Thomas Tallis (1505-1585)
Created | Updated Oct 20, 2010
Tallis was a prolific composer of sacred music for both the Roman Catholic and the Protestant churches. His career spanned three monarchies: Henry VIII (with the dissolution of the monasteries), Mary (who re-established Catholicism) and Elizabeth I.
He began his career as organist at the Benedictine Priory at Dover, then moved to Waltham Abbey where he stayed until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1540. He was then appointed organist at Canterbury Cathedral, and in 1543 was made Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, which position he retained until his death. Like Byrd (his pupil) he remained loyal to the old religion, yet he managed to retain Royal favour in reformist Elizabethan England.
Probably his most famous work is a motet in forty parts, Spem In Alium, although one of his minor tunes (the third of a set of nine written in 1567 for Archbishop of Canterbury, Matthew Parker's Psalter, and which did not even receive the dignity of a separate name) was used by Ralph Vaughan-Williams as the theme in his Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis. I make no secret of the fact that, in my opinion, this is the most beautiful piece of music ever composed.
Tallis lived at the time when printed music was just becoming possible, and as a result a very substantial body of work survives, notably many anthems for liturgical use (he was a pioneer of the anthem in England) but also separate works such as his Lamentations of Jeremiah. Tallis and Byrd held the sole license for the publication of ecclesiatical music.
Finally, I note that Tallis inspired the following poem by Terence "Spike" Milligan:
Thomas Tallis
Bore no man any malice
Save an organist called Ken
Who played his music rather badly now and then.
