Klarinet Archive - Posting 000735.txt from 1998/12

From: Steven Tonkinson <74634.712@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Bible and Music
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 03:21:01 -0500

Dear Mr. Leeson,

Thank you for your reply to my comment on Thomas Tallis (1505-1585). I'm
not sure whether he literally "converted" from one branch of Christianity
to another, but it seems to me that his compositions did reflect the
religious changes during the reigns of the various monarchs.

He served as a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal during the reigns of Henry
VIII, Edward VI, Mary, and Elizabeth. Under Henry VIII, Tallis wrote
Masses; under Edward VI, he wrote music for the English service and also
anthems in English; during the reign of Queen Mary he wrote Latin hymns
and, I believe, a seven-voice mass; under Queen Elizabeth he set music to
both Latin and English texts. Queen Elizabeth granted Tallis and William
Byrd the monopoly for printing music in 1575.

Steve Tonkinson

-------------------------------------------------------------------------