On editing Byrd

This final volume of the Byrd Edition marks the end of an era in Byrd scholarship. Edmund Fellowes, who was editing Byrd's music during the Great War, published much of the vocal music in Stainer & Bell's English Madrigal School series, later incorporated into a complete edition of Byrd's music, 1937-1950. In 1962 Thurston Dart began a much-needed revision of Fellowes's work, aided by Philip Brett. From 1968 onwards this became a new edition (The Byrd Edition), which was continued by Brett after Dart's death in 1971. The only music by Byrd not appearing in this edition is the keyboard music, which was edited by Alan Brown for Musica Britannica (vols.27 and 28).

Thirty-five years later The Byrd Edition is complete. Tragically, Brett did not live to see the end of the project, but his obviously meticulous direction allowed the series to be completed after his death in October 2002. The Byrd Edition now stands as a memorial not only to Brett's work as General Editor, but to his editing of eight individual volumes. (Craig Monson edited four volumes, Alan Brown and Warwick Edwards two each, and Jeremy Smith, David Mateer, John Morehen and Kenneth Elliott one each.)

David Mateer's edition of the Songs of Sundrie Natures (1589) replaces Fellowes's edition of 1920 (English Madrigal School, vol.15). While the 1588 Psalmes, Sonets and Songs is a collection of five-voiced songs, mainly arrangements of consort songs, the 1589 set is for various forces, with songs presented in sections for three, four, five and six voices—there being 14, 11, 12 and 10 items, respectively. Twenty songs are paired as first and second parts. There is also one solo and one duet with chorus, each introduced as 'A Carowle for Christmas day': these are the five-part From virgin's womb (no.35) and the six-part An earthly tree (no.40), which have four-part choruses (nos.24 and 25). Like Fellowes, Mateer locates these two pairs where the choruses come anyway, in the four-part section of the print. This results in an anomaly in the list of contents, since a five-part item and a six-part item now appear in the four-part section of the list. It would have been helpful, perhaps, to have identified these songs in the contents list as having more voice-parts than the four implied by this placing.

Unlike Fellowes, Mateer has decided that these 'car-owles' should appear in the order of a late medieval carol, with the 'burden' coming at the beginning as well as after each verse. He therefore places each chorus in front of its 'verse' item, in the reverse order of Fellowes's edition, but in Byrd's own order for the Lullaby in the 1588 songs. This is not an incontrovertible interpretation of the evidence, but it is sensible and very probably correct.

Of the songs put together as first and second parts one pair, curiously, was separated in the first two editions (1589, 1596), where See those sweet eyes (no.29) and Love would discharge (no.34) are identified as two parts of a single work only by a note at the end of no.34. In the third and last edition (1610) the two parts were brought together. Mateer brings forward Love would discharge to follow its partner, which causes no anomaly in the list of contents because both items are in five voices. He retains Byrd's original numbering in all cases of relocation, however: this is surely the correct decision, even though it makes the list of contents look slightly odd because the numbering is not consecutive throughout.

The edition uses the pitch, note-values and mensuration signs of the original prints, so prefatory staves show only Byrd's clefs and 'key signatures'. One wonders whether the prefatory staves are needed at all, since most of the music uses standard clef configurations with 'key signatures' that are repeated in the edition (except for...