William Byrd's striking six-voice motet Ne irascaris, published in the 1589 Cantiones sacrae, is all but unknown to modern audiences, despite its being one of the finest Latin motets of the late sixteenth century and certainly one of the best representatives of Byrd's so-called middle period. The well-known piece Civitas sancti tui (and its adaptation into the better-known Anglican anthem Bow Thine Ear, O Lord) however, is nothing more than the Ne irascaris motet without its first part; although bisecting so carefully planned a work as Ne irascaris in such a way cannot fail to reduce its intense structural beauty, Byrd's masterful expressive powers are fully represented in the Civitas sancti tui half. While the Ne irascaris portion of the motet is intentionally restrained, Civitas sancti tui positively gushes forth with emotion (the expression is dimmed somewhat, however, if the restrained backdrop is absent). The tonal axis between F and D is traversed by the running counterpoint, only to return to F for a homophonic conclusion.



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