Afterword

This Afterword provides an overview of Byrd scholarship in the three decades from the publication of Byrd Studies (Cambridge, 1992), to the appearance of Byrd Studies in the Twenty-First Century (Clemson, SC, 2023). After an account of the origin of the earlier volume, of which the author of this Afterword is the co-editor, attention is drawn to subjects common to articles in both volumes, and the similarities and differences in the approaches to these subjects by their respective authors are noted. There are also articles in the earlier volume on topics which are not discussed in the later one, and vice versa, and these too receive comment. Observations are offered regarding the significance of these presences and absences, and two topics which are not covered in either volume, and which are scarcely mentioned elsewhere in Byrd scholarship, are put forward as possible candidates for further research, though it is noted that predicting trends in the broad field of scholarship which surrounds Byrd can be imponderable. The Afterword concludes with a celebration of Byrd’s musical greatness, and the unique narrative aura which radiates from each of his works.