Thomas Tallis Scholarly Edition?
  • Hello everyone,
    I couldn't find anything specific on this, so I thought I'd start a post. I'm looking to purchase a scholarly edition of the complete works of Thomas Tallis (scores) with annotations and commentary and I can't seem to find one anywhere. I'm not sure if something like this even exists, but I know that free websites don't have everything, nor can I entirely trust their accuracy. I don't have a preference for the format as long as it is complete and non-modernized (no dynamics, expressive markings, etc.).

    Thanks so much!
  • My impression is that Tallis, unlike Byrd, has never had a critical edition devoted to his work. Your best bet is the Early English Church Music series, Volumes 12 and 13 of which have a fair amount of Tallis material. Very expensive to buy, but any good university library should stock the relevant volumes, I imagine:

    http://www.stainer.co.uk/acatalog/eecm.html

    Musica Britannica, again to be found on numerous campuses (and now up to Volume 93!), might also be worth consulting.
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    That sounds like another needed project.
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,200
    David Fraser, who has meticulously edited virtually all the sacred choral music of William Byrd in editions available at CPDL, has also a large number of similarly excellent editions of works by Thomas Tallis, also available at CPDL.
  • @ R J Stove: Thank you - I'll see if my alma mater has this or something similar in the music library. It's really too bad that so little attention has been given to Tallis' works...

    @ Adam Wood: It really does, I wish I had the education to tackle a project like that myself, but I'm only a lowly instrumental performance major. ;)

    @ CHGiffen: I hadn't checked the editor on CPDL for the Tallis works available. I'm not familiar with David Fraser at all, but he seems to be well studied in music from this time. Do you know anything about his education?