Byrd: The Complete Keyboard Music

Byrd: The Complete Keyboard Music
Davitt Moroney
Hyperion CDA 66551/7 (7 CDs)
Hyperion CDS 44461 (7 CDs)

Contents:

  1. Lord Willobies Welcome Home / Rowland (BK7)
  2. The Bells (BK38)
  3. The French Coranto (BK21a)
  4. The Second French Coranto (BK21b)
  5. The Third French Coranto (BK21c)
  6. Hugh Ashton's Grownde (BK20)
  7. Callino Casturame (BK35)
  8. A Lesson of Voluntarie, two parts in one in the 4th above (BK26)
  9. The Carman's whistle (BK36)
  10. Sellinger's Rownde (BK84)
  11. Parson's In Nomine (BK51)
  12. The Second Ground (BK42)
  13. A Horne Pipe (BK39)
  14. Miserere I (BK66, first version)
  15. Miserere II (BK67, first version)
  1. Pavin Johnson's Delighte (BK5a)
  2. ... The Galliard (BK5b)
  3. Preludium (BK24)
  4. Galiardo Mistris Marye Brownlo (BK34)
  5. Parludam (BK115/EKM3)
  6. Pavana "Ph. Tr." (BK60a)
  7. ... Galiarda (BK60b)
  8. Alman (BK11)
  9. A Pavin (BK33a)
  10. ... Galliard (BK33b)
  11. Have with yow to Walsinghame (BK8)
  12. Pavana Lachrymae (BK54)
  13. Harding's Galliard (BK55)
  14. The Barley Break (BK92)
  15. Pavana The Earle of Salisbury (BK15a)
  16. ... Galiardo (BK15b)
  17. ... Galiardo Secundo (BK15c)
  18. Eccho paven (BK114a)
  19. ... The Galliard (BK114b)
  20. Wilson's Wilde (BK37)
  21. A Gigg, "F. Tr." (BK22)
  22. A Preludium (BK116/EKM4)
  23. Jhon come kisse me now (BK81)
  1. Christe qui lux (BK121/ETOM6&34, two versions)
  2. Praeludium (BK12, first version)
  3. A Voluntarie (BK27)
  4. Ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la (BK64)
  5. Ut, mi, re (BK65)
  6. Gloria tibi trinitas (BK50)
  7. Miserere I (BK66, second version)
  8. Miserere II (BK67, second version)
  9. A Verse of Two Parts (BK28)
  10. A Grounde (BK43)
  11. A Fancie (BK46)
  12. A Fancie, for my Ladye Nevell (BK25, first version)
  13. A Grounde (BK9, first version)
  14. Clarifica me, pater - 2 parts I (BK47)
  15. Clarifica me, pater - 3 parts II (BK48)
  16. Clarifica me, pater - 4 parts III (BK49)
  17. Fantasia (BK62, first version)
  18. Salvator mundi I (BK68)
  19. Salvator mundi II (BK69)
  20. A Voluntarie, for my Ladye Nevell (BK61, first version)
  1. Will yow walke the woods so wylde (BK85)
  2. Ut, Re, Mee, Fa, Sol, La, The playnesong by a second Person (BK58)
  3. Go from my window (BK79)
  4. Fantasia (BK62, second version)
  5. Fortune my Foe, Farewell Delight (BK6)
  6. Fantasia (BK63)
  7. Corranto (BK45)
  8. The Mayden's Songe (BK82)
  9. A Grounde (BK86)
  10. A Fancie (BK46, second version)
  11. O quam gloriosum est regnum (EKM48)
  12. The Hunt's Up (BK40)
  1. O Mistris myne, I must (BK83)
  2. La Volta (BK91)
  3. Quadran Paven (BK70a)
  4. ... Quadran Galliard (BK70b)
  5. A Grounde (BK9, second version)
  6. If my complaints, or Pyper's Galliard (BK118/EKM26)
  7. The Queenes Alman (BK10)
  8. A Pavion (BK23a)
  9. ... The Galliard (BK23b)
  10. Pavana Bray (BK59a)
  11. ... Galiarda (BK59b)
  12. La Volta L. Morley (BK90)
  13. Pavana (BK4a)
  14. ... Galiarda (BK4b)
  15. Gypseis Round (BK80)
  16. Pavana (BK52a)
  17. ... Galliarda (BK52b)
  18. Galliard (BK53)
  19. An Almane (BK89)
  20. Pavin (BK76)
  21. A Galliard (BK77)
  22. An Alman (BK117/EKM30)
  23. A Galliarde Gygge (BK18)
  24. Paven (BK73a)
  25. ... Galiard (BK73b)
  1. Qui passe, for my Ladye Nevell (BK19)
  2. A Fancie, for my Ladye Nevell (BK25, second version)
  3. The firste pavian (BK29a)
  4. ... The galliarde (BK29b)
  5. The second pavian (BK71a)
  6. ... The galliarde (BK71b)
  7. The third pavian (BK14a)
  8. ... The galliard (BK14b)
  9. The fourth pavian (BK30a)
  10. ... The galliarde (BK30b)
  11. The fifte pavian (BK31a)
  12. ... The galliarde (BK31b)
  13. Pavana the vi, Kinbrugh Good (BK32a)
  14. ... The galliarde (BK32b)
  15. The seventh pavian, Canon 2 parts in 1 (BK74)
  16. The eighte pavian (BK17)
  17. The nynth pavian, the Passinge mesures (BK2a)
  18. ... The galliarde (BK2b)
  19. My Ladye Nevell's Grownde (BK57)
  20. A Voluntarie, for my Ladye Nevell (BK61, second version)
  1. Preludium (BK1)
  2. Pavana Sir William Petre (BK3a)
  3. ... Galiardo (BK3b)
  4. The Marche before the Battell (BK93)
  5. The Battell (BK94)
  6. The Galliard for the Victorie (BK95)
  7. All in a garden greene (BK56)
  8. Monsieur's Alman I (BK87)
  9. Monsieur's Alman II (BK88)
  10. The Ghost (BK78)
  11. Monsieur's Alman III (BK44)
  12. A Pavyn (BK16a)
  13. A Galliard (BK16b)
  14. Paven (BK100a/EKM10a)
  15. ... Galiard (BK100b/EKM10b)
  16. Lady Montegle's Paven (BK75)
  17. A Pavion (BK72a)
  18. ... The Galliard to it (BK72b)
  19. Praeludium to the Fancie (BK12, second version)
  20. Praeludium to the Fancie (BK12, third version)
  21. Praeludium to the Fancie (BK12, fourth version)
  22. Praeludium to the Fancie (BK12, fifth version)
  23. Fantasia (BK13)

