Level One Repertory:

Tallis' Canon

Composer: Thomas Tallis (c. 1505 - 1585)
Historical style: Renaissance

Musical terms used in this piece:

canon
mf  (mezzo forte)
fermata

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Historical note: TALLIS' CANON, written c. 1557, was originally entitled, THE EIGHTH TUNE because it was one of nine tunes by Tallis which appeared in a collection of metrical psalms compiled by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1567. The collection is usually referred to as, "Mattherw Parker's Psalter.

TALLIS' CANON is unique in that it is actually a CANON. When sung in 4 voice parts it is a beautiful example of contrapuntal writing.

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