Mass for 3 Voices

Back in the 1590s, Byrd’s main challenge when composing his Mass for Three Voices was a lack of models to guide him. The English Mass had died out with Queen Mary in 1558, and modern masses from the Continent were not legally available. Ultimately it was his own voice he found. It was self-effacing, highly economical, and perfectly tailored to the real world of performance. Of the three settings he published, Byrd must surely have known that this one would be the most useful—performable by just three singers. Setting the long, complex text of the mass for just three voices required more art than using the standard four or five voices. Byrd’s resourcefulness is matched only by his practicality. The opening “Kyrie” doesn’t indulge in superfluous repetition, melodic decoration, or conversational imitation between the voices—a simple chordal style is sufficient. There’s precious little room for illustrating the text either, and Byrd concentrates instead on linking words and phrases that belong together in sense or syntax. Only in the “Sanctus” at the words “gloria tua” (“full of glory”) is there a flash of genuine excitement. As in his companion Mass settings for four and five voices, it’s the final “Agnus Dei” where Byrd’s fixed face finally softens. Here the music breathes more freely, with the key words “Dona nobis pacem” (“grant us peace”) clothed in the longest musical phrase of the work.