Elizabeth I's Musician: William Byrd

The most admired and influential composer during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I, William Byrd died exactly 400 years ago on 4 July 1623. Byrd’s music ranks among the most unique and inspired works of the late Renaissance. Remarkably, Byrd was a practicing Catholic in Anglican England who persistently faced threats of religious persecution.In this edition of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb finds out more to Byrd’s award-winning biographer Dr. Kerry McCarthy. This episode was produced by Rob Weinberg.The following musical extracts are used with the kind permission of the performers:Clarifica Me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXqpCaVnYfQ&t=29sPerformed by Léon BerbenDomines quis habitat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1zrywqZfyQPerformed by the Byrd EnsembleSimilles Illes Fiant (In Exitu Israel) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM8N8JlgnJAAd Dominum Cum Tribulare https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6KHWQ5OzWQPerformed by The Cardinall's Musick directed by Andrew CarwoodDiscover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians including Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code TUDORS. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up here >You can take part in our listener survey here.For more Not Just The Tudors content, subscribe to our Tudor Tuesday newsletter here.If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store.