Think of the Tudors and one thinks of the Reformation, that devastating upheaval. For musicians it proved hard to cope, as the rapturous elaborations of earlier times had to give way to simple purity. But Secular music also evolved, and became more personal and revealing. John Taverner and Thomas Tallis will take centre stage in this course, since their live stories are so emblematic: but others won’t be forgotten – not least John Dowland with his exquisite songs, and the closet Catholic William Byrd.