Thomas Tallis
“Verily, verily, I say unto you”

Throughout his career, Thomas Tallis was forced to adjust to new standards for the composition of church music (read more about those changes in “Sacred song and the Tudors”). One of his best-known anthems, “Verily, verily, I say unto you” is an example of the style that emerged and matured after the Reformation, influenced greatly by the precedent set by Tallis. The text comes from St. John 6:53–56. It is sung below by the Tallis Scholars, conducted by Peter Phillips.