Short History of Schism,’ London, 1705, 8vo. This was answered by ‘S. G.,’ i.e. Samuel Grascome, in ‘Moderation in Fashion, or an Answer to a Treatise,’ &c., 1705, 8vo. Tallents followed with 4. ‘Some few Considerations upon S. G.'s Large Answer to the Short History,’ &c., London, 1706, 8vo, and Grascome rejoined in ‘Schism triumphant, or a Rejoinder to a Reply,’ &c., London, 1707, 8vo.
The manuscript journal of Tallents's travels, formerly in the possession of Job Orton [q. v.], was owned by the Rev. John Brickdale Blakeway [q. v.] in 1825, and was used by him in compiling the ‘History of Shrewsbury.’ Two letters from Baxter to Tallents are in the Alfred Morrison collection.
[Owen and Blakeway's Hist. of Shrewsbury, i. 482, 486, ii. 379–83, 539; Palmer's Nonconformist's Memorial, iii. 152, 153–5; A Short Account of the Life of Mr. Francis Tallents, added to a funeral sermon preached by Matthew Henry, 1709.]
TALLIS, THOMAS (1510?–1585), musician, was probably born about 1510. He described himself in 1577 as ‘aged.’ It has been supposed that he was a choir-boy under William Cornysshe in the Chapel Royal, as his death is thus recorded in the cheque book: ‘1585. Thomas Tallis died the 23 November, and Henry Eveseede sworn to succeed him. Childe there.’ The last clause, however, probably refers to Eveseede. Sir J. Harington (1561–1612) told Burghley that his father had learnt music ‘in the fellowship of good Maister Tallis, when a young man.’ It is improbable that Tallis was, as stated by Rimbault, one of Mulliner's pupils at St. Paul's Cathedral.
The first definite fact concerning Tallis is that he was organist of Waltham Abbey before the dissolution in 1540, when he received ‘20s. for wages and 20s. in reward’ (Mr. W. H. Cummings, on the authority of W. Winters, in Musical Times, November 1876). It is noteworthy that he first appears in the eastern part of England, as did also his predecessors Dunstable, Fayrfax, and Taverner, his contemporary Tye, and his successors Byrd and Gibbons. A manuscript written by John Wylde, precentor of Waltham Abbey about 1500 (now Lansdowne MS. 763), contains Tallis's autograph, besides a number of musical treatises by Power, Walsingham, and others. The abbey possessed ‘a great large payre of organs above, one in the north quire, and a lesser payre beneath, and a lytell payre of organs in the Ladye Chapel.’ With these varied resources, it may be assumed that so wealthy a foundation bestowed special care on the services, and had a musician of celebrity as organist. At any rate, Tallis immediately or very soon after was called to the Chapel Royal. Choir-books at Peterhouse, Cambridge, written about this time, contain four works by him. In the list of Edward VI's chapel royal given by Hawkins and Burney, from an unknown authority, Tallis's name stands twentieth. For the list of musicians employed there Rimbault gives the reference Royal MS. 7 c. xvi., which, however, contains no such list. Tallis married in 1552; his wife's name was Joan. They had no children.
On 27 Nov. 1557 Queen Mary leased for twenty-one years to Richard Bowyer (then master of the children in the Chapel Royal) and Tallis the manor of Minster in Thanet, which had been one of the possessions of St. Augustine's, Canterbury (cf. Musical News, 14 May 1898, p. 485). The return of Queen Elizabeth's household expenses in 1559 includes ‘Talys in bonis 40l.;’ but all the musicians of the household were reported in arrears in their payment of the subsidy (Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1547–80, p. 146). Bowyer died in 1563; and the lease of Minster was not renewed to Tallis. The pay of the gentlemen of the Chapel Royal was 7½d. a day.
The first appearance of Tallis's works in print was in John Day's ‘Certayne notes set forth in 4 and 3 parts to be sung at the morning, communion, and evening praier,’ 1560; five anthems by Tallis were included, two of them being reprinted in Day's ‘Whole Book of Psalms in four parts,’ 1563, and all the five in ‘Morning and Evening Prayer and communion set forth in 4 parts,’ 1565. Tallis composed eight tunes for Archbishop Parker's ‘Psalter,’ 1567; and a ninth, intended for the metricised ‘Veni Creator Spiritus.’
On 21 Jan. 1575–6 Queen Elizabeth granted Tallis and William Byrd a monopoly of music-printing for twenty-one years. They then published ‘Cantiones Sacræ’ for five and more voices; sixteen pieces were by Tallis, eighteen by Byrd. From a commendatory poem by Ferdinando Richardson it appears that Byrd, who, according to his will, was born in 1543, had been Tallis's pupil:
Tallisius magno dignus honore senex,
Et Birdus tantum natus decorare magistrum.
Tallis's lease of Minster was near its end, and on 27 June 1577 Tallis and Byrd petitioned Elizabeth for a lease of crown lands in reversion for twenty-one years without fine, and of the value of 40l. a year. In support they alleged, ‘Tallis is aged, having served the
