I have sung this mass many times. Byrd is my favorite composer and this is my favorite piece of his. This is a positively glorious performance of this work composed for the glory of God.
I am thinking about my silent generation parents, who gave us the gift of life late in their lives. They also gave us the gift of music early in our lives. They had us sing, play piano, strings and woodwinds in our house to entertain guests during Christmas. Now there’s no music in the house. But this William Byrd compilation is thankfully bringing me back to my beloved childhood with the music we experienced.
This piece is very good...starts off well , the Credo is merveilleux an I only wish I had better sound system in order to hear this consummate musical creative...he is the bee's knees
You are so right! We live in such a loud world. Addicted to sensations, screams, superficialities. We have all become consumation- junkies. What a misguided bunch of lunatics humanity has become. Listening to music like this has a detox-effect on my soul from all the insanity. Humanity is mad!
It is comforting I am not alone in adoring this wonderful music. There are a few others in the world just like me! Thank you for uploading and sharing. Cheers from Australia
yes it is sublime. I lost my CD of this 25 years ago. Was wonderful to rediscover it here. When I was younger I played this too loudly. Years later I bumped into an elderly woman who by chance who was my neighbor back at that time. She said: "Oh! You must be the boy that played the beautiful music. What was it? It has haunted me ever since and I must hear it again!"
What is so good is this recording is authentic with all male voices. As I am Catholic and go to the Traditional Mass offered by the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter I hear this and worship as Byrd did.
Back in the days of music on cassette tapes, I found this work of beauty , on a market stall, in a second hand tape. It was like finding treasure ! Thank you for sharing it here today. Mike
Byrd's house site in Lincoln, a few yards from the wonderful cathedral of that fine city, is easy to visit. It is truly astounding to stand outside and look at the cathedral he would have seen.
this is so captivating. I was going to bed, and then I found this randomly. It's a problem really - Im working early tomorrow, and I can not turn music this off
Ekin Gören So true. Especially for us bass singers who don't always get the most 'fun' part in a choir song. I just wish we sang more songs like this in choir, instead of all the pop-y stuff. Not saying it's bad, just that a little variety wouldn't hurt every now and again.
Mathias from Brazil! I thank you for disposable this beautiful song! My grand father fight in that second war! And he love this kind of music and I like it too! Thanks!
I sit down with the music to follow, hadn't even looked at it at all not had the time. And at the beginning of the Kyrie I suddenly realise that I know it! I sang it 35 years ago!! I'd forgotten all about it. I clearly also remember the bass part, I'm soprano, we were 4 here in France in the north east. Well what a surprise!
Wonderful! I didn't know Kings Singers are as good as the Hilliard Ensemble. And William Byrd is simply one of the best and also somewhat neglected composer of the High Renaissance
um... no. Byrd is one of the most popular composers of the Elizabethan renaissance, and his works are found in the repetoire of church choirs around the world. YES he is fantastically great, but NO, he is not neglected.
What a beautiful strange land into which we have arrived. I look forward to having the time to listen, watch and learn about the lives we all share XXXX
Having studied all 3 of Byrd's masses (3,4 & 5 voices) & having performed the 5 voice in choir, I can say that this music is highly satisfying to sing. Even though the Catholic liturgy since Vatican II has been in the local language of the individual parish, this music stands by itself exclusive of the mass.
Marten King The FSSPX (Pius X) still does "old fashioned" Tridentine masses, entirely sung and entirely in Latin, complete with this music. On their site you can find out where they have their churches. A beautiful, profound and uplifting experience. And the choir always needs good people!
The Church has not "parked" it -- it's still available, by request if you must. +carolineleiden mixed up two separate acronyms -- FSSP is the Fraternity of St. Peter (www.fssp.org/en/presentation.htm), fully in communion with the Roman Catholic Church, and obeys the Magisterium. The FSSP says the Tridentine Mass, with full permission of the Holy See and the local bishop. If you want them to come to your diocese, just ask your bishop. But you can also just ask for the Tridentine Mass even without the FSSP fathers, as some parishes in my diocese have done. It's important to note facts about the SSPX (the Society of St. Pius X that +carolineleiden mentioned in her mixed up acronym): First, they look Catholic, the sound Catholic, and they even smell Catholic, but they refuse to obey the Magisterium, thereby placing themselves outside the Church. Second, and crucial for Catholics who wish to remain in good standing with the Church and receive valid Sacraments, the Church has stated that the SSPX does NOT offer valid Sacraments, except for Reconciliation, because they do not have permission to celebrate the Mass or consecrate the Eucharistic Host. Even the devils know that without the permission of the local bishop, they don't have to obey an exorcist! How much more precious is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Consecrated Host! As the Gospels make clear, Jesus gave all authority to the Church through St. Peter and the Apostles by making them all bishops, with St. Peter as their leader -- the chairman, if you will. Anyone who acts outside the authority of the direct Apostolic lineage has no authority whatsoever. The SSPX take umbrage with the new form of the Mass, but they perform nothing more than a play, going through the motions of the Mass without anything supernatural taking place -- no transubstantiation occurs, so Christ is not present in their communion bread. I've heard that their priests try to get around this by tricking validly consecrated bishops to ordain and consecrate them, but if they sought seminary training with subterfuge in mind, then the consecration might not be valid (as when someone makes marriage vows without intending to abide by them, it invalidates the marriage). In any case, without permission from the local bishop in communion with Rome, there is no valid Sacrament. A Catholic may put their soul in grave danger if they knowingly participate in an SSPX mimicry of the Holy Mass. That's why people should be aware of what SSPX really is.
