A Byrd Celebration

The New Liturgical Movement blog (NLM) reports that the Church Music Association of America (CMAA) was named as the publisher of the first-ever conference volume for the William Byrd Festival this year. The volume is called A Byrd Celebration, "and it features essays by the world top Byrd experts, writing about all aspects of his life and work."

As readers of my blog may know, I love the music of William Byrd, who was a very well known Catholic composer during the English Renaissance, a time in English history when it was not proper nor healthy to be Catholic, a theme that makes its way into Byrd's Catholic compositions.

NLM links to a recording of Byrd's marvelous music: Sing Joyfully, performed by The Tallis Scholars:



Sing joyfully to God our strength; sing loud unto the God of Jacob! Take the song, bring forth the timbrel, the pleasant harp, and the viol. Blow the trumpet in the new moon, even in the time appointed, and at our feast day. For this is a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.
-Psalm 81:1-4