Richard Turbet is our guest speaker over the first weekend of the William Byrd Festival when he co-presents ‘William Byrd: His Essex Years’. Tickets are now on sale, priced £12.50 (under 16s £6).
Richard says, “I think it is appropriate to begin by saying simply ‘William Byrd is England's greatest composer’. No point in pussyfooting around.”
Byrd was born around 1540 and became a well known organist, musician and composer of his day, writing and publishing both sacred and secular music. He was engaged as a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, as such Queen Elizabeth’s sacred choir, following the death of Robert Parsons.
Byrd moved to Stondon Massey around the year 1594 and spent thirty years in semi-retirement. It was at Stondon Massey that his true religious feelings came to the fore in the writing of his music. He was a great friend of the Petre family, who were Catholics and his Patrons, and made several visits to Ingatestone Hall, where his clandestine and illegal Catholic Masses were sung. He later wrote a complete set of music for the church year – two books of ‘Gradualia’, the second of which in 1607 was dedicated to his patron, John Petre. This was a most dangerous and daring pursuit.
“It was well known to the authorities that Byrd was composing and publishing music for the Roman Catholic church” Richard says. “Indeed, the person who licensed Byrd's two books of ‘Gradualia’ (the music he composed for the services of the RC Church throughout the liturgical year) was Richard Bancroft, successively the Anglican Bishop of London and Archbishop of Canterbury.”
“Byrd was a formidable networker and had friends in the highest places - from the Queen and subsequent King downwards. He composed and published a large quantity of music for the illegal Roman Catholic rite. Such was his status with The Queen, by whom he was employed as a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, no action was taken against him."
Byrd also composed a small but significant amount of music for the Church of England. This included the Great Service as well as other anthems.
“His Roman Catholic music could not be performed in the Anglican Church during his lifetime. His Latin music started to be published again in the 1840s, but even between his death and then it was never neglected, and it circulated in manuscripts among prominent London musicians. However during the earlier twentieth century it gained acceptability among the Anglican hierarchy”. Today his Latin work has been recorded by Cardinall’s Musick under its director Andrew Carwood. The completion of this cycle of work has been likened in importance to Bach’s Cantatas and Beethoven’s piano sonatas.
On his death in 1623 Byrd was described as the ‘Father of Music’, perhaps due more to his great age – and seniority in the Chapel Royal, much like is described ‘The Father of the House’ of the senior politician in the British Parliament – than being at the vanguard of new music.
In many respects William Byrd’s music is as well known as it has ever been.
Stondon Singers, under the direction of Christopher Tinker, perform Faure’s Requiem as the centrepiece of their Spring Concert at the Priory Church of St Laurence, Blackmore, at 7.30pm on Saturday 5 March. For more information follow this link: http://www.gerontius.net/cgi-bin/event.cgi?cname=10692
Writtle Singers Spring Concert is on Saturday 12 March commencing at 7.30pm. It will be held at All Saints Church, Writtle, and is entitled ‘Radiance: Music of Light’. For more information visit their website: http://www.writtlesingers.org/#nextconcert
Everyone involved in the William Byrd Festival is busy preparing their programmes for the events to be held over two weekends, from 7 to 15 May. This promises to be a great occasion for Stondon Massey, and will help raise funds to build a new Memorial Garden for the churchyard where our great composer, William Byrd, was buried in 1623.
The Festival begins on Saturday 7 May when the Stondon Singers, a renowned local choir, accompany Richard Turbet in a lecture / recital entitled ‘William Byrd: His Essex Years’. Richard Turbet is an internationally respected authority on Byrd’s life and work. He is preparing the third edition of ‘William Byrd: A Guide to Research’ in which he catalogues and reviews all that has been produced about the Elizabethan composer and musician. He makes what will probably be a unique appearance to the place where Byrd lived and died. There are two performances: at 4.00pm and 7.30pm. Tickets at £12.50 each and are available from the Church Office c/o The Vicarage, Church Street, Blackmore, Ingatestone, Essex. Please make your cheque payable to ‘Stondon Massey PCC’ and enclose a Stamped Addressed Envelope. Oh yes, do mention whether you want to come to the matinee (4pm) or evening performance (7.30pm).
On Sunday 8 May, no tickets are needed to attend the 9.00am Morning Prayer Service based on a Byrd theme. In addition to following the liturgy contained in the Book of Common Prayer (1662) service, our organist John Hatt will play three pieces by Byrd. Jubilate, our benefice choir, will sing ‘If Ye Love Me’ by Byrd’s friend and mentor Thomas Tallis. The readings will be taken from the Authorised Version of the Bible (King James Version) which came into use during Byrd’s residence at Stondon Massey in 1611. Richard Turbet, our guest over the first weekend, will give a short address. The programme is nearing completion. As one of the service leaders all I have to do is ensure I do not get tongue-tied by the language which has come down to us from the seventeenth century.
Weekend two is marked by a concert by the Writtle Singers under the direction of Christine Gwynn. This will be held on Saturday 14 May at 7.30pm at St Peter and St Paul Church. The title of the event will be ‘William Byrd: Loyal Heart or Traitor?’ and will explore in words and music the composer’s life as a recusant Catholic, at odds with the law of the time proscribed by Queen Elizabeth I yet regarded by her as a master of his craft. Poor Parson Nobbs, the Rector of Stondon Massey, was required to present before the Archdeaconry Court a list of non-attenders. Byrd never crossed the threshold of the parish church and was fined time and again. We hope that you will want to attend the event will want to buy tickets, again priced £12.50 from the Church Office. The evening will include Byrd’s Mass for Four Voices, composed for private and illegal worship for the Petre family and their friends at nearby Ingatestone Hall. There will be one performance at 7.30pm.
Finally, on Sunday 15 May at 9.00am (repeated at 11.00am at the Priory Church of St Laurence, Blackmore) we will have a service of Favourite Hymns. Voting has opened to compile a Top Ten. With the ticket application form attached you will see space for your Top Three. Let us know your favourites and come to a service led by our Reader, Anthea Gray. No entrance fee. A collection will be taken during the service.
All money raised from the concerts will go to the Fabric Fund of St Peter and St Paul Church, Stondon Massey.
We look forward to hearing from you.
