The Listening Service - Secret Music: Byrd's Masses

England in the 1590s. Elizabeth I is the reigning monarch and the religion of the country is Protestantism. Celebrating Catholic mass is outlawed. What does William Byrd, one of Elizabeth's most favoured composers, do? He writes three settings of the Catholic Mass in Latin. Why? Who will perform them? And what will happen to him as a result?

Published on Sunday, 2nd July 2023.

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