Product Description
Selected scenes from William Byrd's The Battel
Composed around 1590, the Battel is a suite of 12 short movements that follow William Byrd's well known work, The Earl of Oxford's March, in the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book. This wondeful example of Renaissance and Elizabethan music is one of the earliest known examples of programmatic music.
This arrangement for modern wind band draws on four movements from the original: The Souldiers Sommons, The Marche to the Fighte, The Buriing of the Dead, and The Souldiers Dance. Byrds melodies and harmonies remain intact, while the instrumentation adds color through rich brass textures, nimble woodwind lines, and dynamic percussion.
Grade Level: 3+
Duration: 5:45
Full sample recording (on YouTube)
Program Notes
Composed around 1590, The Battel by William Byrd is one of the earliest known examples of programmatic musican imaginative suite originally written for keyboard and depicting scenes of military life. Each of the 12 short movements portray a vivid chapter: calls to arms, marching troops, clashing forces, and the somber aftermath.
Though written in a time of political and religious upheaval, Byrds The Battel still resonates todayas a musical portrait of courage, conflict, and resilience.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.