This course introduces you to the complex history of the Tudor monarchs (Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I) and explores the relationships between this history and musical life in contemporary England. You will study the careers of the principal Tudor composers, including Byrd, Cornysh, Tallis and Taverner, and consider the ways in which their lives intersected with the most significant political currents of the Tudor dynasty, including the English Reformation and England’s connections with her Continental neighbours. You will become familiar with the principal styles and forms of Tudor music, and gain an understanding of the material forms in which music circulated during the sixteenth century.