Tallis, Thomas (c. 1505–1585)

English composer. He was a master of counterpoint, and has become best known for his elaborate and ingenious 40-part motet Spem in alium (c. 1573). His works also include Tallis's Canon (‘Glory to thee my God this night’) (1567), and a collection of 34 motets, Cantiones sacrae (1575), of which 16 are by Tallis and 18 by William Byrd.

Tallis was organist at the Benedictine Priory, Dover, in 1532, and held a post at Waltham Abbey before its dissolution (closure) in 1540. He became a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal in about 1543. He was one of the earliest composers to write for the Anglican liturgy (1547–53) but some of his most ornate music, including the Mass Puer natus est nobis dates from the brief Catholic reign of Mary Tudor (1553–58). In 1557 Queen Mary granted him, jointly with Richard Bowyer, who was Master of the Children in the Chapel Royal, a lease of the manor of Minster, Thanet, and at her death he passed into the service of Elizabeth I, who in 1575 granted him, jointly with Byrd, a patent for the sole right to print music and music paper in English. Two years later, as this was still not profitable, they petitioned for an annual grant, which was approved. The two masters were then joint organists at the Chapel Royal. A tune written for Archbishop Parker's Psalter of 1567 was used by Vaughan Williams in his celebrated Fantasia (1910). In his last years Tallis and his wife Joan, whom he had married about in 1552, lived at their own house at Greenwich.

Works Church and secular music three Masses, including Puer natus est nobis (1554), two Latin Magnificats, two sets of Lamentations for voices, Tallis's Canon (1567), about 40 Latin motets, and other pieces, including Spem in alium in 40 parts (c. 1573); services, psalms, Litanies, about 30 anthems and other English church music; secular vocal pieces; two In Nomines for strings; organ and virginal pieces.