Thomas Tallis (1505-1585), “the father of English cathedral music,” served in the Chapel Royal under Henry VIII, Edward VI, Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth I during one of the most volatile periods in English political history, writing music for both the Roman Catholic and reformed Anglican liturgy.
Edward VI (1547-1553), England’s first monarch to be raised as a Protestant, mandated that services of worship be sung in English, and that choral music succinctly serve the text — “to each syllable a plain and distinct note.”
“If Ye Love Me” is an example of the English choral anthem as prescribed by Edward VI: mainly homophonic, with brief moments of imitation. Its form is ABB, with the second section sung twice.
Score, parts for trombone 1-4 — $8.99