COMPOSER
William Byrd
1543 - 1623

William Byrd
William Byrd (; c. 1540 – 4 July 1623) was an English Renaissance composer. Considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he had a profound influence on composers both from his native country and on the Continent. He is often considered along with John Dunstaple and Henry Purcell as one of England's most important composers of early music. Byrd wrote in many of the forms current in England at the time, including various types of sacred and secular polyphony, keyboard (the so-called Virginalist school), and consort music. Read more on Wikipedia
His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. William Byrd is the 166th most popular composer (up from 233rd in 2019), the 591st most popular biography from United Kingdom (up from 717th in 2019) and the 6th most popular British Composer.
William Byrd is most famous for his composition, "My Lord, What a Morning."
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Among COMPOSERS
Among composers, William Byrd ranks 166 out of 1,451. Before him are Enrique Granados, Iannis Xenakis, Eduard Strauss, Émile Jaques-Dalcroze, Kurt Weill, and Adrian Willaert. After him are Karol Szymanowski, Hugo Wolf, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Gian Carlo Menotti, and Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach.
Most Popular Composers in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsEnrique Granados
1867 - 1916
HPI: 71.33
Rank: 160
Iannis Xenakis
1922 - 2001
HPI: 71.29
Rank: 161
Eduard Strauss
1835 - 1916
HPI: 71.20
Rank: 162
Émile Jaques-Dalcroze
1865 - 1950
HPI: 71.17
Rank: 163
Kurt Weill
1900 - 1950
HPI: 71.16
Rank: 164
Adrian Willaert
1490 - 1562
HPI: 71.12
Rank: 165
William Byrd
1543 - 1623
HPI: 71.09
Rank: 166
Karol Szymanowski
1882 - 1937
HPI: 71.08
Rank: 167
Hugo Wolf
1860 - 1903
HPI: 71.06
Rank: 168
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck
1562 - 1621
HPI: 71.04
Rank: 169
Ryuichi Sakamoto
1952 - 2023
HPI: 71.04
Rank: 170
Gian Carlo Menotti
1911 - 2007
HPI: 71.01
Rank: 171
Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach
1732 - 1795
HPI: 71.00
Rank: 172
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1543, William Byrd ranks 1. After him are Domenico Fontana, 3rd Dalai Lama, Charles III, Duke of Lorraine, Sharafkhan Bidlisi, Claudio Acquaviva, John Casimir of the Palatinate-Simmern, Kanō Eitoku, Michele Ruggieri, Christine of Hesse, Giovanni de' Medici, and Giovanni Bembo. Among people deceased in 1623, William Byrd ranks 6. Before him are Pope Gregory XV, Anne Hathaway, Halime Sultan, Mariam-uz-Zamani, and Tulsidas. After him are Josaphat Kuntsevych, John VII, Count of Nassau-Siegen, Jan Joosten van Lodensteijn, Uesugi Kagekatsu, Domenico Fetti, and Paolo Sarpi.
Others Born in 1543
Go to all RankingsWilliam Byrd
COMPOSER
1543 - 1623
HPI: 71.09
Rank: 1
Domenico Fontana
ARCHITECT
1543 - 1607
HPI: 70.50
Rank: 2
3rd Dalai Lama
POLITICIAN
1543 - 1588
HPI: 68.20
Rank: 3
Charles III, Duke of Lorraine
POLITICIAN
1543 - 1608
HPI: 67.05
Rank: 4
Sharafkhan Bidlisi
WRITER
1543 - 1603
HPI: 65.66
Rank: 5
Claudio Acquaviva
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1543 - 1615
HPI: 64.00
Rank: 6
John Casimir of the Palatinate-Simmern
NOBLEMAN
1543 - 1592
HPI: 62.53
Rank: 7
Kanō Eitoku
PAINTER
1543 - 1590
HPI: 62.39
Rank: 8
Michele Ruggieri
WRITER
1543 - 1607
HPI: 61.87
Rank: 9
