoughts about any part of this program, or about early music in general. Contact us at harmonia early music dot org. You can follow us on Facebook by searching for Harmonia Early Music.
The writer for this edition of Harmonia was Sarah Schilling.
Thanks to our studio engineer Michael Paskash, and our production team: LuAnn Johnson, Aaron Cain, and John Bailey. I’m Angela Mariani, inviting you to join us again for the next edition of Harmonia.
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Theme Music Bed: Ensemble Alcatraz, Danse Royale, Elektra Nonesuch 79240-2 / B000005J0B, T.12: La Prime Estampie Royal
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