William Byrd (composer)

William Byrd 1543-1623, English composer, organist at Lincoln Cathedral and, jointly with Tallis, at the Chapel Royal. Although Roman Catholic, he composed anthems and services for the English Church in addition to his great Roman masses and Latin motets. He was esteemed by his contemporaries and was favored by Queen Elizabeth I, who, in 1575, granted to Byrd and Tallis a patent for the exclusive printing and selling of music. Byrd also composed instrumental music.

Bibliography: See studies by E. H. Fellowes (2d ed. 1948), O. W. Neighbor (1978), and J. Kerman (1981).

Byrd, William (c.1543–1623). Britain's leading composer during the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods, Byrd's large output included English anthems and consort songs, Latin motets and masses, and keyboard and instrumental consort music. A pupil of Thomas Tallis, he was appointed organist and choirmaster at Lincoln cathedral in 1563. In 1570 he became a gentleman of the Chapel Royal, where he was joint organist with Tallis, with whom he was granted a royal monopoly of music printing.

Byrd, William (1543–1623), English composer. He became organist of Lincoln Cathedral in 1563; in 1570 he was sworn as a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, where he became organist with T. Tallis. He was a practising RC, but was not thereby prevented from executing his duties. Besides his three superb Masses, two books of Gradualia, and other music for the Latin rite, he set to music the Preces and Responses and Litany of the English liturgy and composed at least two complete services for Morning and Evening prayer, two other Evening Services, and a number of anthems, including ‘Sing Joyfully’.