Lord Willoughby's Welcome Home / Rowland

William Byrd was one of the greatest composers of the English Renaissance and a master of both sacred and secular music. He also was one of the famous English virginalists.

These three variations were based on the widely known tune of the ballad 'Lord Willoughby's Welcome Home'. A ballad about the heroic exploits of Lord Willoughby (Peregrine Bertie), also called 'Rowland'. Byrd’s setting captures the spirit of Elizabethan England — full of rhythmic vitality, elegant ornamentation, and patriotic pride. It was originally written for the virginal and appears in several manuscript collections from Byrd’s time, including the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book. It sounds great on organ, of course.

Regarding the ornamentations, I followed the notes of this edition (Stainer), which explained that several ornamentations can be interpreted differently and it's not always obvious which ornament should be played, if and when it should be played. Since playing this on organ is quite different than on another keyboard instrument, I took some freedom with the ornamentations. Leaving some out, or adding some.