With a career that embraced the turbulent reigns of Henry VIII and all three of his children who succeeded him, Thomas Tallis?s importance to the history of Tudor music is second only to that of his colleague William Byrd. Given this widely acknowledged fact, it is extraordinary that this is the first full length book to deal comprehensively with his life and music. The book is organized chronologically, with each chapter treating a period of his life followed by one on the music of that period. John Harley brings all of his considerable expertise to bear on the thorny problem of the dating of Tallis?s works. A table places most of Tallis?s compositions in a broad chronological order.