Thomas Tallis: Music Maker to the Tudor Dynasty

[@kathyjohnson2043]

As a professional musician who has performed and composed for religious services and events that do not reflect my personal beliefs, it is my view that Tallis was a professional musician who expressed his believes and emotions in his music regardless of the language the text was written in, or what service or occasion his work was to be a part of. Giving your performances and compositions your best can be professional pride, spiritual experience, or both.

[@MithrandirAKAGandalf]

Wise words Kathy…. 💫 👏👌 Couldn’t of said it any better, coming from a fellow musician!

[@Bronco541]

Im not religious myself, but I can easily understand how music can be seen and felt as a spiritual experience, even without words.

[@johnp8131]

I remember having to learn and sing "Tallis Cannon", at junior school back in the sixties. Strangely, along with various sea shanties.

[@ReadingthePast]

That is so cool 🙌

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

@@ReadingthePast indeed it is

[@kathyjohnson2043]

they aren't completely unrelated. 🎶

[@woodrow60]

Nothing like a good rounded education.

[@WB-mr7lk]

I had only 15th and 16th century music in my wedding (aside from Mendelssohn's Wedding March), so it was all Tallis, Byrd, and Josquin des Prez. I walked down the aisle to Tallis' Spem in Alium, so it has a special place in my heart.

[@elizabethdibble5159]

I absolutely love his music. I often listen to it while reading before sleep as it is quite soothing to me. Thank you Dr. Kat for covering this fascinating man.

[@cindyknight]

Wow, Dr. Kat, these comments reveal that you just opened up a big can of Tallis love! And, why not? His music is fascinating to hear and fun to analyze, but to sing . . . just unspeakably yummy. History often is a bitter dish, but this topic is a side of pleasure at the Tudor meal. Thanks for the treat! 🎶

[@gardensofthegods]

Yes I agree with what you're saying here .

[@oohforf6375]

I remember having to study Tallis' "If Ye Love Me" back in music school some years back! Gorgeous piece of music which brings tears to the eyes of even this atheist 😊

[@roberthoward6590]

That piece is a favorite of mine as well.

[@pennyatkinson5740]

I am listening to it now...I sang it earlier to this year...so beautiful ❤️🙏🎧🎤

[@kathyjohnson2043]

A wonderful work

[@JanetCowan]

Oh, that is one of my favorite choral pieces! So beautiful.

[@anitaroberts8729]

Whatever Tallis believed privately, he applied his genius as required at the time, obviously giving satisfaction to his employers. It is easy to forget that a lot of work would be involved in keeping the Chapel Royal music going every day: composition, rehearsal and regular services, let alone special occasions. I think Tallis was a very practical man as well as a great composer and just did is job brilliantly. 👼👼👼

[@monicacall7532]

Thomas Tallis is my favorite English Renaissance composer of all. His music transcends time and space and transports me to an ethereal place of perfect peace. English composer Ralph Vaughan-Williams thought so too and used Tallis’s music to compose his glorious work “Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis” and to revive the English people’s interest in their glorious musical heritage. Thank you for talking about a composer! (BTW I’m a professional musician.) England had many great choral composers during the 16th and early 17th centuries. Brava, Dr. Kat!🥰🎵

[@kathyjohnson2043]

Yes, the Fantasia is one of the most rewarding compositions that I have performed, conducted, or taught.

[@monicacall7532]

Kathy Johnson, I thoroughly agree with you. It has been one of the greatest musical and performance experiences of my career. Have you seen the KZbin video of the Fantasia being performed in an English cathedral? The setting just intensifies the beauty of the music. Tallis would’ve loved the performance. I highly recommend it. Aren’t you glad that VW fell in love with Tallis’s music and used the 3rd piece from Archbishop Parker’s Psalter to orchestrate this haunting melody? Ditto for VW’s “Five Variants on ‘Dives and Lazarus’” based on a popular old English folk song.

[@susandoll3187]

Tallis was wonderful.

[@maryomen3841]

Spem ‘Em Alium is my favorite piece of music as well! It’s hypnotic and gorgeous!

