| Following the death of Thomas Tallis in 1585, William Byrd wrote in his consort song Ye sacred muses “Tallis is dead, and music dies”, thus capturing the esteem and veneration in which Tallis was held by his fellow composers and musical colleagues in the sixteenth century and, indeed, by the four monarchs he served at the Chapel Royal.
Tallis’ claim to the ‘crown’ of English music is justified by his lasting influence on English musical composition. His unparalleled versatility in style of composition, his supreme craftsmanship, the intensity of expression, and the sheer uncluttered beauty and drama of his music are all remarkable.
It is surprising that hitherto so little of Tallis’ music has been regularly performed and that so much is not satisfactorily published. |
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