In terms of religious, social and political history, the 16th century was a period of great upheaval in England. It remains, however, one of the greatest ages of English music, ranging from the huge florid antiphons of the Eton Choirbook, through the work of Taverner, Tallis and Byrd to the Italianate madrigals of the ELizabethan period and beyond. This module will examine both this music and the contexts for which it was written, from the liturgies of the English Catholic Church to the new Anglican liturgies, and from Tudor court entertainments to the homes of the growing bourgeoisie.