BaL 1.07.23 - The works of William Byrd

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

10.30am
Building a Library
Kirsten Gibson joins Andrew to survey the huge range of recordings of works by William Byrd, born 400 years ago this week.

[CallMePaul]

There have been a number of BALs on Byrd over the years, mainly concerning his masses. Let's hope this concentrates more on his keyboard and consort music and perhaps also on his shorter religious works.

[DracoM]

How on earth a Record Review can cover and even DARE to compare the tiniest part of the Byrd output utterly defeats me.

[Pulcinella]

How on earth a Record Review can cover and even DARE to compare the tiniest part of the Byrd output utterly defeats me.

Dare we hope for a whole Byrd/Weelkes Day later this year?

[DracoM]

[ardcarp]

Oh dear. Where to start? I'll just enumerate a few things that nearly got my radio destroyed through un-Byrd-like flying books:

1 Was this really a subject for Record Review, i.e. choosing from a plethora of different genres? Surely next week's programme (comparing Petrushkas)
is the sort of thing the programme is designed for?

2. Could not Andrew learn how to pronounce the word 'timbre'?

3. We really needed a 'guest' who would take charge of the BAL slot, not merely to be Andrew's glove puppet. (Bit cruel...sorry KG)

4. Surely the Catholic/Protestant thing of Byrd's time is well-known. Any need to hammer it home?

5. Was Byrd's keyboard music really represented?

6 A personal thing this one: Byrd's Lullaby is surely his most beautiful consort song?. Not a sniff of it.

7. The fading out of such short and lovely extracts seemed awful.

Now something good to say. Grace Davidson's voice (she of Voces 8 fame) plus Alamire was just fabulous. No flying books at the end.

[vinteuil]

Oh dear. Where to start?

... I was only listening with seven-eighths of an ear - but was there anything for the Serious Collector : I mean, references to - fr'instance - the Carwood/Cardinalls Byrd edition, the Moroney complete keyboard works...

.

[Pulcinella]

I didn't listen (probably quite rightly, to judge from the few comments so far) but I see that the website lists just one suggestion (albeit a 2CD set):

Recommended recording:

Byrd 1588: Psalmes, Sonets & songs of sadnes & and pietie

Alamire

Grace Davidson (soprano)
Martha McLorinan (mezzo-soprano)
Nicholas Todd (tenor)

Fretwork

David Skinner (director)

Inventa INV1006 (2CDs)

https://www.resonusclassics.com/products/byrd-1588-psalmes-sonets-songs-sadnes-pietie-alamire-fretwork-skinner-inv1006

[Retune]

I enjoyed the programme, though the format was more like one of the 'Proms Composer' slots they've previously substituted for BaL over the summer. Not sure why they didn't do it there, though it might have been a bit awkward to admit how little Byrd there is at the Proms in his 400th year - 4 minutes in the 'Mindful Mix' Prom, another 3 min in Aberystwyth, and a mostly Byrd programme in Londonderry/Derry. The website only shows the 1588 set as today's pick, but Kirsten Gibson made a double recommendation with its sequel, 'Byrd 1589: Songs of sundrie natures'. Only the 1589 set is currently available on CD, even though the earlier discs were released as recently as 2021. I hope this will encourage Inventa to do another pressing if that isn't already happening. I suppose this will also mean no more Byrd on BaL for a while, though there are obviously pieces like the Consort Songs and the various Masses that easily have a deep enough discography to justify an episode of their own.

[CallMePaul]

I didn't listen (probably quite rightly, to judge from the few comments so far) but I see that the website lists just one suggestion (albeit a 2CD set):

Recommended recording:

Byrd 1588: Psalmes, Sonets & songs of sadnes & and pietie

Alamire

Grace Davidson (soprano)
Martha McLorinan (mezzo-soprano)
Nicholas Todd (tenor)

Fretwork

David Skinner (director)

Inventa INV1006 (2CDs)

https://www.resonusclassics.com/prod...kinner-inv1006

"Sold Out" on the listed website! I have not checked Amazon, Presto or any other website but once again it is difficult to find the recommended recording.

[CallMePaul]

"Sold Out" on the listed website! I have not checked Amazon, Presto or any other website but once again it is difficult to find the recommended recording.

Download only on Presto, suggesting that the hard copy may not reappear on Resonus or elsewhere. The companion 2-CD set "Songs of Sundrie natures" is, however, still available.

[Wolfram]

I enjoyed the programme, though the format was more like one of the 'Proms Composer' slots they've previously substituted for BaL over the summer. Not sure why they didn't do it there, though it might have been a bit awkward to admit how little Byrd there is at the Proms in his 400th year - 4 minutes in the 'Mindful Mix' Prom, another 3 min in Aberystwyth, and a mostly Byrd programme in Londonderry/Derry. The website only shows the 1588 set as today's pick, but Kirsten Gibson made a double recommendation with its sequel, 'Byrd 1589: Songs of sundrie natures'. Only the 1589 set is currently available on CD, even though the earlier discs were released as recently as 2021. I hope this will encourage Inventa to do another pressing if that isn't already happening. I suppose this will also mean no more Byrd on BaL for a while, though there are obviously pieces like the Consort Songs and the various Masses that easily have a deep enough discography to justify an episode of their own.

Foyles had three copies of the 1588 winning disk on their shelves as of yesterday. Well actually, there’s only two now. I’m surprised they haven’t been snapped by now. The person at Foyles said they had had them since February, so the disk can only just have been deleted, and in the anniversary year to boot.

[Serial_Apologist]

This coming Sunday's Sunday Worship (R4 8am) has Rev Dr Jonathan Arnold reflecting on the composer's music and faith 400 years on; and the following feature on Radio 3 is also of interest:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001nh30

[MickyD]

I personally didn't think the keyboard music was covered nearly enough. I guess many of the recordings are now deleted, but sad that Moroney's complete set didn't get a mention or Hogwood for his Ladye Nevell's Booke. I also have a rather good collection by Andreas Staier on Das Alte Werk.

[Retune]

Foyles had three copies of the 1588 winning disk on their shelves as of yesterday. Well actually, there’s only two now. I’m surprised they haven’t been snapped by now. The person at Foyles said they had had them since February, so the disk can only just have been deleted, and in the anniversary year to boot.

One left after I bought the other yesterday evening!