Hyperion Records

Whereas these included two and three complete statements of the basic material, respectively, this even later C major setting gives the full tune only once (including, of course, the varied repeats to each of the two strains). By transposing the bass up a fourth, as he had done with Dowland’s Lachrymae (BK54), Byrd lifts the melody into a much brighter and more singing part of the instrument, while also allowing for fuller, richer chords underneath. The result is now highly satisfactory: the work is shorter, the musical thinking is more concise, the fingerwork is more technically brilliant, and the harmonies are more varied.

from notes by Davitt Moroney © 1999