Byrd Sheet Music

Byrd Sheet Music and Biography

William Byrd was an English organist and composer born in 1540 around the Shakespearean time. We have one piece of Byrd sheet music Ego sum panis vivus for Brass Quartet featured on music-scores.com.

Just like Thomas Bateson, he is known for developing the English madrigal, however, he wrote in many forms including sacred and secular music polyphony, keyboard, and consort music. All of these forms remained a important part of the Renaissance Music era.

Career

In 1563 Byrd became organist at Lincoln Cathedral where he first met Thomas Tallis. He then became a pupil of his. Following this, he returned to London in 1572 to become a gentleman at the Chapel Royal. He shared this post with Thomas Tallis whom he’d been a pupil of as a boy.

The Tallis and Byrd partnership was recognised by Elizabeth I. She permitted them a monopoly for printing, publishing, and sale of music, along with exclusive rights to use the paper used for printing music. However, it forbade them to sell imported music. Their first work was a dedication to the Queen which was a collection of Cantiones sacrae.

In 1568 he married Juliana Birley together they had at least seven children.

Byrd died on 4th July 1623. He is thought to be buried in an unmarked grave in Stondon Massey churchyard, UK.

Byrd Sheet Music Downloads and Further Reading

At present on music-scores.com we have one piece of William Byrd sheet music in PDF format for you to download.

This article on Renaissance Composers – 15 Famous Renaissance Composers to Inspire You will be of interest to Guitar players.

For further information take a look at Wikipedia and Britannica and the William Byrd Festival website.