Page "William Byrd" Paragraph 3

There is no documentary evidence concerning Byrd's early musical training.

His two brothers were choristers at St. Paul's Cathedral, and Byrd may have been a chorister there as well under Simon Westcote, although it is possible that he was a chorister with the Chapel Royal.

According to Anthony a Wood, Byrd was ' bred up to musick under Tho.

Tallis ', and a reference in the prefatory material to the Cantiones sacrae published by Tallis and Byrd in 1575 tends to confirm that Byrd was a pupil of Thomas Tallis of the Chapel Royal.

Moreover one of Byrd's earliest compositions was a collaboration with two Chapel Royal singing-men, John Sheppard and William Mundy, on a setting for four male voices of the psalm In exitu Israel for the procession to the font in Easter week.

It was likely composed near the end of the reign of Queen Mary Tudor ( 1553 – 1558 ), who revived Sarum liturgical practices.