[@HLBear]

🎼🎶🎵 Thank you for this look at the music and musician of the Tudors :

[@christopherstephenjenksbsg4944]

I was introduced to Tallis' music as a boy chorister in New York City in the 1960s, and I've loved it ever since. The music I learned as a boy was entirely his Protestant music, e.g. "This Is My Commandment", "If Ye Love Me", and his service music for the BCP. In the early 1980s I sang in an early music group in Boston, where I was introduced to some of his more elaborate compositions. They were a revelation! "Gaude Gloriosa" was a work I particularly grew to love, although it was very difficult to learn. And, of course, I've probably been singing the Tallis Canon since I was in my mother's womb without having any idea who this Tallis guy is. (Mom sang in the choir at our church.) An interesting side note: The American science-fiction and young-adult author, Madeleine L'Engel, featured a recurring character in her novels, Canon Tallis. The character was based on a real-life canon at the Cathedral of St John the Divine, who was L'Engel's spiritual director and, like Canon Tallis, very eccentric! 😄

[@marijaokic2427]

Hello from Serbia. 🎼 Music is not only a universal language, but it is also the closest we can get to a time machine. Listening to music such as this takes you back in time.🎶

[@judldoodles]

What a beautiful thought

[@GROK99]

Thank you for this exploration of Thomas Tallis.

[@waynebean1521]

Lovely! I waited with baited breath! Tallis was such a a survivor! A story: I studied at the University of Maine under the folklorist/oral historian Edward "Sandy" Ives who was also a musician, featured on Public TV. One day , he and the chairman of the art department (who was the first prominent person I encountered who was openly gay) decided they would violate the dress code and shed their neckties. Nothing happened and more and more neckties disappeared! Sandy just quipped, "Musicians and artists get away with more sedition than most people...because they are needed!" That was back in early 197?! Lol. Another reminder ....I'm pleading with you to address my favourite Catholic, Reginald Pole (pretty please?). You are a godsend for more reasons than one. I'm dyslexic...pardon me while I painfully proofread... Love your videos! Wayne

[@ReadingthePast]

Cardinal Pole is going on the list now, thank you for suggesting him ☺️

[@waynebean1521]

For some reason, I can't do emojis on my phone...please accept a bunch of virtual "quarter notes" for this one (KZbin , please take heed!).

[@deborahfedge3823]

😊

[@kathrynmast916]

I love the way you look at the Tudors and their impact on “regular” people’s lives and careers. ❤🎹❤

[@tiffanycraig5424]

Love Tallis works! Thank you for the lesson!

[@helenfawcett9685]

As a musician, Tallis is amazing to play and sing. Having been married to an organist/composer, and been in the society of more, I can confirm that there is a skill in choice of music for each flavour of religion, whilst claiming none... smooth transition between Catholic, C of E, Synagogue, Lutheran....

[@j7333nnn]

😎Thanks! 🎹🎻🎺Love your work Jeffrey Newcomb

[@kieranbyfield6358]

In Kidbrook, South East London, there is a secondary school called Thomas Tallis & he is buried in At Alfege's Church, Greenwich😊❤ I have fond memories of the male choir of Southwark cathedral singing his work during Even song.❤❤ If ye love me keep my commandments is beautiful❤❤

[@AnimalisMD]

Wonderful talk Dr. Kat- and such beautiful music.🎼🎶🎻

[@judycater2832]

Fascinating video on a very interesting subject. Thank you. ❤❤❤

[@ByronAdams-j7t]

Thank you for featuring Tallis’s music. As a music historian, one of whose particular specialties is British music, I would just note that the consensus among musicologists nowadays is that Tallis was a Roman Catholic, and, like Byrd, a recusant. Interestingly, however, Tallis did supply music for a psalter of the determinedly Protestant Archbishop Matthew Parker. One of these “tunes” was used by the twentieth-century British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams in his “Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis.” I deeply appreciate your tackling this topic and hope that you will continue to feature Tudor/Jacobean composers-an interesting one would be John Dowland, whose songs have been recorded in our own time by Sting.

