The Convictions of Composers

Although not all composers held religious beliefs, religious thought influenced their music. With the intent of improving music pedagogy, the purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of religious thought on Thomas Tallis (1505-1585) andRalphVaughan Williams (1872-1958). The particular problems of this study were: 1) to examine the life and religious beliefs of Tallis and Vaughan Williams; 2) to draw correlations between the two composers and their compositions; and 3) to analyze Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis in terms of composition, influences, and its effect on music.Tallis,a Renaissance composer with unknown religious convictions, composed liturgical music for generations of English royalty and Vaughan Williams, an Agnostic, composed a variety of pieces directly inspired by religious thought and texts. Both Tallis and Vaughan Williams believed in the power of religious thought in music and composed with a variety of religious inspiration. Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis, Vaughan Williams’ most famous piece, contains a religious tone and shows the reverence that the composer had for religious thought. These two composers serve as an example for how artists and creators ought to treat religious beliefs.