author

Thomas Dallam

An English organ builder from the late 1500s, he is remembered both for shaping the sound of early Stuart church music and for an extraordinary journey to Constantinople with a lavish mechanical organ made as a royal gift. His story blends craftsmanship, travel, and a glimpse of diplomacy in the age of Elizabeth I.

1 Audiobook

Early voyages and travels in the Levant : $b I.—The diary of Master Thomas Dallam, 1599-1600. II.—Extracts from the diaries of Dr. John Covel, 1670-1679. With some account of the Levant Company of Turkey merchants.

Early voyages and travels in the Levant : $b I.—The diary of Master Thomas Dallam, 1599-1600. II.—Extracts from the diaries of Dr. John Covel, 1670-1679. With some account of the Levant Company of Turkey merchants.

by John Covel, Thomas Dallam

About the author

Thomas Dallam was an English organ builder, probably born around 1570 or 1575 in Lancashire, and active in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Reliable reference sources describe him as a prominent maker whose family went on to become well known for organ building as well.

One of the most memorable episodes of his life came in 1599–1600, when he traveled to Constantinople to deliver a mechanical clock-organ presented by Queen Elizabeth I to Sultan Mehmed III. A diary of that journey survives and helped make him more than just a skilled craftsman: it preserved him as an observant traveler with a front-row seat to a remarkable diplomatic mission.

Back in Britain, he built important organs for places including King’s College, Cambridge, Worcester Cathedral, and Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. He is credited with helping establish the two-manual “double organ” as a standard form for major English churches before the Civil War, though much of his work was later lost.