"Byrd was a prominent court composer but also a Catholic. Considering both sacred and secular music and both vocal and instrumental traditions, Brett's essays provide an intimate glimpse into what was unique about Byrd and his music. The selection offered here ranges from the report of Brett's findings on the Paston manuscripts to an unpublished roundtable paper that he delivered a few months before this untimely death, and features his monograph-length study of Byrd's magnum opus, Gradualia."--BOOK JACKET