ABSTRACT
In 1562 a replacement was needed for Thomas Appleby, who was to retire from the post of Organist and Master of the Choristers at Lincoln Cathedral, where he had served with only one short break since 1537. William Byrd was a candidate who was little short of ideal: an accomplished organist with experience in training the choir of the Chapel Royal, who had moreover begun to show unusual skill as a composer. Byrd was therefore to be paid ten marks as Master of the Choristers and another ten as Organist. The provision of a house free of rent was among the inducements offered to Byrd, and from 1567 he occupied one where where 6 Minster Yard stands. Payments to provide writing materials for the choristers suggest Byrd's responsibilities, and his successor Thomas Butler received similar payments. But the Masters of the Choristers can have played only a minor part in the boys' formal schooling.
