Thomas Tallis
Engraving of a man with long hair, holding a quill and paper
Detail of an 18th-century posthumous engraving by Gerard Vandergucht, after Niccolò Haym[1]
Born c. 1505
Likely Kent, England
Died 23 November 1585
(aged 79–80)
Greenwich, England
Major Works List of compositions
Signature
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vteThomas Tallis (/ˈtælɪs/;[2] also Tallys or Talles; c. 1505 – 23 November 1585[n 1]) was an influential English composer of High Renaissance sacred music. His works are primarily vocal and hold a significant place in collections of English choral repertoire. Tallis is regarded as one of England’s foremost composers, celebrated for his distinctive voice in the development of English musical tradition.[3]
Life
Early Years
Few records detail Thomas Tallis’s early life, including his birth, family background, or childhood. Scholars estimate he was born in the early 16th century, around the late reign of Henry VII, with proposed birth years ranging from 1500 to 1520.[4] His known relative was a cousin named John Sayer. Given the strong historical links of surnames Sayer and Tallis to Kent, it is generally believed that Tallis was born within that county.[5]
There are indications that Tallis may have sung as a child in the Chapel Royal, the same institution he later joined as a professional. He was possibly a chorister at the Benedictine Priory of St. Mary the Virgin and St. Martin of the New Work in Dover, where he later held employment, though specifics of his education remain unknown. It is also possible he may have sung at Canterbury Cathedral.[8]
Career Development
Tallis served at the royal court as a composer, teacher, and performer during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I.[9][10] He is first recorded as an organist at the chapel after 1570, though he may have been employed as an organist earlier in his career.[11]
Throughout his life, Tallis navigated the religious upheavals of England, maintaining a stance described by historian Peter Ackroyd as that of an “unreformed Roman Catholic”. Despite shifts in the political landscape, he adapted his musical style to meet the differing demands of each monarch.[12][13] Tallis mentored several composers, including William Byrd, Elway Bevin, and Sir Ferdinando Heybourne, who served at Lincoln Cathedral, Bristol Cathedral, and Queen Elizabeth’s court respectively.[14][15]
1530s and 1540s
The earliest known records of Tallis date from 1531, when he is mentioned in the accounts of Dover Priory, where he served as an organist and choir director, earning an annual fee of £2.[8][16][17][18] The priory was dissolved in 1535, but details of Tallis’s departure are not documented.
Subsequently, for several months, records are silent regarding Tallis until he is documented working at St. Mary-at-Hill in London’s Billingsgate ward, receiving payments from 1536 to 1538, possibly as a singer or organist.[19][20]
Around 1538, Tallis moved to Waltham Abbey in Essex, a large Augustinian monastery, where he became a senior member of the musical community.[21] After the dissolution of Waltham Abbey in 1540, Tallis left without a pension but received a small payment, taking with him a volume of musical treatises, including Leonel Power’s instructions against certain parallel intervals, inscribed with his name.[22][6][11]
By mid-1540, Tallis was employed at Canterbury Cathedral, leading a chorus of boys and men and bringing early works suitable for Sarum liturgical use.[23][11]
Employment at the Court and Chapel Royal
Tallis’s official association with the Chapel Royal likely began around 1543. His name appears on tax records in 1544, and he may have been involved with the court during his tenure at St. Mary-at-Hill.[11] During this period, he probably taught the choir boys keyboard skills and composition, and oversaw the will of Richard Bower, Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal.[24]
In the mid-1550s, Tallis married Joan, a widow of a court musician. They resided in Greenwich, though details of his residence are uncertain. Evidence suggests they had no children.[25] Tallis likely taught William Byrd, who became a prominent composer and Tallis’s godson.[26][27]
Under Queen Mary I, Tallis was commissioned to compose a mass and other liturgical pieces, reflecting the Catholic Restoration. Queen Mary granted him a lease on a Kent manor, providing financial stability, and he attended her funeral and Elizabeth I’s coronation.[28][29][22] A Requiem he composed for Mary’s funeral is lost.[30][31][32]
Collaboration with William Byrd
