William Byrd's Modal Practice

by John Harley

No English writers about music during Byrd's (1542-1632) time, dealt extensively with modes, says Harley, but foreign treatises on it were available in England, and Byrd's music had much in common with the music that was known to continental theorists, so he explores the extent to which Byrd's music exhibits characteristics those theorists would think of as modal. He considers Byrd's early training, some preliminary concepts, key and tonality, cadences, melodic range and shape, vocal clefs, choice of key, and tonal design. He concludes that Byrd compositional methods were probably not based on modal theory, but that the theory was based on the kind of music he wrote. Annotation 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

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