Early music lovers from far and wide flocked to hear the music of William Byrd at Stondon Massey Church over two weekends in May. William Byrd lived in the village until his death in 1623.
A ‘William Byrd Festival’ was organised by the congregation of St Peter & St Paul Church in order to raise money to build a new Garden of Remembrance in the churchyard where Byrd is thought to have been buried in an unmarked grave. The Festival not only realised £2200 but also raised the profile of the man who ought to be as well-known as his contemporary, William Shakespeare. To use a pun, the Festival killed two birds with one stone.
William Byrd was a recusant Catholic, refusing to attend the Church of England at a time when staying away from Services was illegal. He, with other ‘papists’, was frequently named before the Archdeaconry Court and fined huge sums of money. Byrd wrote music for the Catholic faith, which was banned, but was spared punishment because he had friends in high places. He was a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, the monarch’s personal choir, and his music was liked by Queen Elizabeth I and her successor King James I. The Petre family of Ingatestone Hall were his Patrons, and it was to John Petre that Byrd dedicated his second book of Latin Catholic church music in 1607. He was both loyal and yet a traitor.
Leading the cast on the first Saturday of the Festival was Richard Turbet, from the University of Aberdeen, an expert on the life and work of Byrd. He led a lecture / recital entitled “William Byrd: His Essex Years” which explored the composer’s musical output while living in Stondon Massey. He was supported by the Stondon Singers under their conductor Christopher Tinker.
The event was held twice. The present Lord Petre attended the matinee performance.
A traditional Morning Prayer service was held the following morning with music by Byrd played on the organ by John Hatt and an anthem sung by the church music group, Jubilate.
The second weekend’s events were led by a Saturday concert by the Writtle Singers, under Christine Gwynn, making their debut performance at St Peter & St Paul Church. Their programme – ‘William Byrd: Loyal Heart or Traitor?’ - explored Byrd’s life as a recusant Catholic and the protest songs he secretly composed.
The Festival concluded on the Sunday with a service of Favourite Hymns, reflecting Byrd’s wish that ‘every man should learne to sing’.
The event has put William Byrd on the map as far as the church is concerned. During the second week one of the congregation visited the church in order to set up the space for a choir rehearsal to find affixed to the door a bunch of flowers with a request to place them on the grave of the ‘English composer’. The flowers were sent by well-wishers from ‘Tom Garrison and the Trinity Choir’ which following a little Internet research turned out to be the Episcopal Cathedral in Kansas City. It was decided to arrange the flowers on the Memorial Tablet to the great composer inside the church. The Festival website (www.williambyrdfestival.blogspot.com), which remains open, shows that William Byrd is very popular in America with over a third of the hits coming from that country.
Members of the congregation received some lovely comments and have been encouraged to make more of William Byrd’s name in Essex. As Revd Edward Reeve, Rector of Stondon Massey wrote a century ago: “We can claim Byrd for our own”.
Two books are available at the church priced £2 each. ‘William Byrd: Some Notes’, and a biography of Reeve himself.