Christine of Hesse
POLITICIAN
1543 - 1604
HPI: 61.63
Rank: 10
Giovanni de' Medici
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1543 - 1562
HPI: 60.30
Rank: 11
Giovanni Bembo
POLITICIAN
1543 - 1618
HPI: 59.89
Rank: 12
Others Deceased in 1623
Go to all RankingsPope Gregory XV
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1554 - 1623
HPI: 82.59
Rank: 1
Anne Hathaway
COMPANION
1556 - 1623
HPI: 80.60
Rank: 2
Halime Sultan
POLITICIAN
1576 - 1623
HPI: 76.13
Rank: 3
Mariam-uz-Zamani
COMPANION
1542 - 1623
HPI: 73.82
Rank: 4
Tulsidas
WRITER
1532 - 1623
HPI: 73.16
Rank: 5
William Byrd
COMPOSER
1543 - 1623
HPI: 71.09
Rank: 6
Josaphat Kuntsevych
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1580 - 1623
HPI: 69.06
Rank: 7
John VII, Count of Nassau-Siegen
POLITICIAN
1561 - 1623
HPI: 64.55
Rank: 8
Jan Joosten van Lodensteijn
EXPLORER
1556 - 1623
HPI: 63.51
Rank: 9
Uesugi Kagekatsu
POLITICIAN
1556 - 1623
HPI: 63.30
Rank: 10
Domenico Fetti
PAINTER
1589 - 1623
HPI: 63.29
Rank: 11
Paolo Sarpi
PHILOSOPHER
1552 - 1623
HPI: 62.75
Rank: 12
In United Kingdom
Among people born in United Kingdom, William Byrd ranks 591 out of 8,785. Before him are Joan of the Tower (1321), Edward the Confessor (1003), Jack Phillips (1887), George Green (1793), Ronald George Wreyford Norrish (1897), and Margot Fonteyn (1919). After him are Alexander Pope (1688), Frederick Gowland Hopkins (1861), Christopher Nolan (1970), Richard Williamson (1940), Gary Moore (1952), and Richard Attenborough (1923).
Others born in United Kingdom
Go to all RankingsJoan of the Tower
COMPANION
1321 - 1362
HPI: 71.18
Rank: 585
Edward the Confessor
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1003 - 1066
HPI: 71.18
Rank: 586
Jack Phillips
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1887 - 1912
HPI: 71.15
Rank: 587
George Green
MATHEMATICIAN
1793 - 1841
HPI: 71.13
Rank: 588
Ronald George Wreyford Norrish
CHEMIST
1897 - 1978
HPI: 71.13
Rank: 589
Margot Fonteyn
DANCER
1919 - 1991
HPI: 71.10
Rank: 590
William Byrd
COMPOSER
1543 - 1623
HPI: 71.09
Rank: 591
Alexander Pope
WRITER
1688 - 1744
HPI: 71.09
Rank: 592
Frederick Gowland Hopkins
CHEMIST
1861 - 1947
HPI: 71.09
Rank: 593
Christopher Nolan
FILM DIRECTOR
1970 - Present
HPI: 71.08
Rank: 594
Richard Williamson
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1940 - 2025
HPI: 71.07
Rank: 595
Gary Moore
MUSICIAN
1952 - 2011
HPI: 71.07
Rank: 596
Richard Attenborough
FILM DIRECTOR
1923 - 2014
HPI: 71.07
Rank: 597
Among COMPOSERS In United Kingdom
Among composers born in United Kingdom, William Byrd ranks 6. Before him are Edward Elgar (1857), Andrew Lloyd Webber (1948), Henry Purcell (1659), Benjamin Britten (1913), and Christopher Hogwood (1941). After him are Gustav Holst (1874), John Barry (1933), Eugen d'Albert (1864), Thomas Tallis (1502), Keith Emerson (1944), and Michael Nyman (1944).
Edward Elgar
1857 - 1934
HPI: 79.61
Rank: 1
Andrew Lloyd Webber
1948 - Present
HPI: 78.83
Rank: 2
Henry Purcell
1659 - 1695
HPI: 78.16
Rank: 3
Benjamin Britten
1913 - 1976
HPI: 73.16
Rank: 4
Christopher Hogwood
1941 - 2014
HPI: 71.94
Rank: 5
William Byrd
1543 - 1623
HPI: 71.09
Rank: 6
Gustav Holst
1874 - 1934
HPI: 70.55
Rank: 7
John Barry
1933 - 2011
HPI: 69.40
Rank: 8
Eugen d'Albert
1864 - 1932
HPI: 68.45
Rank: 9
Thomas Tallis
1502 - 1585
HPI: 67.16
Rank: 10
Keith Emerson
1944 - 2016
HPI: 66.79
Rank: 11
Michael Nyman
1944 - Present
HPI: 66.61
Rank: 12