Interview with Stile Anticoby Bethany Tillerson (Photo credit: Kaupo Kikkas)Rosie Parker and Rebecca Hickey of Stile Antico appear on Preview! this week to talk with Rob Kennedy about the music of William Byrd, whose compositions appear on their most recent release, The Golden Renaissance.KENN.
WTJU Mar 2nd, 2021 | By Ralph Graves
There are plenty of Renaissance keyboard recordings floating around. So what makes this release special. Three things: the music, the performer, and the instrument.
The music is mostly from Tisdales Virginal Book, supplemented with selections from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book. Very little is known about William Tisdale, save that he was a composer and keyboardist active around 1600.
The Tisdale Virginal Book is a collection thought to be written by Tisdale. It includes 21 pieces by William Byrd, John Dowland, Thomas Morley, and other English composers.
First, the music. The Tisdale Virginal Book and the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book were the few places Tisdale’s music was preserved. Tisdale wrote in a richly complex harmonic language that sets his music apart. To hear most of Tisdale’s works gathered together show the consistent quality of his style.