BYRD: Complete Fantasias for Harpsichord

Wilson, Glen

8.572433

Before William Byrd took up his post as organist at Lincoln Cathedral at the age of 22, his life lay in the total darkness of the past. But it is clear that Byrd came from a musical family, because two of his brothers sang in the choir of St. Paul's. It is astonishing that the confessing Catholic was able to make a career at the almost fanatical Protestant court of Elisabeth I. But the monarch knew all too well about the value of her subject. The Fantasies for harpsichord were just beginning to be adapted to the harpsichord by the lute or the Consort cast during Syrd's youth. Under William Byrd, the Fantasies developed into excellent cabinet pieces of virtuoso harpsichord art. The fugue-like passages at the beginning make way for lively, homophonic dance-like sections that finally open the door to virtuosity, which was not the case with the older models. William Byrd has revolutionized the fantasy for the harpsichord!

CD

Muzyka klasyczna

Naxos

21-10-2011

747313243372