, one of the greatest musicians of this country, or of Europe, in
, one of the greatest musicians of
this country, or of Europe, in his time, flourished about
the middle of the sixteenth century. He is said to have
been organist of the royal chapel to king Henry VIII. king,
Edward VI. queen Mary, and queen Elizabeth; but the
inscription on his grave-stone warrants no such assertion.
In the two reigns of Edward VI. and queen Mary, he was
simply a gentleman of the chapel, and served for sevenpence halfpenny a day; but under Elizabeth, he and Bird
were gentlemen of the chapel and organists. The studies
of Tall is seem to have been wholly devoted to the service
of the church, for his name is not to be found to any musical compositions of songs, ballads, madrigals, or any of
those lighter kigds of music framed with a view to private
recreation. Of the many disciples who had profited by his
instruction, Bird seems to have possessed the greatest share
of his affection, one proof of which was a joint publication
by them of one of the noblest collections of hymns and
other compositions for the service of the church that ever
appeared in any age or country. This was printed by Vautrollier in 1575, with the title of “Cantiones qua? ab argumento sacrae vocantur quinque et sex partium, Autoribus Thomas T-allisio et Gulielmo Birdo, Anglis, sefenissimse reginee majestati a privato sacello generosis et organistis,
” and was published under the protection of a patent
of queen Elizabeth, the first of the kind that had ever been
granted.