[@Amandaa6]

I was just listening to spem in alium the other day and was thinking to myself “i wish there was a good video about him on KZbin” and then i come on here and of course here you are! Wonderful video as always!

[@ReadingthePast]

Thank you 😊

[@designedbydavid]

🎼🎹. Great program!

[@daylightstars3476]

hurray - a video by you. Just about to watch, but I know it will be great :)

[@annemorton5236]

As always so interesting and informative. 🎼

[@jfs59nj]

This is exciting!!

[@MaryBroussely]

Thank you!!! Great thoughts and insights! 😊

[@shylockwesker5530]

Oh what a wonderful topic. Thank you

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Love your work! You rock!🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤

[@vagirl4909]

Loved this piece on music and Tallis. I feel as though he was smart to choose to remain a lay member of the Choirs. If you were obviously dedicated to one of the factions your were putting yourself in danger. Safer to stay under the radar. I have shared this with my sister who was a Music and voice performance major in college. She taught high school and was Choral Director for 30 plus years in our public school system. 🎵🎶🎹🎼📯🎷🎻

[@valkyriekinman]

I learned to play some of his music during my cello lessons! 🎶 🎵

[@MarianWoods-y9c]

🎻🎺🥁👍 Lovely video. Thanks, Dr Kat. ☺️

[@mickeykolody7773]

Having lived through the times of four Tudor monarchs, and the tumultuous times that accompanied, Tallis is proof that talent will conquer all. His genius as a composer and musician carried him through. Love this video, Dr. Kat! 🎶

[@kristensmith6042]

I’m such a fan of Tallis. I can’t wait for this to start.🎼🎹🎻🎺

[@gardensofthegods]

But I was disappointed that virtually nothing is known about his childhood ... to me that is always my favorite part of any biography

[@bizburgess1947]

🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹 Thanks Dr Kat.

[@skp7577]

🎼 I have loved Thomas Tallis’s music for more than fifty years now,since I was a teenager. Thank you for this video. I always look forward to you uploading.

[@stephaniecowans3646]

Amazing video, Dr. Kat! I have always known OF Tallis, but have never heard any of his compositions. I always thought his works were more in the popular style of the day, like those of Dowland and Praetorius, I did not know they were all liturgical. Thank you so much for enlightening me! 😃

[@vespurrs]

I can't believe that ive made it through 53 years on this planet without ever having heard of Thomas Tallis. Where have i been? What have i been doing? As much as i love this period of history it's embarrassing to realize there's such a gap in my knowledge. Thankfully at least, there isn't anymore! I greatly enjoyed learning something new in this video! Speaking of music, if you haven't listened to Blackmore's Night, i highly recommend listening to their album, "Under A Violet Moon". They have a cover of "Past Times with Good Company" as well as some other Henry VIII-related songs on it.

[@gardensofthegods]

Yes I myself was very surprised I never heard it until last year at about 64 ! I thought I knew a lot of classical music on the motets ... I really doubt I had heard this before because I think I would have remembered the Spem In Alium (40 Voice Motet ) . It's actually here on the tube and it is mind-blowing ... really truly no motet like it .

[@kathleenbirgy7970]

Thank you. I found this interesting. 😊

[@cathleendelorenzo205]

Thanks for the links to the music!

[@emmahardesty4330]

Good one, again. I think Tallis was savvy and far more interested in music than anything else. He understood the Tudors quite well enough to have straddled the ups and downs.

[@joanscott8698]

Good subject . Please consider more podcasts about the art and music of the Tudor era. Thanks, USA

[@jenniferroxy5956]

Great as always 🎵🎶🎻🎶🎵

[@nursejanainholland1978]

😍😍😍 Love your videos.

[@SandyQueue]

Thank you!

