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Home   >   Projects   >   The Golden Renaissance - William Byrd   >   Press Release

Track Listing:

1
Retire My Soul
 
2
Introit: Gaudeamus omnes
 
3
Mass for Four Voices: I. Kyrie
 
4
Mass for Four Voices: II. Gloria
 
5
Gradual and Alleluia: Propter veritatem - Assumpta est Maria
 
6
Mass for Four Voices: III. Credo
 
7
Offertory: Assumpta est Maria
 
8
Mass for Four Voices: IV. Sanctus - Benedictus
 
9
Communion: Optimum partem elegit
 
10
Mass for Four Voices: V. Agnus Dei
 
11
Turn Our Captivity, O Lord
 
12
Praise Our Lord, all Ye Gentiles
 
13
Laudate Dominum omnes gentes
 
14
Tribue, Domine
 

Stile Antico :

The Golden Renaissance - William Byrd

 “An ensemble of breathtaking freshness, vitality and balance.” - The New York Times
“A cappella heaven” - The Independent

STILE ANTICO PRESENT THEIR NEW ALBUM - WILLIAM BYRD 
MARKING THE 400th ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREAT ENGLISH COMPOSER FEATURING MUSIC FOR SECRET, FORBIDDEN WORSHIP INNOVATIVE EARLY MUSIC CHOIR CONTINUE AWARD-WINNING “GOLDEN RENAISSANCE” TRILOGY 

Stile Antico, the award-winning early music specialist choir, will release a new album William Byrd on Decca Classics, marking the 400th anniversary year of the death of the English Renaissance composer. It is the second release in Stile Antico’s Golden Renaissance trilogy celebrating the anniversaries of three great Renaissance composers: Josquin des Prez, Byrd and Palestrina. Byrd follows 2021’s Josquin des Prez which won the inaugural Gramophone Award for Spatial Audio.
The life and work of William Byrd (1540 - 1623) is one of the most incredible stories in English musical history. Byrd wrote music for Catholic worship in post-Reformation England, a time when papists were frequently hanged, beheaded and burned alive for practicing their faith. As a result, and despite being granted some leniency by Elizabeth I (who greatly admired his music), Byrd wrote much of his most significant music in secret. It was to be sung in clandestine Catholic services held in the homes of England’s Catholic gentry. 

The new album focuses on the final phase of Byrd’s career and retirement in Essex, containing the Mass for Four Voices and a selection of motets from his Gradualia, two works of divine polyphony written for underground worship. Alongside these works are a selection of Byrd’s “sacred songs”, written by the composer not for secret worship but for publication on a large scale, to be enjoyed by a broad audience of music-reading singers. 

Stile Antico is firmly established as one of the world’s most accomplished and innovative vocal ensembles. Working without a conductor, its twelve members have thrilled audiences on four continents with their colourful and vibrant performances of Renaissance polyphony. 

Besides the 2021 Gramophone Award for Spatial Audio, its numerous recordings have earned such accolades as the Gramophone Award for Early Music, Diapason d’or de l’année, Edison Klassiek Award, and Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik. The group has received three Grammy® nominations and performed live at the 60th Grammy® Awards at Madison Square Garden.

Stile Antico has appeared at many of Europe’s most important venues, including Wigmore Hall, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, and Leipzig Gewandhaus, and regularly features at such prestigious festivals as the BBC Proms and the Antwerp and Utrecht Early Music festivals. The group frequently tours to the US and Canada, and has appeared in Mexico, Colombia, Hong Kong and South Korea.

William Byrd will be released on Decca Classics on 13 January.
The 400th anniversary of the death of William Byrd is on 4 July, 2023.

TRACKLIST
1. Retire My Soul
2. Introit: Gaudeamus omnes
3. Mass for Four Voices: I. Kyrie
4. Mass for Four Voices: II. Gloria
5. Gradual and Alleluia: Propter veritatem - Assumpta est Maria
6. Mass for Four Voices: III. Credo
7. Offertory: Assumpta est Maria
8. Mass for Four Voices: IV. Sanctus - Benedictus
9. Communion: Optimum partem elegit
10. Mass for Four Voices: V. Agnus Dei
11. Turn Our Captivity, O Lord
12. Praise Our Lord, all Ye Gentiles
13. Laudate Dominum omnes gentes
14. Tribue, Domine