What is known about Thomas Tallis's early life?
Q: What is known about Thomas Tallis's early life?
A: Very little is known about Thomas Tallis's early life. It is believed that he may have started his career as an organist at Dover and then Waltham Abbey.
Q: How many monarchs did Tallis work for?
A: Thomas Tallis worked for four monarchs during his lifetime - Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary Tudor and Elizabeth I.
Q: What type of music did Tallis compose?
A: Thomas Tallis composed both church music and secular music. He wrote polyphonic works, homophonic works, anthems and contrapuntal exercises.
Q: What salary did the Queen grant to Tallis?
A: Queen Elizabeth I granted a salary of £91 12s a year (12s is 60p in modern money) to Thomas Tallis. This was a very good salary in those days.
Q: What licence did the Queen give to William Byrd and Thomas Tallis?
A: The Queen gave William Byrd and Thomas Tallis a licence which meant they were the only people allowed to print and publish music in England (music printing was a very new invention at the time).
Q: Which famous piece of music did he write for 40 voices?
A: One of his most famous pieces was Spem in Alium which was written for 40 voices or more. It is possible that this piece was written for Queen Elizabeth I’s 40th birthday in 1573 but this cannot be confirmed with certainty.
Q:What other composition by him became popularly known as "Tallis' Canon"?
A:Diliges Dominum, a collection of contrapuntal exercises by Thomas Tallis, became popularly known as "Tallis' Canon".
