John Taverner, born c. 1490 in Tattershall, Lincolnshire, England, died October 18, 1545, in Boston, Lincolnshire, England, was an English Renaissance composer and organist. After performing as a guest singer in Boston in 1524, Taverner was appointed by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in 1526 as the first Organist and Master of the Choristers at Cardinal College (now Christ Church, Oxford). During his tenure at Oxford, Taverner composed major sacred works including Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas, The Western Wynde Mass, and Missa Corona Spinea, incorporating cantus firmus techniques and originating the In nomine instrumental genre from a section of his Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas. Following Wolsey's fall from power and his departure from Oxford in 1530, Taverner settled in Boston, serving as treasurer of the Corpus Christi Gild and as a town alderman.