Instruments: Clavichord (Thomas Goff, 1972; double-strung 4 octaves after German 17th century models): tracks CD1#14,15, CD7#21; Chamber organ (Martin Goetz & Dominic Gwynn, 1985; one manual 4 octaves after German 17th century models): tracks CD1#9,11, CD4#8; Harpsichord (Hubert Bédard, 1975; replica of Ruckers, Antwerp 1644): tracks CD1#2-5,7,10,13, CD2#8-10,20,22, CD4#3,4,6,7,10,12, CD5#2,5,6,12,18,22,23; CD6#1,2,5,6,9,10,13,14,17-20, CD7#7,10,16-18,20; Harpsichord (Reinhard von Nagel, 1994; after Joseph Johannes Crouchet, Antwerp 1679): tracks CD2#1-4,11,14,18,19,23, CD5#1,3,4,10,11,15-17, CD7#1-3,8,9,11,14,15,22,23; Muselar virginal (John Phillips, 1991; after Ioannes Couchet, Antwerp 1650, commissioned for the present recording): tracks CD1#1,6,8,12, CD2#5-7,12,13,15-17,21, CD4#1,2,5,9,11, CD5#7-9,13,14,19-21,24,25, CD6#3,4,7,8,11,12,15,16, CD7#4-6,12,13,19; Organ (Jürgen Ahrend, Toulouse 1981; 3 keyboards and pedals, 33 speaking stops, 16 stops used for the present recording after the instrument built by Dallam in Worcester Cathedral for Thomas Tomkins, 1613/14; Toulouse construction after German 17th century models): tracks CD3#1-20

Playing time: 497'

Recording dates: September 1991 (Toulouse), March 1992 (Essex), December 1996 (Fontevraud), February 1997 (Fontevraud)

Individual items are given with their Byrd Keyboard (BK) number, based primarily on Musica Britannica. Some are given Elizabethan Keyboard Music (EKM) or Early Tudor Organ Music (ETOM) numbers. The extensive program notes describe which pieces were omitted from the present collection as most likely inauthentic.

