♫ Circumdederunt me doloris mortis
© Hyperion Records CDA68416
Text:
R. Circumdederunt me dolores mortis; et pericula inferni invenerunt me.
V. Tribulationem et dolorem inveni, et nomen Domini invocavi. O Domine, libera animam meam.
Translation:
R. The anguish of death surrounds me; the pains of hell are around me.
V. I met with trouble and sorrow: And I called upon the name of the Lord. O Lord, deliver my soul.
This Antiphon “Circumdederunt me” is used in the Officium Defunctorum ad Matutinum and set by William Byrd for five voices (ATTBB).In general the Circumdederunt is often especially used at the continent by Spanish and Portuguese composers in the Office of the Dead like Cristobal de Morales (c.1500-1553), Pedro Fernandez (1483-1547), Aires Fernandez (16th C.), Juan de Avila ( 16th C.), Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla (c.1590-1664), Bartolomeo Trosylho (1500-1567), Hernando Franco (1532-1585), Sebastian de Vivanco (c.1551-1622), the German Balthasar de Senarius (c.1485-1544) and even Orlando di Lasso (1532-1594) and Jacob Regnart (1540-1599) did. This Antiphon is set by them all as an invitatory Antiphon for the Office of the Dead. On the other hand the interesting plainchant Circumdederunt is often used in chansons, motets, parody masses and even used in the splendid Requiem Mass by the Jean Richafort (c.1480-c.1547) a composer belonging to the third Netherlandish generation. Further more a “Circumdederunt me” is on the other hand the Introit out of the liturgy of Septuagint/Septuagesima. But that text used in that plainchant differs from the wording used by the mentioned composers and in this case by William Byrd. It is difficult to give William Byrd a place as a Protestant composer between the Continental composer who solely worked in the Catholic area and for the Catholic/Roman services. But he was a catholic but with a lot of problems. But in 1590 Byrd left London and headed for Stondon Massey in Essex. Here Byrd became part of the extended Catholic family of Sir William Petre and took part in the recusant ceremonies centred on Ingatestone Hall.
So here Byrd wrote music for the catholic services so Byrd earlier did from 1570-1590..
The Latin motets included here at this website by Byrd were somewhere in between Byrd's rather official Protestant service music and the underground masses but the latter of course from an extraordinary level. In is his heart Byrd was a Catholic believer. Byrd was aware of the excellent technique by his Netherlandish colleagues abroad. And more William Byrd was befriended with the Italian Ferrabosco the elder (1543-1588) who left Italy and worked and lived together with him in London, so he could be familiar with the continental developments. Byrd indeed was.
This motet “Circumdederunt me” is written in an vast polyphonic imitative flowing style, with homophonic elements in it, starting with Tenor (bass), followed together with by Contratenor (TII), Medius (TI) , Bassus, and at last Superius. The atmosphere of this motet is austere. The total motet contains 86 bars. Of course Byrd uses a lot flats and sharps to give colour to the text and emphasizes certain words. But we mention in that particularly way “O Domine Libera animam meam” set in a repeated invocation from bars 67 up to the end, Byrd brings here homophonic and polyphonic technique together. The motet ends in full D-major underlining the wording “libera animam meam”.
This motet is published and found in Liber Secundus Sacrarum Cantionum, London 1591, nr. 15.