This article presents a biography of composer William Byrd. He was born in 1543 and died in 1623. In his mid-twenties, he served as organist and choirmaster of Lincoln Cathedral. He was named a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal in 1572. He published three collections of Latin motets, one in 1575 and two in 1589 and 1591. Some of his music was banned in England in the anti-Catholic conflict following the 1605 Gunpowder Plot.