“Vigilate”. Composed By William Byrd. Sung By The Tallis Scholars. “. . . As Near Extra-Terrestrial As You Can Get, Sitting In A Concert Hall . . .” — Fiona Maddocks: The Observer Newspaper.

Interior of King Henry VII's Chapel,

Westminster Abbey, London, England.

Artist: Canaletto (1697–1768).

Date: Early-1750s.

Collection: Private Collection.

Source/Photographer: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

“Vigilate”.

[“Watch Over”].

Composed by:William Byrd.

Sung by: The Tallis Scholars.

Musical Director: Peter Phillips.

From their Album:

“Byrd: Playing Elizabeth's Tune”

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

From Fiona Maddocks of The Observer Newspaper,

speaking about The Tallis Scholars:

“. . . As near Extra-Terrestrial As You Can Get, Sitting In A Concert Hall . . .”

William Byrd.

Date: Unknown.

Source: http://www.renaissancemusic.pe.kr/

musician_p/william%20byrd.htm

Author: Gerard van der Guch, d'après une peinture

de Nicola Francesco Haym du British Museum.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia.

William Byrd (1539 – 4 July 1623), was an English composer of The Renaissance. He wrote in many of the forms current in England at the time, including various types of Sacred and Secular Polyphony, Keyboard (the so-called Virginalist School), and Consort Music.

Although he produced Sacred Music for Anglican Services, sometime during the 1570s he became a Roman Catholic and wrote Catholic Sacred Music later in his life.