William Byrd - Out of the Orient Crystal Skies (c. 1596)

William Byrd (birth date variously given as c.1539/40 or 1543 – 4 July 1623) was an English composer of the Renaissance. Widely considered to be one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance and one of the greatest British composers, he had a profound influence on composers both from his native England and those on the continent. He wrote in many of the forms current in England at the time, including various types of sacred and secular polyphony, keyboard (the so-called Virginalist school), and consort music.

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"Out of the orient crystal skies" (c. 1596)

Emma Kirkby, soprano
Fretwork:
Richard Boothby, Richard Campbell, Wendy Gillespie, Julia Hodgson, William Hunt, Susanna Pell, viols

Out of the Orient Crystal Skies is a joyous consort song that tells the story of the nativity. The song is part of a collection of Byrd's works for voice and five viols that was composed during Advent, a time of religious introspection before Christmas. The song ends with an exuberant "Falantidingdido", a word whose meaning is unknown. It comes from a manuscript collection assembled by Edward Paston from Appleton Hall.