ABSTRACT
When he composed the Gradualia cycle, William Byrd invested a good part of his mature artistic career in the Tridentine liturgy and the events of the Roman church year. Both the musical content of the two books and his own words in their prefaces reflect his commitment to well-ordered worship. He was far from alone in this commitment. Other Elizabethan and Jacobean Catholics were quick to appeal to liturgical practice as something vital to their existence, both when defending their cause against opponents and encouraging perseverance among their own ranks. This chapter explores a number of primary sources on the topic. These include English didactic works on the Mass; polemic (from both sides) concerning the liturgical year and its observances; contemporary documents relating to two specific holidays featured in Byrd’s Gradualia, All Saints’ Day and Corpus Christi; firsthand accounts of feast-day celebrations; and some surprising parallels drawn between the struggle over ritual practice and the threatened existence of the English Catholic community itself.
