William Byrd (; 4 July 1623) was an English composer of late Renaissance music. Considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he had a profound influence on composers both from his native England and on the continent. He is often coupled with John Dunstaple and Henry Purcell as England's most important early music composers. He 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. Although he produced sacred music for Anglican services, sometime during the 1570s he became a Roman Catholic and wrote Catholic sacred music later in his life. Life Early life Birth and background Richard Byrd of Ingatestone, Essex, was the grandfather of Thomas Byrd, who probably moved to London in the 15th century. Thereafter succeeding generations of the Byrd family are described as gentlemen. William Byrd was probably born in London, the third surviving son of Thomas Byrd and his wife, Margery. No record of his birth has survived, and the year of his birth is not known for certain, but a document dated 2 October 1598, and written by William Byrd, states that he is "58 yeares or ther abouts", making the year he was born to be 1539 or 1540. Byrd's will of November 1622 provides a later date for his birth, as in it Byrd states that he was then in the "80th year of mine age". The historian Kerry McCarthy has suggested that discrepancy over these dates may have been due to the will not being kept up to date over a period of several years. Byrd was born into a musical and relatively wealthy family. He had two older brothers, Symond and John, who became London merchants and active members of their respective livery companies. One of his four sisters, Barbara was married to a maker of musical instruments who kept a shop; his three other sisters, Martha, Mary and Alice, were likely also married to merchants. Youth Details of Byrd's childhood are speculative. There is no documentary evidence concerning Byrd's education or early musical training. His two brothers were choristers at St. Paul's Cathedral, and Byrd may have been a chorister there as well, although it is possible that he was a chorister with the Chapel Royal. According to Anthony Wood, Byrd was "bred up to musick under Tho. Tallis", and