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Composers

Thomas Tallis (c.1505-1585)

Thomas Tallis was the greatest British composer of the mid-16th century. He served as a lay clerk at Cantebury Cathedral and then as Gentleman of the Chapel Royal during the reighs of four monarchs—Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary, and Elizabeth I. Tallis was among the first to set English words to music for the rites of the Church of England, although most of his vocal music was written in Latin. In 1575, Tallis and his fellow organist-composer William Byrd received a 21-year license from Elizabeth I to print and sell music and music paper. They issued their joint work Cantiones quae ab argumento Sacrae vocantur, quinque et sex partium, containing 16 motets by Tallis and 18 by Byrd, some of which would be given English translations and be sung for centuries as Anglican cathedral anthems. A composer of great contrapuntal skill, Tallis’ compositions show a great expressivity and are cast in a bewildering variety of styles. For the most part, however, he was content to compose in an unostentatious manner, relying not on technical display but on the mastery and control born of long experience. A notable exception to this is the 40-voice Spem in alium.

Links

For more information about the life and music of Thomas Tallis, check out these other websites:

Tallis, Thomas (c.1505-1585)
A brief page devoted to Thomas Tallis by HNH, which produces the Naxos and Marco Polo recordings.
Thomas Tallis and English Church Music
From the homepage of St. Alfege Church, the Parish Church of Greenwich, London, England, where Thomas Tallis is buried.
A Brief History of Thomas Tallis
A description of the theme used in Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis.”

Vocal Works Performed by SFBC

  • Mass for Four Voices
    • Kyrie Deus Creator (Sarum Chant)
    • Gloria
    • Credo
    • Sanctus
    • Agnus dei
  • Remember Not, O Lord God
  • Salvator mundi
  • Spem in alium

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