• Prelude g-moll;Fantasias BK 62, BK 63, MBLV 55; Fantasia A Lesson in Voluntaire C-Dur; Preludes & Fantasias C-Dur & a-moll; Ut, re, mi; Ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la BK58 & BK64; Salvator Mundi BK 68 & BK 69; Clarifica me BK 47, BK 48, BK 49; Miserere BK 66 & BK 67Christe, qui lux; In nomine; Gloria tibi trinitas; A Ground; The Queens Alman; Voluntary for my lady Nevell; Pavan Lachrymae; A Verse of two parts; A Fancie d-moll; A Voluntarie C-Dur

In 2023, Brilliant Classics released a 9-CD box set of the complete piano music of William Byrd to mark the 300th anniversary of the composer's death. The set has been hailed as a monumental achievement and a worthy follow-up to Davitt Moroney's pioneering work on Hyperion: "Anyone who has enjoyed Belder's direct and imaginatively ornate Byrd performances in his complete Fitzwilliam Virginal Book survey will know what to expect," wrote Jed Distler in Classics Today. "He favors less agogic manipulation and a more conservative rhythmic continuity compared to Hyperion's Davitt Moroney." A palpable sense of controlled freedom, however, characterizes Belder's subtle placement of cadences and phrase endings and his flexibly articulated ornaments

This album is an excerpt from this critically acclaimed set and presents all the pieces that Pieter-Jan Belder recorded on the Albert Kiespenning organ in the Grote Kerk in Wijk bij Duurstede. The extent to which any of these pieces were written 'for organ' remains debatable as, allowing for some imaginative liberties, they could be performed on any keyboard instrument, and indeed many contemporary pianists have revived Byrd's music for a new generation of listeners.

Whether he is heard on a Steinway or a spinet, Byrd is the first great composer for the keyboard, even when producing instrumental versions of choral anthems. Belder has recorded several such pieces here, which find a natural home 'in the church' rather than in the domestic environment of the harpsichord. Two versions of Salvator Mundi are in fact precursors of chorale preludes; likewise three versions of Clarifica me. Several voluntarias, despite their very florid composition, are no less idiomatic on the organ, while the various preludes or fantasias and their accompanying fugues also deserve to be considered alongside notable pre-Bachian models by Frescobaldi and Buxtehude.

According to Early Music Review: "In terms of performance, Belder's strength lies in letting Byrd speak through the music, rather than imposing an interpretive regime on the music ... It remains to wholeheartedly welcome and recommend this magnificent discographic achievement."

William Byrd (ca. 1540-1623) was an English composer of late Renaissance music. He is considered one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance and had a profound influence on composers both in his native England and on the Continent. After his death, he was mentioned in the records of the Chapel Royal as the 'Father of Music'. He wrote in many of the forms then current in England, including various types of sacred and secular polyphony, keyboard music (the so-called Virginalist school) and consort music.

Byrd's exploration of polyphony and chromaticism within the confines of his keyboard compositions reflects his remarkable skill and artistic innovation. His complete organ music remains an invaluable treasure trove and offers a glimpse into the soul of the musical genius of the English Renaissance.

Played by Pieter-Jan Belder on the Albert Kiespenning organ of the Grote Kerk, Wijk bij Duurstede, Netherlands, the technical specifications of which are included in the booklet.

Pieter-Jan Belder, one of the most important keyboard musicians of our time, has also recorded Byrd's complete harpsichord music, which has received several 5-star reviews in the international press.