By the time of Elizabeth’s reign, Tallis was an established figure in the royal chapel. In 1575, Elizabeth granted Tallis and Byrd a twenty-one-year monopoly on polyphonic music and a patent for printing music, a major milestone in English music publishing.[33][34] Their partnership yielded the 1575 publication Cantiones quae ab argumento sacrae vocantur, which aimed to establish their prominence among European composers, though it was not commercially successful.[15][35] Due to their Catholic faith, they faced restrictions on music printing and sales, lacking their own press.[36]
Later years suggest Tallis’s involvement in religious recusancy and association with Catholic families like the Paget household and Anthony Roper, a grandson of Sir Thomas More.[37][38][39]
Final Period and Death
By the late 1570s, Tallis’s compositions appear to have decreased, possibly due to his engagement with Catholic communities facing persecution. He lived in Greenwich near the royal palace, writing his will in August 1585. He died in November 1585, leaving a modest estate.[40][41][42] His burial took place at St. Alfege Church in Greenwich, where a brass memorial once commemorated him—though it has since been lost.[41][43]
His epitaph, recorded in the 18th century, celebrated his service to four monarchs and characterized him as virtuous and loyal.[44]
William Byrd wrote an elegy upon Tallis’s death. Tallis’s widow Joan lived for several more years, and his associate Anthony Roper inherited some of his possessions.[37][25]
Works
Overview of Compositions
Tallis’s earliest surviving works include antiphons such as “Salve intemerata” and “Ave rosa sine spinis,” composed in the English votive style of the 15th–16th centuries. Early works often used models from Taverner and Fayrfax, featuring high, sustained vocal lines and lengthy solo sections.[45][46][47] His mass “Missa Salve intemerata” is a notable parody mass demonstrating early Renaissance techniques.
His secular compositions increased late in his career, including keyboard fantasias, In Nomines, and English songs like “When shall my sorrowful sighing slack?” Some of his keyboard works, such as Felix Namque I and II, are highly virtuosic and appear in the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book.[74][80][81]
Tallis explored various styles, blending English traditions with continental influences, especially during the reigns of Mary I and Elizabeth I. His compositions range from simple syllabic settings aligned with Cranmer’s reforms to intricate polyphony, including masterpieces like “Spem in alium,” an eight-choir motet renowned for its complexity and grandeur.[82][83]
Legacy
Tallis is recognized as a central figure in sacred choral music. Although he was not widely celebrated as a “father of English Church music” in his lifetime, his influence was profound on later composers, notably William Byrd. His works, especially those in English, continued to be valued and revived during the Victorian period and beyond.[85][101] Modern scholars praise his versatility, craftsmanship, and bold experimentation, considering him a musical genius.[97][98][99][100]
The Thomas Tallis School in Kidbrooke was established in 1971, named in his honor. His music experienced a revival in the 20th century, inspiring composers like Vaughan Williams and Howells. The Tallis Scholars and other early music ensembles have contributed significantly to his modern reputation through recordings and performances.[102]
Appearance
No authentic portrait of Tallis exists; the most famous image is an engraving postdating his lifetime by a century. His signature, preserved in a rare manuscript, spells his name “Tallys”.[103]
In Popular Culture
Tallis has been depicted in media, notably in the 2007 series “The Tudors”. His piece “If ye love me” was performed at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018.[104] His compositions have been used in films, television, and adaptations, including Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis,” which was inspired by his music.[105][106] His works continue to be featured in popular media, illustrating his lasting influence.[107][108][109][110][111]
References
Notes
3 December 1585 (Gregorian calendar)Citations
(Various scholarly references, as originally listed)
External links
Media related to Thomas Tallis at Wikimedia Commons
Recordings of Tallis's church music in Latin and English by Umeå Akademiska Kör
The Mutopia Project offers free scores by Tallis
List of compositions at the Digital Image Archive of Medieval Music (registration required)
Choral Public Domain Library provides free scores
IMSLP offers scores and recordings
Image of Tallis’s signature from an early employment record at Waltham Abbey
Works catalogued at the EECM Primary Source Database