Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

work by Vaughan Williams

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July 21, 2026

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Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis is a 1910 orchestral work by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. The piece is based on a melody by the 16th-century English composer Thomas Tallis.12

A fantasia is a musical composition that is free in form and inspiration. Vaughan Williams's fantasia is known for its rich string textures and its exploration of modal harmonies, drawing inspiration from both folk music and the music of the Tudor period. The work is considered a significant piece in the English nationalist musical movement.31

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Thomas Tallis
…Vaughan Williams, whose highly popular Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (1910; rev. 1913, 1919) was based on Tallis’s Third Psalter Tune. Vaughan Williams had discovered that musical piece when he took over the music editorship of The English Hymnal (1906).
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…Vaughan Williams, whose highly popular Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (1910; rev. 1913, 1919) was based on Tallis’s Third Psalter Tune. Vaughan Williams had discovered that musical piece when he took over the music editorship of The English Hymnal (1906).
Read More