The Cardinal’s Musick under their director Andrew Carwood celebrated Byrd’s 400th anniversary on 4 July 2023 with three one-hour concerts at The Wigmore Hall, London, performing the Three, Four and, Five Part Masses.
The choir completed recordings of all Byrd’s Latin music in 2010 across 13 discs, and came to Stondon Massey as part of their ‘Byrd Tour’ concerts in September 2012.
The Mass for Four Voices was composed in 1592, with the others completed in 1595 probably in Stondon Massey where Byrd was living.
The big question I ask is how speedily should they be performed?
Taking the Agnus Dei from the Mass for Voices and probably best loved of Byrd’s pieces by way of example, there seem wide variations in performance.
The Cardinall’s Musick recording of 2000 stands as the benchmark, beautifully sung and coming in at 3’19.
‘Singing in Secret’ (2020) is The Marian Consort’s album recorded under director Rory McCleery. Seeing the choir live at the Roman River Festival last autumn was wonderful and McCleery engages with the audience between pieces. The disc explores the clandestine Catholic music of William Byrd which includes Justorium animae, Infelix ego, Miserere mei and a complete performance of the Mass spread through the programme. The Agnus dei is a speedy 2’51 which I find a little disappointing in an otherwise lovely disc.
Also interspersed across the programme is The King’s Singers and Concordia’s offering ‘1605. Treason and Dischord. William Byrd and the Gunpowder Plot’. Byrd knew the plotters but was not involved in the treasonable activity. Always good, the choir bring home the Agnus dei in 3’30.
Finally, ‘Naked Byrd Two’ is the sequel to a first disc performed by the Armonico Consort, which I heard at Great Tey as part of the Roman River Festival a few years ago. It is a mixed programme of spell binding singing the only Byrd track being the Agnus dei. At 3’56 it is by far the most expansive reading with every note and every part being so clearly heard. The final line ‘dona nobis pacem’ almost aches in the need to be granted peace. It is a stunning recording. Unfortunately, the choir have not recorded the entire Mass but if I was attending Church I would happily let dinner wait and the roasties get overdone to hear it. This is the favourite recording of my favourite Byrd piece.
The Listening Service
Sunday 2 July. 5.00-5.30pm (repeated Friday 7 July
4.30-5.00pm)
BBC
Radio 3 - The Listening Service, Secret Music: Byrd's Masses
Tom Service explores the three mass settings of William
Byrd during dangerous times for Catholics.
Available for over a year.
First broadcast Tuesday 1 March 2016
BBC
Radio 3 - The Essay, Music in Its Time, Music in Its Time - Byrd: Mass for Four
Voices
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