Spem in alium is a 40part renaissance motet by thomas tallis, composed in c. Umpi, latinautor, public domain compositions, abramus digital, and 5 music rights societies. Symphonic in its proportions and conception, it is talliss greatest masterpiece. The 11 part arrangement of spem in alium is intended for use by anyone who does not. Spem in alium the tallis scholars phillips by the tallis scholars, thomas tallis, peter phillips, tallis scholars from amazons classical music store. Counterpoint, art of combining different melodic lines in a musical composition. Arundel house was the london home of henry fitzalan, the 12th earl of arundel. It is truly a mark of genius that thomas tallis could so excel in the grand and the. This paper is an analysis of thomas tallis 40voice motet spem in alium. Nonsuch also possessed an octagonal banqueting hall with four first. Tallis spem in alium has a mammoth 40 melodic lines. Collins described it in 1929 as talliss crowning achievement, along with. There may be other reasons for tallis choice of forty voices. For efficient rehersal, certain files are required.
And that composer, thomas tallis, presented england with spem in alium. Notes fortypart motets from the sixteenth century are an exceedingly rare species. An animated, graphical representation of thomas tallis. Spem in alium latin for hope in any other is a 40part renaissance motet by thomas tallis, composed in c. Thomas tallis was a composer who inclined toward musical extremes or sometimes was pushed toward them. The resulting work of talliss is certainly his greatest legacy and one of the finest pieces of music by an english composer, indeed by any composer. You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. This double cd is a reissue of the best of their 3 discs of talliss music from the 1980s, and bears that out fully. I feel my soul lifting as the music increases in volume and complexity, until it feels like. Hope in any other have i none or in no other is my hope motet short musical setting of a sacred text by english composer thomas tallis, noted for its complex use of counterpoint in a composition for 40 voices. Tallis also manages to combine the exchanges between. Tallis spem in alium phillips 2001 written by bluesever saturday, 31 may 2014 16. The simplest explanation is that he was taking the number 40, often presented in the bible as having a mystical significance.
Thomas tallis, spem in allium motet for forty voiceshuelgas ensemble. In july 1561 cardinal ippolito deste was ceremonially welcomed to florence, probably the o. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The lamentations of jeremiah, an album by thomas tallis, choir of kings college, cambridge, stephen cleobury on spotify we and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes.
Tallis spem in alium and other works oxford cameratasummerly naxos 8. Spem in alium is probably one of the greatest musical compositions in human history. It is considered by some critics to be the greatest piece of english early music. It is a 10minute panorama of shifting tone colours.
Judes in hampstead a purely vocal performance, involving 40 solo voices. The motet salve intemerata, written when tallis was a young man, is one of the longest single movements of the entire 16th century. Theres nothing like it in the renaissance repertory except for an italian piece to which it was written in answer, as a response to a challenge. Fifty shades of grey sends sales of thomas talliss spem. Watch the video for spem in alium from thomas talliss discover early music for free, and. Spem in alium, an album by thomas tallis, choir of kings college, cambridge, cambridge university musical society chorus, john langdon, andrew davis, sir david willcocks on spotify. Tallis also manages to combine the exchanges between choirs in four different. One of his most celebrated pieces of choral music was spem. Fifty shades of grey sends sales of thomas talliss spem in alium soaring this article is more than 7 years old. What spem in alium does for me is to make me feel calm, reverent, transcendent, and happy. Although tallis was not alone in this colleagues such as john sheppard and christopher tye were also active, tallis as the senior and more prolific composer was recognised as the father of the emerging style. The rediscovery of the mass by davitt moroney and his researches have confirmed most of the salient details of this story, in particular verifying the account of one thomas wateridge, a. Scored for forty independent voices, spem in alium, a work of talliss maturity, dwarfs any other english work of the period.
It is a 40part motet, set up for eight fivepart choirs. Let me recommend a number of recordings that, if y. Tribute to thomas tallis british composer thomas tallis was born 500 years ago. Another version says that tallis wrote the 40 part motet for the 40th birthday of queen elizabeth i in 1573.
