William Byrd, 1539/40 – 1623, was the leading English composer of his generation, and was a protegé of Thomas Tallis. In 1575 Queen Elizabeth I granted them a monopoly for printing, publishing and selling music and music paper.

He wrote extensively for every medium then available, except lute. Byrd is beast known for the development of the English madrigal.

This arrangement by Bill Reichenbach remains faithful to Byrd’s original music, and the brass quintet instrumentation adds color and dynamic shading to intensify the expressive qualities of the music. The two madrigals are Though Amaryllis Dance In Green and In Fields Abroad.

The excerpt includes the full versions of both pieces. It’s midi, using Note Performer, and will give you a preview of what your brass quintet may sound like.

Composer: Bill Reichenbach
Instrumentation: 2 Bb Trumpets, F Horn, Trombone, Bass Trombone/Tuba
Duration/# of Pages: ca. 2:50 / 14 pages, 8.5″ x 11″
Key: N/A