Editing William Byrd (section)

===Early compositions===
One of Byrd's earliest compositions was a collaboration with two Chapel Royal singing-men, [[John Sheppard (composer)|John Sheppard]] and [[William Mundy (composer)|William Mundy]], on a setting for four male voices of the [[psalm]] ''In exitu Israel'' for the procession to the font in Easter week. It was probably composed near the end of the reign of [[Mary I of England|Queen Mary Tudor]] (1553–1558),{{sfn|Harley|2016a|p=52}} who revived [[Sarum Rite|Sarum]] liturgical practices.

A few other compositions by Byrd also probably date from his teenage years. These include his setting of the Easter [[responsory]] ''Christus resurgens'' (a4) which was not published until 1605, but which as part of the Sarum liturgy could also have been composed during Mary's reign, as well as ''Alleluia confitemini (a3)'' which combines two liturgical items for Easter week. Some of the [[hymns]] and [[antiphons]] for keyboard and for [[Consort of instruments|consort]] may also date from this period, though it is also possible that the consort pieces may have been composed in [[Lincoln, Lincolnshire|Lincoln]] for the musical training of choirboys.

The 1560s were also important formative years for Byrd the composer. His ''Short Service'', an unpretentious setting of items for the Anglican [[Matins]], [[Eucharist|Communion]] and [[Evening Prayer (Anglican)|Evensong]] services, which seems to have been designed to comply with the Protestant reformers' demand for clear words and simple musical textures, may well have been composed during the Lincoln years. It is at any rate clear that Byrd was composing Anglican church music, for when he left Lincoln the Dean and Chapter continued to pay him at a reduced rate on condition that he would send the cathedral his compositions. Byrd had also taken serious strides with instrumental music. The seven ''In Nomine'' settings for consort (two a4 and five a5), at least one of the consort [[Fantasia (music)|fantasias]] (''Neighbour'' F1 a6) and a number of important keyboard works were apparently composed during the Lincoln years. The latter include the ''Ground in Gamut'' (described as "Mr Byrd's old ground") by his future pupil [[Thomas Tomkins]], the A minor Fantasia, and probably the first of Byrd's great series of keyboard [[pavane]]s and [[galliard]]s, a composition which was transcribed by Byrd from an original for five-part consort. All these show Byrd gradually emerging as a major figure on the Elizabethan musical landscape.

Some sets of keyboard variations, such as ''The Hunt's Up'' and the imperfectly preserved set on ''Gypsies' Round'' also seem to be early works. As we have seen, Byrd had begun setting Latin liturgical texts as a teenager, and he seems to have continued to do so at Lincoln. Two exceptional large-scale psalm [[motet]]s, ''Ad Dominum cum tribularer'' (a8) and ''Domine quis habitabit'' (a9), are Byrd's contribution to a paraliturgical form cultivated by [[Robert White (composer)|Robert White]] and Parsons. ''De lamentatione'', another early work, is a contribution to the Elizabethan practice of setting groups of verses from the ''[[Lamentations of Jeremiah]]'', following the format of the ''[[Tenebrae]]'' lessons sung in the Catholic rite during the last three days of [[Holy Week]]. Other contributors in this form include Tallis, White, Parsons and the [[Alfonso Ferrabosco (I)|elder Ferrabosco]]. It is likely that this practice was an expression of Elizabethan Catholic nostalgia, as a number of the texts suggest.