ABSTRACT
William Byrd expected Psalmes, songs, and sonnets, published in 1611, to be his final publication. However, he represented in two subsequent publications. His keyboard music was given pride of place in Parthenia, and he contributed to Sir William Leighton's The teares or lamentacions of a sorrowfull soule. Psalmes contains thirty works printed as thirty-two numbers. Byrd's choice of pieces resulted in a very mixed collection, giving the impression that, although he had a number of solo consort songs in hand, he was pushed to find enough material to make a coherent compilation for his 'ultimum vale'. Byrd's unpublished songs of this period appear in manuscripts compiled for Edward Paston. Six can be linked to events that occurred between 1592 and 1612. Three more unpublished songs appear to belong to the same late period of Byrd's work, although they cannot be dated so narrowly. They are An aged dame, Where the blind, and He that all earthly pleasure scorns.
