ABSTRACT
William Byrd's surviving compositions number well over five hundred. They range from short, relatively simple pieces to sizeable works of great complexity. Almost every one, whatever its length, reflects his self-critical habits and his invariably careful overall planning and attention to detail. The best of his work reveals a largeness of spirit and a musical vision that are unsurpassed. To consider Byrd's music in isolation from his life would of course be artificial. There must be a link between the father who attempted to secure his children's future through the purchase of land, and the composer who sought to preserve his music in organized collections. It is difficult to determine within anything but the broadest limits when many of Byrd's compositions were written, let alone to suggest how they might relate to specific events. The word that repeatedly comes to mind in connection with Byrd and his music is 'authority'.
