Blessed are those that be undefiled. Thomas Tallis. Tallis Scholars. Peter Phillips, conductor.

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Blessed are those that be undefiled
Thomas Tallis
(c. 1505 – 23 November 1585)

This anthem by Thomas Tallis (1505-1585) is a setting of Psalm 119:1-6. The translation is from the Coverdale Psalter (1535), which is the text used in the Book of Common Prayer.

Blessed are those that be undefiled is a setting of the first six verses from Psalm 119, a popular Psalm to set as it deals with instructions about how to live a godly life. It survives in the Ludlow Parish Church partbook and uses Myles Coverdale’s 1535 translation. It is headed with a Latin title, ‘Beati immaculati’, which is normal even for Psalms in translation but this together with the style of writing— where duets for the higher voices alternate with trios for the lower voices (rather in the style of John Taverner’s O Wilhelme, pastor bone or Mater Christi sanctissima) and the use of a high treble part—suggests that this may originally have been set in Latin. It is naive in the best sense of the word and direct. The way to live a good life is simple—follow the precepts of God.

St. Alfege Church in Greenwich features a stained glass window depicting the renowned composer Thomas Tallis, who is buried in the church's crypt. The window was added during renovations after the church was damaged in 1941. Tallis, known as the “Father of English Church Music,” served as organist at the church during the reigns of four Tudor monarchs.