The sacred anthem has had a unique conception and development that compares readily to that of other major forms of sacred music. Since an abundance of this music is used in our services, it is the purpose of this study to trace the history of the anthem from its origin in the early Tudor period to its culmination in the works of William Byrd. A special study will be made of the anthems by this master of the form.

This thesis is a study of the usage of sixteenth-century polyphonic devices as employed by the English composer William Byrd and the Italian composer Pierluigi Palestrina. Both men represented a culmination of sixteenth-century contrapuntal composition in their respective school and period, Byrd of the Renaissance Tudor period, and Palestrina of the Roman school and Renaissance period. Palestrina's work became a pattern for sacred Roman music during the late Renaissance because of its consistency, its origin in the modes, and its compositional style. As it became a popular standard for Latin liturgical music, Catholic composers of all nationalities began to use it as a guide for their writing. At this time in England, one such young composer named William Byrd began to emulate Palestrina. Up to this time few of the English composers had taken advantage of the progress made by the musicians of the Netherlands school. These two composers lived about the same time, and their vocal works are quite comparable, yet there was never any known contact between them. There seem to be some notable differences, but each of these is as consistent as the similarities. Both men were prolific writers of motets, which mirrored all of the Roman Catholic Church activities in an ecclesiastical year. Twelve motets by each composer, six from the early works and six from the late works of each, were chosen for contrast and comparison. In his book, Direct Approach to Counterpoint in 16th-Century Style, C.F. Soderlund set forth a conclusive and concise set of rules which he felt particularly characterized the music of Palestrina. A select group of rules or practices, some pertaining to the melodic line and others concerned with dissonances, was chosen from Soderlund's book to be used as a basis for comparison and contrast of the motets of Palestrina and Byrd.

By considering sixteenth-century English chorister training, modern singers of Renaissance vocal music are informed of the practical and academic demands unique to Elizabethan musicians and audiences. Clauses in relevant choirmaster contracts provide an insight into pedagogical expectations of teachers and their choristers. Studies included plainchant, grammar, Latin, rhetoric, improvisation, poetry, morality, instrumental instruction on organ and viols, and composition. For those not associated with cathedrals and collegiate chapels, Thomas Morley outlined the educational sequence of his teacher's generation in his 1597 publication, "A plaine and easie introduction to practicall musicke." Morley presented education as discourse between students and teacher, and covered the fundamentals of singing, improvisation, and composition. With the digitization of and online access to Renaissance performing sources, present-day performers can readily examine the design of sixteenth-century manuscript and printed partbooks. Performance practice recommendations can be gleaned from the physical nature of the music that once equipped the Renaissance chorister with the visual means necessary for expression. Combined with principles of chorister training, this project suggests learned choices in pronunciation, tone, intonation, phrasing, pitch, text underlay, musica ficta, rhetoric, and expression for the prima pars of William Byrd's middle period motet, "Tristitia et anxietas." With the digitization of and online access to Renaissance performing sources, present-day performers can readily examine the design of sixteenth-century manuscript and printed partbooks. Performance practice recommendations can be gleaned from the physical nature of the music that once equipped the Renaissance chorister with the visual means necessary for expression. Combined with principles of chorister training, this project suggests learned choices in pronunciation, tone, intonation, phrasing, pitch, text underlay, musica ficta, rhetoric, and expression for the prima pars of William Byrd's middle period motet, "Tristitia et anxietas."