Born in London at the end of 1539 or early 1540, William Byrd was the foremost composer of the Elizabethan age and among the three or four English composers since the Renaissance who have stood unequivocally as equals with their continental contemporaries. A master of keyboard music and the madrigal as well as Latin and English church music, he was an organist and member of the sovereign's private religious establishment, the Chapel Royal. Yet he remained throughout his life a dedicated Roman Catholic who was persecuted as a recusant and who upheld through his art the old faith.
The Canadian Psalter contains only this Byrd single chant.
http://www.stainer.co.uk/byrd.html
The following links should let you hear the Byrd chant, played by the computer on a synthesised organ.
It will play twice, and clicking on the link again will cause it to repeat.
You might need to click Refresh on your browser, or press F5 before playing, as the chant files change regularly.
| Soprano | Alto | Tenor | Bass | |
| Hear the part | Soprano only | Alto only | Tenor only | Bass only |
| Karaoke | No Soprano | No Alto | No Tenor | No Bass |
Go back to Psalm of the Week.
J. Malton
January, 2003