The version with alistair dixon and the chapelle du roi is part of a 10cd set with the complete works by thomas tallis brilliant classics 93612, recorded 1996 2004, 10 cds plus cdrom with texts of the vocal music and liner notes. Spem in alium nunquam habui motet by tallis britannica. A partiture with all 40 voices pdf file having 40 textlabelled staples. From time to time a disc comes across the desk that is so superior that you have to fish for criticisms. Spem in alium licensed to youtube by wmg on behalf of plg uk classics. The cardinalls musicks thrilling exploration of tallis sacred music comes to a glorious close with both versions of the great fortypart motet. Four hundred years after its composition talliss spem in alium remains one of the most spectacular pieces of music we have. Tallis chose an uncommon sarum rite text from the book of judith.
The epic 40 part motet by renowned tudor composer, thomas tallis, rewritten for two five part choirs and mezzosoprano, so almost any choir can now perform this legendary piece. I love a lot of these choral works, but in addition to spem, the other work that has stood out to me is misereri from allegri. Spem is a bit different a motet, unless i am mistaken. Johnathackney in london, combined with other latin motets by tallis among them the lamentations of jeremiah. Spem in alium tallis from cdgim006 hyperion records. I have listened to a broad range of renaissance choral music, mostly delving into the various masses. However his country residence, nonsuch palace, possessed an octagonal banqueting hall, and a catalogue of music in the library at nonsuch, drawn up in 1596, reveals the existence of a score of spem in alium. As i believe that a healthy balance of praise and constructive critique is a good thing, and lends more to the credibility of the writer, i never hesitate to make suggestions for improvement, even on.
Choir midi learning files for works by thomas tallis. Spem in alium tallis from cda66400 hyperion records mp3. Motive and spatialization in thomas tallis spem in alium kevin. Spem in alium thomas tallis tallis scholars youtube. Spem in alium sheet music download free in pdf or midi. Stream adfree with amazon music unlimited on mobile, desktop, and. Spem in alium was most probably written when the duke of norfolk, a highranking courtier in elizabeths time, challenged tallis to match the 40part motet by the visiting italian composer alessandro striggio. Rehersal files for spem in alium nuncuam habui by thomas tallis thomas tallis spem in alium is composed for 40 voices grouped as 8 quintets ensembles with s,m,a,t,b. Well, there is really nothing else quite like spem in alium.
However, the renaissance and early baroque were the great periods for largescale polyphonic choral works, and i am fascinated by them. The duke of norfolk issued a challenge to english musicians to better the italian effort and the result was spem in alium by thomas tallis. The other thing is that it needs the choir arranged in a particular way. Never before has spem in alium, talliss great 40part motet, so closely. Spem in alium doesnt record well either, there is something about it that means to get the full effect, you need to listen live. Thomas tallis edited by philip brett spem in alium. Spem in aliumthis piece, spem in alium numquam habui i have no faith in any other than god, is tallis most famous piece. We know less about thomas tallis than shakespeare or any other major cultural. I have found you cant go wrong with the tallis scholars to be a pretty reliable guide over the last 30 years. The opening title track of this cd, spem in alium, is a 40voice motet for eight fivevoice choirs. Janet cardiff the forty part motet a reworking of spem in alium, by thomas tallis 1556 2001 not on view when cardiff first heard a recording of thomas talliss ambitious sixteenthcentury choral composition spem in alium nunquam habui in no other is my hope in 1998, she envisioned the possibility of hearing each voice in isolation. At the time there was competition between english and continental music publishers. This motet ranks with the greatest musical compositions.
Spem in alium is a forty part motet composed by englishman, thomas tallis c. Thomas tallis spem in alium welcome to talk classical a community covering every aspect of classical music. After a short interjection from choirs iii and iv which functions antiphonally as decani to the cantoris of choirs vii and viii tallis completes the circle with the entry of the. Spem in alium winchester cathedral choir, david hill on allmusic 1990. It was written for eight choirs with five voices each. Spem in alium nunquam habui praeter in te, deus israel qui irasceris et propitius eris et omnia peccata hominum in tribulatione dimittis domine deus creator caeli et terrae respice humilitatem.
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