Ye Sacred Muses

Ye Sacred Muses is William Byrd's Musical elegy on the death of his colleague and sometime mentor, Thomas Tallis. It is scored for 5 vv (usually four viols and countertenor).

The words are:-

Ye sacred Muses, race of Jove,

whom Music's lore delighteth,

Come down from crystal heav'ns above

to earth where sorrow dwelleth,

In mourning weeds, with tears in eyes:

Tallis is dead, and Music dies.

The concluding lines are particularly effective and are repeated.

External links

• Free scores of Ye Sacred Muses in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
• Informal performance by 'Wolftooth' (viol consort and alto)