Search - Byrd Choir, Gavin Turner :: Complete Gradualia 1

Byrd published his first set of Gradualia, containing Propers of the Roman Catholic Mass, in 1605, several years after he had withdrawn from court life and moved to the country. Nearby was the estate of friend and fellow Catholic Sir John Petre, in whose house the Roman liturgy could be practiced in relative safety from Protestant authorities. In addition to the famous three-, four-, and five-part Latin masses, which he published in the 1590s (without his name on the title page), Byrd expressed his Catholic loyalties with his two sets of Gradualia, the first of which (the one recorded here) contains flagrantly Marian texts, a clear confirmation of Byrd's alliance with the new militant spirit of Catholic reformers. The outstanding quality of the music reflects a simple elegance, structural refinement, and reverent spirit. This recording is the only one to comprehensively cover this repertoire, and these impressively polished, intelligent performances will be hard to beat. --David Vernier