Moroney argues details of tuning as well, in terms of the replacement of Pythagorean tuning with meantone tuning in England in this era. The present recording adopts a modified "enharmonic" Pythagorean tuning, complete with step-by-step instructions for realizing it.

The interpretation is very detailed & thorough in that regard, also attempting to present each disc as a little mini-program which can be enjoyed on its own terms. For instance, CD #3 is a straight program on cathedral organ. In terms of acoustic, the few clavichord tracks do always suffer in terms of an end-to-end program, but the variety can still be welcome.

The music itself still continues to be relatively neglected, despite Moroney's first set, in which he argues passionately for it. The development of the "virginal" style in England is almost entirely due to Byrd, with his followers Bull & Gibbons making up the major triumvirate. Of course, one reason that this style may not have achieved its full stature in the general public is that it was neither the first major Renaissance keyboard school (Byrd is evidently indebted stylistically to Cabezón), nor did it last very long. However, via Sweelinck, the English style is credited as one of the major roots of the North German variation technique and with it some better-known Baroque music. Byrd deserves more credit for this, and his music has such a fine combination of solidity & lucidity that it is difficult not to enjoy.

A single CD sampler from this set:

Keyboard Music by William Byrd
Davitt Moroney
Hyperion 66558

Moroney's first Byrd collection:

Byrd: Pavans and Galliards
Davitt Moroney
Harmonia Mundi 901241/42 (2 CDs)

A few complete recordings of Byrd's most famous collection:

Byrd: My Ladye Nevells Booke
Pieter-Jan Belder
Brilliant Classics 96887 (3 CDs)
Byrd: My Ladye Nevells Booke
Elizabeth Farr
Naxos 8.570139/41 (3 CDs)
Byrd: My Ladye Nevell's Booke
Christopher Hogwood
L'Oiseau Lyre 430 484 (3 CDs)

Other recordings devoted to Byrd's keyboard music:

One Byrde in Hande
Richard Egarr
Linn Records 518
Byrd: Music for the Virginals
Aapo Häkkinen
Alba Records ABCD 148
John, come kiss me now
Byrd: Virginal music
Andreas Staier
Teldec 42205
Byrd: Harpsichord pieces
Gustav Leonhardt
Alpha 073
Byrd: Complete Fantasias for Harpsichord
Glen Wilson
Naxos 8.572433
Byrd: Keyboard Works
Patrick Ayrton
Globe 5123
Byrd: Harpsichord Pieces from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book
Ursula Deutschler
Claves 50-9001
Byrd: The Passinge Mesures
James Nicolson
Titanic 225
Byrd: Jhon Come Kisse me Now, etc.
John Whitelaw
Talent 2910 22
Byrd: Oeuvres pour orgue
M. Lévy-Noisette
Syrius 141 375
Byrd: Clarifica me
Léon Berben, organ
Ramée 0704
Byrd: Harpsichord Music
Colin Tilney
EMI "Reflexe" 1C 063 30 120 (LP)
Byrd: Keyboard Music
Paul Maynard
Decca 10040 (LP)
Byrd / Gibbons: Harpsichord Works
Pavans & Galliards, Fantasias, Grounds
Laurent Stewart
Pierre Vérany 795051

A couple of programs featuring Byrd's keyboard music together with his other output:

Byrd: Virginals & Consorts
Skip Sempé / Capriccio Stravagante
Astrée 8611
Byrd: All in a garden green
Oliver Hirsch / Niels Danielsen
Helikon 1048

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Todd M. McComb