Tallis, Thomas

Tallis, Thomas (c.1505–85). English composer and organist, whose early career included short periods at Dover priory, St Mary-at-Hill in London, Waltham abbey in Essex, and Canterbury cathedral. By 1545 he was a gentleman of the Chapel Royal, where he remained, also acting as organist, until his death. Thus, unusually, Tallis served four monarchs, something apparent in his music. His early works for Henry VIII involve traditional catholic polyphony, whereas the six years of Anglican liturgy under Edward VI required new styles, reflecting Cranmer's desire for clear syllabic word-setting as in the simple four-part ‘If ye love me’. The return to catholicism under Queen Mary saw some of Tallis's most elaborate music, probably including the massive six-part antiphon ‘Gaude gloriosa Dei mater’. Finally, Elizabeth's catholic sympathies, despite her official protestant religion, allowed Tallis to publish his Cantiones sacrae jointly with Byrd (1575) and to write some of his finest Latin church music, including the two darkly emotional sets of Lamentations and his technical masterpiece, the 40-part motet ‘Spem in alium’. A small amount of consort and keyboard music also survives.

Eric Cross