Byrd and Beyond: Challenged by Faith

When William Byrd converted to Catholicism halfway through his long life, he did so at a time of danger and persecution. Sublime motets were born out of anguish, and for a while he was practising one faith while making music for another. He composed Catholic mass settings to be performed in secret, and wrote Latin motets at the same time that the Gunpowder Plot was being organised. His faith undoubtedly inspired him, but it also demanded much of him, on both a practical and personal level.

Harry Christophers, conductor of The Sixteen, explores these elements from Byrd’s life and examines the complex relationship between faith and music, not only in Byrd's time but also in the present day, with contributions from contemporary composers Sir James MacMillan, Roxanna Panufnik and Nico Muhly, as well as singers, theologians and musicians who live with both the tension and inspiration of faith today.