Thomas Tallis saw the reigns of all the monarchs of England's House of Tudor -- Henrys VII and VIII, Edward VI, "Bloody" Mary I, and Elizabeth the First. Talk about living in interesting times!
As a composer, he was so highly regarded that he was able to avoid being caught up in the religious strife of his times, and our featured work this week will be one of his distinctly Catholic masses, the Missa Salve Intemerata, a work rich in Medieval antiphon and plainsong.