[@veronikav3126]

What an interesting topic! I am excited for Fridays because of your videos, too ❤ Lots of love and admiration, from a fan in Bulgaria 😊

[@yvonnehook275]

Thanks so much for this wonderful video of one of my favorite composers! As an undergrad at the Aspen music festival in the 80’s I saw Spem in Alium performed and it was spectacular. 🎵🎶🎵🎶

[@dees3179]

Loved the video Kat, thank you. I remember watching a really interesting podcast about the perceptions of art in the Tudor period which I believe was called Tudor neuroscience. This was all about how different the perception of art and images of people were at the time compared to our perception now. I would be interested in Hearing from you on these sorts of topics if you felt comfortable going into this area. We assumed that people thought about music and art in the same way that we do. But of course our current understanding and perception of music without access to recording, and on demand play is utterly different , and that is before we even start thinking about access to music, possession of music, who owned music, commissioned, music, and liturgical verses, secular music. Then we can add in bardic traditions on top of that to mess up the pot. In a pre-recording and early printing age, where access to music and text was much different to today. Ballad song on street corners was a way of spreading news and rumours. I would be really interested in some thoughts, speculating on music and art and peoples interaction with it in the past, because it is not the same as it is today.

[@amykortuem5554]

A fascinating look into a compost whose work I’ve loved listening to and performing for many years. How interesting that his musical “neutrality” or its slant toward the current monarch may have saved him. Thank you Dr. Kat for this unique look into Tallis. And I agree - Spem in alium is exquisite. I was lucky enough to hear it performed in a small church in Minneapolis Minnesota with all 40 singers surrounding the audience. Pure, blissful magic!

[@Emwills]

Love Tallis’ music. Was privileged to sing 😮 some of his motets and other works in high school. Also enjoyed his portrayal in The Tudors and the image of him you showed in your video. Must have been so great for him to sing/play/compose 🎹 in the chapel royal. Thank you for all your work on your channel.

[@jez6208]

I love you Doctor Kat. ❤🎉

[@RTGrimmer]

Yay! Ohhh I'm just so excited, thanks for taking my request for more music content! x Rian

[@ReadingthePast]

Thank you for the suggestion 😊

[@monteverdi1567]

Thomas Tallis is my spirit animal. Among the greatest musical minds of any age or nation. Spem in alium is a towering masterpiece, an accomplishment never matched. At the other end of the scale is the miniature masterpiece Hear the voyce and prayer, a simple and beautiful 4 voice setting for private devotions. 🎼🎵

[@gardensofthegods]

I agree ... it's a mind-blowing piece . But tonight I was wondering if part of it was lifted decades ago by Andrew Oldham when he added a piece to The Rolling Stones song The Last Time . It's here on the tube and you might recognize it because a couple decades after that The Verve sampled it and used it for their masterpiece rock song Bittersweet Symphony but were sued for it by The Stones and I'm under the impression they never got a cent for that song . At about 3:39 seconds in on the version where the visual for it just looks like a bunch of computerized circles and elongated rectangles online moving forward ( I can't recall the channel name ) I swear you can hear some of that Andrew Oldham song as it goes from 3:39 towards the middle of the song ...

[@Elvertaw]

Thank you for this video. I’ve never heard of Tallis and promptly went out and sampled some. Gorgeous!!! Love to hear about his contemporaries.

[@gardensofthegods]

Hopefully you sampled Thomas Tallis' best piece : Spem In Allium ( 40 Voice Motet ) and it is here on the tube and believe me that is his best song and it is very much beloved by so many people .

[@Myke_OBrien]

Brava! Tallis is one of my favorite composers. Fascinating as always! 🎼

[@ReadingthePast]

Thank you 😊

[@fabrisseterbrugghe8567]

I love singing Thomas Tallis!

[@prettypic444]

Being employee as a church musician/composer in mid 16th century England is really playing on hard mode! as a tangent though, I always enjoy learning more about Elizabethan "piracy". so much media from the era only exists now because of unlicensed or unauthorized copies from plays to music to art! 🎶⛪️🎵

[@thomasbomdhil]

Thank you for this nice video

[@matlockpoindexter]

Wonderful information!

[@dawnmuse6481]

I still teach Tallis’ Canon to my beginning choral students. Thank you for touching on the musical portion of Tudor England. Would you consider a biography of John Dowland as a secular composer too?

