The Two Lives of William Byrd Video (DVD)

The life of William Byrd is chronicled in this look at the double life that he led. In Elizabethan England, the divide between the traditional Catholic Church and the new Anglican Church was a deep one, and many people found their careers and even their lives ended by being in one or the other. Byrd conducted the Chapel Royal, Queen Elizabeth's chapel, and she bestowed her patronage on this conductor of the Anglican court. But in secret, he was also a composer of Catholic music. He risked his life by committing what would have been a betrayal of the queen and of the Anglican church to create stunning sacred music for the Catholic Church. This odd double life resulted in a number of amazing choral pieces that can be heard in this video. Learn about the life of Byrd as well as about the political world of Elizabethan England in this video that presents four of Byrd's works sung by singers who specialize in Elizabethan music. With the authentic performances that use Elizabethan pronunciations, you'll hear these works just as they did.

(58 minutes)