Composer Information: John Byrt

John Byrt is a free-lance conductor, scholar, and composer. In his youth he directed the Schola Cantorum of Oxford and was conductor of Musica Reservata. He made the first recording of Taverner's Missa Corona Spinea and over the years has broadcast Gesualdo madrigals, Byrd propers and West Gallery Carols for the BBC. He writes and lectures on baroque music. As a composer he is mainly known for his choral music: his folk song arrangements are sung all over the world. Recently he has turned his attention to solo songs and duets.

New Works (February 2005)
Songs of the Earth - Four Songs from the Vegetable Garden; voice and piano
Four songs to texts by women poets (1994); mezzo-soprano and piano
Pickers and Stealers -Three Pieces for Young Pianists
Variations on Puccini's 'Che gelida manina' - Piano Solo
St Magnus Variations - Variations on a 12th Century Orkney Theme - Piano Duet

Choral works include:
The Beginning and the End for mezzo-soprano, SATB, piano and organ. Words from The Rock by TS Eliot (1972).
Three polytonal part-songs (1972)
Exaudi Domine cantata for tenor solo, chorus and orchestra (1986).

Carols:
All and Some (1961). (The Novello Book of Carols).

Folk-song arrangements:
Among the leaves so green-O, Faithful Johnny and The Keel Row (Folk Songs for Choirs ed. John Rutter, Oxford 1983)

Song Cycles include:
Four madrigals (1974/1990)

Instrumental music includes
Wind quintet (1974/1992)
Incidental music for Camino Real (Tennessee Williams) for organ and percussion (1974)
Sonatina for clarinet and piano (1974)

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