queen and her ancestors almost forty years, and never had but one preferment, a lease given him by Queen Mary, and now within a year of expiration, the reversion granted over to another.’ The queen's ‘grant two years ago of a license for printing music has fallen out to their loss and hindrance to the value of 200 marks at least.’ The queen granted them lands to the value of 30l. a year, without fine, in possession or reversion. They received the tithes of Oversley or Oseley in Warwickshire; of Willersey, Gloucestershire; the ‘Scite of ye Manor and Demene lands’ at Billinge Magna, Northamptonshire; the ‘Scite of ye Manor with divers premises’ at Copford, Essex; lands at Drayton and Estconnel, Somerset; a chantry and tithes at Newton Place, Somerset. No more music was published in England during Tallis's life so far as is known.
Tallis died on 23 Nov. 1585, and was buried in the chancel of the parish church, Greenwich. His will was proved on 29 Nov. by Byrd and Richard Cranwell, also of the Chapel Royal. He bequeathed 40s. to the poor of Greenwich, with the request that his widow would distribute every Friday six loaves or sixpence: 2l. to his cousin, John Sayer of Thanet; the same, afterwards increased to 3l. 6s. 8d., to his wife's niece, Jane Peare; 3l. 6s. 8d. to the gentlemen of the Chapel Royal, for a feast; his share of the music-printing monopoly to his wife; in case of her death during its continuance, to his godson Thomas Byrd, next to William Byrd; and the rest of his property to his wife. She survived till 1589; her will (printed in the Musician, 7 July 1897) was proved on 10 June. She left the bulk of her property to Jane Peare, with bequests to Byrd and Cranwell (her overseers) and others. She was buried with her husband, and an epitaph of four stanzas was placed on their tomb, extolling him as ‘a worthy wight, Who for long tyme in musick bore the bell,’ and the servant of four sovereigns. A century later the inscription was renewed by Dean Aldrich. The church was soon after pulled down and rebuilt (see Strype's Continuation of Stow's Survey of London). A setting of the epitaph for four voices by Dr. B. Cooke was published in T. Warren's ‘Collections of Glees.’ A short elegy upon Tallis, set by an anonymous composer (probably Byrd), is in the British Museum Additional MSS. 29401–5, and was published by Oliphant. A brass tablet with an inscription to his memory was placed in the present church in May 1876. It doubtfully gives Tallis's age as sixty-five; he was probably older.
The first specimen of Tallis's works to be printed after his death appeared in John Barnard's ‘Selected Church Musick,’ 1641, which contains his ‘First Service’ in the Dorian mode, including the canticles, responses, litany, and communion service, and five anthems. E. Lowe, in his ‘Short Directions for Cathedral Service,’ 1661, published the litany in score. The ‘Service,’ and an anthem, ‘I call and cry,’ appeared in score in Boyce's ‘Cathedral Music’ (3 vols. 1760, 1763). Hawkins printed two of the ‘Cantiones Sacræ’ and a secular part-song from Mulliner's manuscript. Two more of the ‘Cantiones,’ and the masterly anthem ‘Heare the Voyce and Prayer’ from Day's ‘Certayne Notes,’ 1560, are scored in Burney's ‘History.’ These were reprinted in Michaelis's translation of Busby's ‘History,’ Leipzig, 1822. A complete score of the ‘Cantiones’ was made by Dr. John Alcock, but not printed; it is now in the British Museum Additional MS. 23624. Dr. Arnold published another anthem, ‘All people that on earth do dwell;’ this was reprinted by the Motet Society, and also, with Welsh words, in ‘Anthemydd y Tonic Sol-fa,’ No. 1. ‘I call and cry’ (originally ‘O sacrum convivium’) was published as ‘Verba mea auribus’ at Leipzig, in Rochlitz's ‘Sammlung.’ Dr. Crotch in 1803 published the litany and the ninth hymn-tune. In the early days of the Oxford movement, when great attention was paid to the liturgical music of the Reformation period, Tallis's ‘Service’ was re-edited by John Bishop, by Dr. Rimbault, and by Joseph Warren; and portions are in Jebb's ‘Choral Responses and Litanies’ and Hullah's ‘Part Music.’ Anthems were printed by the Motet Society, also in the ‘Parish Choir’ and Burns's ‘Anthems and Services.’ The gigantic motet for forty voices, ‘Spem aliam non habui,’ was edited by Dr. A. H. Mann in 1888. The only instrumental pieces by Tallis in print are an imperfect piece taken from Additional MS. 30485, in J. Stafford Smith's ‘Musica Antiqua’ (London, 1812, fol.; another copy is in Additional MS. 31403) and two arrangements of ‘Felix namque’ in the ‘Fitzwilliam Virginal Book.’
Many works are still in manuscript at Buckingham Palace, the British Museum, the Royal College of Music, the Oxford libraries, Ely Cathedral, and Peterhouse, Cambridge. There is an attempt at constructing a complete list in J. Warren's edition of Boyce (1849), and a ‘first attempt’ in Grove's ‘Dictionary’ (1889). Both are deficient, omitting the masses and motets at the British Museum in Additional MSS. 17802–5, and at Peterhouse, the works at