[@kathyjohnson2043]

I do love John Dowland! And, although I am a classical musician by training and trade, one of my favorite performers of his works is Sting.

[@cindyknight]

Dowland, yes!

[@pattijones1452]

I only recently found your channel and have been watching numerous of your older videos. I find that your videos give me some clarity regarding a very confusing time (to me anyway) in British history. I apparently had family located around Leeds, so with English, Scotch, and Irish blood, I am interested in British history. You are very easy to listen to, and i appreciate the amount of research you have to do. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@lizaltieri]

Thank you for this discussion!

[@kathrynronnenberg1688]

I think you're right that his, status as a layperson and identity as a musical craftsman and artist rather than any sort of churchman contributed to his survival and success through such religious and political upheaval. As a musician, I find his music a delight to sing or play. How fortunate the Chapel Royal was to have both Tallis and Byrd.

[@MonicaOlinWerner]

always look forward to your vids!💖😁

[@conemadam]

His music is heart-stopping. Thank you, Dr. Kat!

[@starrywizdom]

Not only a superlative musician, but a superlative diplomat!🎶 "English Catholicism" is a great descriptor for the "high church" version of C of E. Bells & smells!🔔

[@gonefishing167]

Thank you Dr Kat, what an interesting and so talented man. He managed to survive all eras. I was born C of E but I absolutely love Ave Maria. I asked if I could have it played at my wedding ( 55 years ago now) but was kindly told no. And it was kindly and respectfully said. Still, music is beautiful and beautiful music 🎼 lasts forever . 🙏🙏👵🇦🇺🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼

[@JohnLandau-h5g]

I wish you had played some of his glorious music as a part of this video. Tallis survived because he wrote beautiful music that everyone, including Henry, loved.

[@aliampb6949]

Fascinating insight. Loved seeing you on the programme about Covent Garden ❤

[@susannaheanes]

People forget how important was music to the Tudors, especially to Henry himself. it could be personal, secular, religious, political, or not, as the occasion warranted. I wonder if Thomas Tallis was one of the musicians who contributed to the festivities at the Field of Cloth of Gold, an event that has always fascinated me. It would be truly wonderful if you chose to do a video about this elaborate and magical celebration that took place between monarchs Henry and Francis I, with an eye to the preparations, meaning, and overall success of the event.

[@chiron14pl]

Spem in allium is my favorite too. I think his talent and flexibility allowed him to float above the turmoil of his age, quite an achievement in itself.

[@gardensofthegods]

Yep ! Transcendent

[@annettekoonce8122]

Love Tallis and other other early music. I just listened to a new (to me) version of "Spem in Alium by The King's Singers on Spotify. Amazing!🎶

[@stephanieking4444]

thank you for this presentation on Tallis, it certainly can correct misconceptions held by those who only know of him because of "The Tudors" TV series. So if anybody knows of any friends sticking by the portrayal of Tallis in "The Tudors", please show them this presentation by Dr Kat. This being said, his character in "The Tudors" did represent someone who was working for the Chapel royal and moving through the rapid changes of Henry VIII's reign. It is frustrating that we do not have enough evidence to date his works, but when it comes to "Spem in Alium", I am certain there is a coded reference to Elizabeth's 40th birthday. It's just the 16th century symbolism mindset - 40 voices, 40th birthday. His survival, and Byrd's, and their ability to publish works in Latin under Elizabeth my hint at the idea of them favouring the same middle path she did. Tallis's influence on music didn't end with the 16th century, I'm sure many know and appreciate Vaughn William's "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis"

[@steelerbear]

Thank you, Dr Kat! 🎶

[@sheriking4041]

I just saw you on a show about Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford. Very very good. And of course you were fantastic.

