The Voice Today...

What is a voice? A person who sings, an instrument that speaks, different voices coming together to form a single sound… A voice can take many forms. Inspired by the theme Giving Voice, each day in this newsletter we highlight a different way in which the voice can be used. Today, the voice of a composer: William Byrd.

William Byrd (1540–1623) wrote his music in a country and at a time when not every voice was free to be heard. As a Catholic at the Protestant court of Queen Elizabeth I of England, he found himself in an uncomfortable position. Catholic worship was forbidden, yet Byrd continued to write music for the liturgy of his faith. His masses and motets were not intended for large public church services, but could be performed during Catholic celebrations held secretly, in private settings.

Today sees the start of The Singing Byrd, a series of five concerts exploring different facets of Byrd’s vocal music. The series opens with Singing in Secret, in which The Marian Consort places Byrd’s music in the intimate setting of such a clandestine mass. What once sounded for a small, hidden community can now be heard in the Sint-Augustinuskerk by anyone who wishes to listen.

And this is where the voice comes to the fore in the most literal sense. In Byrd’s polyphonic music, an individual voice can briefly take centre stage before once again merging with the other voices. Listening to Byrd is therefore also an experience of the constant movement between the individual and the collective.

Having a voice does not only mean that you can be heard, but also that you are allowed to be heard. In Byrd’s case, this takes on an added significance. His music gave a voice to a faith that was increasingly being pushed out of public life. Perhaps it is therefore telling that his music so often revolves around voices seeking, answering and strengthening one another. Centuries later, no one needs to remain silent. Byrd’s voices can be heard once again - not hidden away in a private space, but in the heart of Utrecht.

Music That Breathes

What happens when a voice and three Renaissance flutes come together to create a single breathing sound world? In Holy Ghost by Phaedrus and Jonatan Alvarado, the voice takes centre stage in music where human breath, spirit and sound are constantly intertwined. The programme moves from the story of Pentecost – the rushing wind, tongues of fire and the apostles suddenly speaking in every language – to polyphonic music by Josquin, Ockeghem, Binchois, Mouton and others.

Alvarado’s voice is surrounded by three traversos, the Renaissance flute known for its particular affinity with the human voice. The instruments imitate, colour and extend the singing, so that individual lines can sometimes sound almost like voices themselves, giving the music a layered, spatial quality. Listen, for example, to how a melody seems to pass from one voice to another, or how voice and flute gradually become intertwined.

Alongside contemplative sacred music, there is also a sense of playfulness: improvisation, musical riddles and even a drinking song in which pain is transformed into joy. Holy Ghost thus moves constantly between the earthly and the spiritual, between speaking, singing and breathing – revealing just how many forms a single voice can take.

The Italian Project

The Italian Project is the second concert by co-curator Patrick Ayrton. Following his English cycle Astrophil & Stella, Ayrton now turns to Italy, exploring the music and poetry of the Renaissance and early Baroque. Monteverdi, Cavalli and Caccini give voice to love, desire and longing, while the human voice takes centre stage. The programme also features premieres from Ayrton’s new cycle Rosa e Spina, drawing on seventeenth-century musical language while forging a connection between past and present.

Also on today's programme…

Canzonas and ricercars for recorder by Erik Bosgraaf, Armenian and Italian Baroque music by viola da gamba duo Intesa, sounds of loss and hope by La Tempête, and more…

Today on EMTV

With Early Music Television, you can watch live concerts from Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht 2026 from the comfort of your own home. Today: The Marian Consort and La Tempête

In the media

Fancy reliving the opening weekend? Several reviews appeared in the national newspapers, including the NRC, de Volkskrant and Trouw (all in Dutch).