The Research Of The Style Of English Virginalist School

The Virginal works composed by William Byrd and other composers called English Virginalist School from 1550s to 1630s are the subjects of the research for the thesis. The following points of view are demonstrated in it through the analysis of musical techniques and characters to summarize their musical style:The English Virginal School had first established the style of the harpsichord.The thesis consists of five parts. The first Introduction suggests the meaning, the history and its present situation of the research. Chapter One describes the history, the form of the virginal instruments and the formation, the representative musicians and the important manuscripts of the Virginal School. Chapter Two takes the virginal works of William Byrd as the example that are divided into five types to draw the preliminary conclusion. Chapter Three is the demonstration of the style in the virginal works by William Byrd, combined with other Virginal School composers’ creation to show the music style of the whole school and then come to a Conclusion:The English Virginal School had first established the style of the harpsichord.