[@cmcg9035]

Thank you so much for highlighting this wonderful composer(s) and the changes in music during the Tudor era! Court composers were servants, and it wasn't until Mozart's time that they began to be vocally dissatisfied with their "mere servant" role. Tallis probably survived all the upheaval because music itself was more important to him than who or what its purpose was. I'm not surprised that music (and religious music) changed little during Tudor reign, even though the reaction of each monarch to religion differed. People's memories are emotionally invested in music, and that wiring goes very deep. Even with Alzheimer's disease, patients will continue to respond to the music they knew. I'm considering arranging for solo voice 'Se Lord and Behold', adapted from Tallis' Gaude Gloriosa, with words by Katherine Parr, for a recital on Tudor women. 🏵🎼

[@angiepuga1476]

Thanks for this vid on Tallis, I’ve wanted to know more about him for a long time. 📝🎼🎹

[@tomevans-kc7gh]

This video was an enormous help to me! I had no idea how complicated Tallis's life and times were.

[@TheBleuFairy]

I understand he was quite the talent! I am glad to see a video on the more obsure figures in Tudor England.🎼🎶

[@minimalchaos9]

Thank you for such a wonderful video! I find your videos so engaging!🎼🎵🎶🎹🎻

[@roxelanaorc4065]

I've sung multiple pieces by tallis & byrd with my choir. Including ye sacres muses. Very awesome music :)

[@alextaber124]

Happy Birthday to you and your son.

[@lillianmcgrew217]

I did not know this. Thank you

[@ellencook1658]

🎶 😁I’m off to download some Tallis music. New adventure.

[@lornaperryman489]

Another interesting and informative history lesson. I am totally intrigued with the idea of music of that Era. Can't wait to learn more.❤🇺🇸

[@gardensofthegods]

Have you listened to Thomas Tallis' Spem In Allium ( 40 Voice Motet ) ? It's here on the tube and there's really nothing like it .

[@rubaidaallen2764]

What a wonderful look at Tallis’ music. Very interesting. Thank you for this.

[@JessicaC-x4v]

Wow, I just listened to Spem in Aluim after watching this video, and no wonder he survived 4 Tutor Monarchs. Man had a gift!

[@sandramarshall-d7e]

Excellent video ❤❤❤❤❤

[@yvonnehook275]

When I was getting my Masters degree in music one of my professors said that Tallis was a recusant catholic and that the Protestant Tudor monarchs ignored that fact because he was so talented. But I haven’t been able to find any other sources for that statement.

[@SirrahSunday]

Tallis was a marvel and Spem in alium is indeed mesmerising. Donne might also make a good subject for your attention.

[@arcola44]

Another great video! Thanks Dr. Kat! Would like to suggest a companion video on William Byrd. Have always wondered whether there's any truth to the theory that Elizabeth I liked his music so well, she overlooked his recusancy and may have even protected him. Maybe he just made enough income to pay the fines, and there was no stigma attached. Best regards. You always make me look forward to your Friday release! 🎼🎶

[@tessat338]

I imagine that each time a faction in a new administration decided to take him on, some event or another would come up and they would need his talents. Then everyone would be so impressed with what he had produced that his enemies would have to back down. So they would just stick a pin in the plan and get distracted by other things. The factions would shift and Tallis would ride out the commotion by concentrating on his music.🎼🎶Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast!!

[@glorialange6446]

Wonderful. I dont know if you saw my email about wanting more info on the music of the Tudors and yes, the songs known to be by Henry the VIII.. I am enthralled and have listened and enjoyed this vid and the songs you shared. Thank you so much!

[@thomasmerkelbach6228]

Spem in Alium, for me, is other-worldly. It feels like it descends from the spheres. Wether you are religious or not makes no difference. It reaches into your soul. ✨🎼🌅✨

[@madelinevanderbunny607]

Thanks!

[@melwilson9]

Absolutely love your channel. I learn alot and it really puts the pieces together ❤️ one person I'd love to learn more about and what happened to her, Cardinal wolseys wife!!!

[@Amc933]

Thanks for the great links to his works. Seventh Heaven, literally! 😇

[@RichardUllman-y1x]

Thank you for this tutorial. Very much enjoyed it. ❤

[@theodosiasnudpuckle7372]

My mandolin teacher told me that medieval music is a lot like heavy metal music. It is fun to play.

[@BeeKool__113]

🖤💀🤘💥😎