+carolineleiden you mixed up your acronyms in this comment -- FSSP celebrates the Tridentine Missa with full approval of the Holy See and with the permission of the local bishop. The SSPX (Society of St. Pius X) are rebellious and have excommunicated themselves from the Church by refusing to recognize the authority of the Magisterium.
I also find the Agnus Dei the most beautiful part of this mass. Another fine performance of this Agnus Dei is ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--kt2TpaEDV0.html by four members of the "Sixteen".
Magnifique...utterly magnifique ,eh? His mass for 5 voces is summat else as well...listen to the soaring harmonies , the delightful ins and outs of the voices , of the varying timbres...he's the biz , the divine Byrd...yes , but don't go overboard...he'll never be another Des O' Connor or even Vince Hill , but he's bluddy good , give the man his due
to Bernardo: your question about tonality is touched on in the edition of the Essay, BBC R3, 1st March 2016, 'Byrd: Mass for Four Voices', by Stephen Johnson- available via iPlayer.
This gives an ominous but at the same time very noble background behind the voices and in the voices. Definitely gives me some lucid visions and flashba.....that's not the point.. but this is a great work of art!
The bass from 0:13 to 0:19 keeps messing with my brain because I keep thinking at 0:19 he’s going to hit a low note but he doesn’t which always gets me.
Haha the group is more than 40 years old and one of the most prestigious a Capella groups in the world. They've definitely gone places. And definitely not a one hit wonder, they have a colossal repertoire.
Lol. Sorry, but I had to laugh. Do a quick RU-vid search and you can listen to dozens of their recordings of very successful concerts. I saw them in a concert earlier this year, and although they're mostly a new group now, they always keep their same spirit and style. Very kind and approachable men, too. They stayed behind after the concert to sign cds and talk to the audience. They're celebrating their 50th anniversary this year.
Just picked up the Riemenschneider to study some chorales and heard the earl of Salisbury from a RU-vid recommendation. Some definite techniques I'd like to learn from these scores, if available.
I haven't heard of Byrd yet, and this is the first piece of his that I'm hearing. I was trying to find a composer that came before Vivaldi (1678 - 1741) to see how much Vivaldi may have impacted the styles of classical music. I know he certainly did influence Mozart. You can just hear it. But this kind of music is really something different. I really like the bass from 0:13 to 0:19. And that uprising at 16:18!
Jordan Fischer Other composers older than Vivaldi that you might find interesting: J.S. Bach Johannes Ockaghem Josquin DesPrez Johan Joseph Fux And for someone who only really influenced modern composers, but comes before Vivaldi, consider Carlo Gesualdo.
The build-up towards the "amen" in Gloria, and the way it resolves into the warm timbre and perfect intonation of the finishing chord. I'm just completely transfixed following its motion, and then the solemn and calm power of the resolving chord completely dispels the tension in the most soothing way.
Can someone more versed in this tell me if this is some transcription to a lower tonality? The trebles sound really low than they should... Or am I dreaming?
WILLIAM BYRD { LONDRES ou LINCOLNSHIRE 1539/40~1623 STONDON MASSEY,ESSEX } « MASS FOR 4 VOICES « ~ THE KING’ SINGERS ~ FORMÉ EN 1968 {CAMBRIDGE} ~. Quelle merveille, de la polyphonie, voix vocales de l’ensemble THE KING, SINGERS grandiose, de cette oeuvre de WILLIAM BYRD bravo. BYRD est l’un des plus grands compositeurs anglais de la fin du XVIe siècle, et du début du XVIIe siècle. En dépit de sa fidélité à sa foi catholique, il profita de la protection de la Reine ELISABETH 1ère, fervente avocate de l’anglicanisme, pour l’impression de l’édition musicale, ce qui lui permit de superviser lui-même la publication de sa musique. Considéré comme l’un des pères de la musique de clavier il a dédié au Virginal une oeuvre pleine de charme et d’imagination, en perfectionnant notamment le genre de la danse et l’art de la variation sur des airs de danse ou des airs populaires. L’essentiel de son oeuvre est rassemblée en trois collections restées manuscrites ou publiées en Angleterre en leur temps : Parthenia, première anthologie de la musique anglaise du Virginal, offerte par BYRD à la princesse ELISABETH, fille du roi JACQUES 1er , à l’occasion de son mariage, THE FITZWILLIAM VIRGINAL BOOK, sorte de résumé de l’art de son époque, et MY LADY NEVELL’ S BOOK, recueil célèbre. Son oeuvres sacrées 3 messes, 210 Motets en Latin de 3 à 9 voix, une centaine de graduels de 3 à 6 voix. Oeuvres profanes environ 130 pièces pour Virginal dans des recueils collectifs dont 70 dans le FITZWILLIAM VIRGINAL BOOK. Merci pour ce chef-d’œuvre de WILLIAM BYRD, grands compositeurs du XVIe siècle, et du début du XVIIe siècle, qui est grandiose et éternel. Et ce moment de musique de la Renaissance, que j’ai énormément aimé sublime merci.
Whilst the music was originally in G minor, and many editions for SATB are in F minor, the King's singers sing it in Db minor (significantly lower to allow for the Countertenors to sing the higher parts, also why the Bass part is sung particularly low in this recording).
Byrd was extreme in doing things only once. His three Masses are hardly an exception. A meager amount compared to the number written by other 16th century composers. All three masses have different number of voices.
Most composers of Renaissance Masses lived and worked in Catholic countries. Byrd's compositional career was affected by his Catholicism in an adamently Protestant country. These masses were written to be performed in small, private liturgies in the country where priests had to be smuggled in and hidden. Interesting trivia--although Byrd chose to leave his Eluzabeth court job and retire into the country as a religious dissenter, when he accumulated large fines for non-attendence at the state-sponsored church, Queen Elizabeth paid them for him.
