This alman in C major (Ionian) survives anonymously in its only source, but was identified as Byrd’s work in 1973 by Oliver Neighbour, who notes that it is ‘more refined in workmanship than any other in the whole repertory of virginal music.’ The form is similar to the G major alman (BK89), being in three strains, each with a varied repeat, but unlike that work, the whole piece is heard again, with a fully worked out variation. It must be one of Byrd’s most mature compositions, no doubt dating from around 1600 or later.
from notes by Davitt Moroney © 1999
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