Gustav Leonhardt - Byrd: Harpsichord Music '2005

Tracks list

Tracklist

01. Pavan, BK 16a
02. Galliard, BK 16b
03. Clarifica me, Pater (III), BK 49
04. Qui passe for my Lady Nevell, BK 19
05. Alman, BK 89
06. Pavan, BK 14a
07. Galliard, BK 14b
08. La Volta, BK 91
09. Pavan, BK 23a
10. Galliard, BK 23b
11. Ut re mi fa sol la, BK 64
12. Ground, BK 43
13. Rowland, or Lord Willoughby’s Welcome Home, BK 7
14. Fantasia, BK 13



Byrd’s heyday precisely coincided with the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
She came to the throne on the death of Mary Tudor, in 1558; Byrd was then not
yet twenty. And her long reign ended forty-five years later, in 1603. Byrd was
thus the Elizabethan composer par excellence, occupying the same role as his
younger contemporary Shakespeare played in the theatre. Though he spent his
whole life in the service of the Anglican Church, Byrd was born and remained a
Roman Catholic. His prestige must have been considerable, for the Queen
continued to protect him and he was never harassed during the religious disputes
that shook the country. When he became organist of Lincoln Cathedral in 1563,
barely into his twenties, his professional qualities were recognized by a salary
considerably higher than was customary. Byrd very quickly established himself as
an outstanding personality, thanks to his performing skill on keyboard
instruments, his burgeoning reputation as a composer and his charisma with both
colleagues and pupils. Many of these pieces are derived from dance steps. Among
them are the pavans, followed by their galliards, a genre that flourished
throughout the Renaissance.

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