Collins described it in 1929 as talliss crowning achievement, along with. Thomas tallis 15051585 was a pioneering composer of english church music. Thomas tallis, spem in alium, motet for 40 voices youtube. Despite his stature as one of the great composers of english sacred music, little is known about the personality of english composer thomas tallis ca. Thomas tallis 1505 23 november 1585 was an english composer. This installation featured the voices of 59 singers adults and children performing one of thomas tallis most famous compositions. Its survival was also helped in part by english composer ralph vaughan williams, whose highly popular fantasia on a theme by thomas tallis 1910. Thomas tallis, spem in alium, motet for 40 voices fred firth. Talliss work lived on into the 21st century, aided by such groups as the tallis scholars, who performed and recorded music of the renaissance. As part of radio 3s 40th anniversary, stephen johnson is joined in the studio by jeffrey skidmore, deborah roberts and antony pitts for an exploration of. The ultimate example of this style is the tudor court organist thomas talliss 40part motet spem in alium. Certainly, his role in setting the pattern for and inspiring talliss 40 part masterwork, spem in alium, must now be acknowledged. Janet cardiffs fortypart motet brings an emotional. How to buy spem in alium by thomas tallis classic fm.
With individual microphones, janet cardiff has recorded each singer of the choir of salisbury cathedral. Tallis served as an organist and in other professional capacities for four english monarchs, including in the royal chapel. By 1537, tallis was serving a london parish church as organist. Newly recorded in the round and in surround sound, thomas tallis 40part motet, spem in alium, one of the great. The cardinalls musicks thrilling exploration of tallis sacred music comes to a glorious close with both versions of the great fortypart motet. An outstanding performance of thomas talliss spem in alium provides a. Cosmos and culture the nelsonatkins museum in kansas city is host to janet cardiffs work fortypart motet. A youtube channel for thomas tallis school, greenwich, uk. He reached old age, but we cannot be certain about the precise year of his birth 1505. Janet cardiffs the forty part motet is a 21stcentury art installation that reworks a very old choral composition thomas tallis spem in. Not content with trios, quartets or quintets of voices, in spem in alium tallis took the already elaborate style of renaissance polyphony and wrote a motet for 40 independent voices. Within the politically treacherous church of sixteenthcentury england, he was very successful, and though he resisted the trends toward compositional and thematic complexity of some of his younger peers, his influence is.
Watch 40 cellists play the 40part renaissance motet spem. Spem in alium 40part motet fortypart motet by thomas tallis and see the artwork, lyrics and similar artists. Discover more music, concerts, videos, and pictures with the largest catalogue online at. From the scant records that survive, we know that his world extended from dover and the nearby isle of thanet to westminster and waltham cross. Spem in alium 40 part motet forty part motet by thomas tallis and see the artwork, lyrics and similar artists. A very brief history and breakdown of spem in alium, the 40 part motet by thomas tallis. After the dissolution of the monasteries he had a job at canterbury cathedral for a short time. Spem in alium, a 40 fortypart motet by elizabethan composer thomas tallis was composed and first performed at nonsuch palace england in c. Spem in alium numquam habui praeter in te deus israel qui irasceris et propitius eris et omnia peccata hominum in tribulatione. Thomas tallis bio, albums, pictures naxos classical music.
Tallis was well practised in the elizabethan art of diplomacy, and to a cultured and musicloving queen a perfectly crafted 40 part motet would have been a most acceptable birthday gift. Thomas tallis, spem in allium motet for forty voices huelgas ensemble. The 40 part motet a reworking of spem in alium by thomas tallis. Its called spem in alium, a 40part motet by thomas tallis. 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. Fifty shades of grey sends sales of thomas talliss spem. Buy sheetmusic from tallis at sheetmusicplus our dream. September 11, 2005 british composer thomas tallis was born 500 years ago. He is considered one of englands greatest composers, and he is honoured for his original voice in english musicianship. The singers are grouped into eight choirs of five voices soprano, alto, tenor, baritone and bass and were probably intended to stand in a horseshoe shape. Cardiffs installation is a motet, spem in alium, a latin fragment of the phrase in no other is my hope, composed by thomas tallis sometime in the 16th century.
Fifty shades of grey sends sales of thomas talliss spem in alium soaring this article is more than 7 years old. Listen free to thomas tallis spem in alium 40part motet. Spem in alium itself and sing and glorify, the less familiar englishtexted contrafactum. A firmer hypothesis attributes the idea of a fortyvoice motet to alessandro striggio, who was in london in 1567, and probably had with him the score of ecce beatam lucem his own fortypart piece. Spem in alium 40 part motet spem in alium 40 part motet skip navigation sign in. He may have started his career as organist at dover and then waltham abbey. New recordings of talliss remarkable 40part motet spem in alium seem to appear at approximately tenyear intervals.
An essential feature of this compositions structure is the alternation between imitative passages involving only a few voices and huge tutti entries with powerful chords. Spem in alium hyperion records cds, mp3 and lossless. Forty separatelyrecorded choir voices are played back through 40 speakers positioned around the rideau chapel in the canadian and. Janet cardiffs fortypart motet brings an emotional response to many. The publicly and critically acclaimed forty part motet is now back on display at the national gallery of canada this brilliant sound sculpture by canadian artist janet cardiff is a reworking of spem in alium, a piece by 16thcentury english composer thomas tallis. Thomas tallis is a biographers challenge and a musicological detectives delight. Thomas tallis 1505 1585 the career of the english composer thomas tallis spans the troubled period of the reign of henry viii, with the sequestration of monastic property, the protestant regime of his successor, the reestablishment of catholicism under queen mary, and the subsequent changes under queen elizabeth. This is a 3 minute excerpt from a minute sound installation by janet cardiff. Erica falls and lyle divinsky from the motet jazz fest 2019 runtime 2. It is considered by some critics to be the greatest piece of english early music. Fortunately the missing part is the one directly above the lowest voice, the easiest one to reconstruct within this texture.
Artwork page for forty part motet, janet cardiff, 2001. Spem in alium, by thomas tallis, performed by the taverner choir, accompanied by an animated graphical score. Spem in alium is a 40part renaissance motet by thomas tallis, composed in c. The last two lines of his epitaph as he did live, so. This piece lets the audience experience a piece of music from the viewpoint of the singers in that every performer hears a unique mix of the piece of music. Fantasia on a theme by thomas tallis oundjian toronto symphony. Choose from thomas tallis sheet music for such popular songs as if ye love me, winter canon, and tallis canon. A short video promoting post 16 study at thomas tallis school created by year 10 btec media students for directions day 20. He flourished as a church musician in 16th century england and is considered among the best of its earliest composers. Born early in the sixteenth century, his first musical appointment was as organist to a benedictine catholic priory in dover, two years before henry viiis definitive break with rome in 1534. One of his most celebrated pieces of choral music was spem in alium, a motet he wrote to.
The fortypart motet, 2001 a reworking of spem in alium by thomas tallis, 1573, is the most noteworthy installation shown in the exhibit the killing machine and other stories as it offers an exceptional experience in audio perception. Get youtube premium get youtube tv best of youtube music sports gaming movies tv shows news live fashion spotlight. Find thomas tallis composition information on allmusic. This is quite the best performance of talliss 40part spem in alium that i have heard. Considering that thomas tallis was the finest english composer of his generation, it is surprising how little we know about his life. Thomas tallis, spem in allium motet for forty voiceshuelgas ensemble. The work is based on the music, spem in alium by thomas tallis, a renaissance composer who wrote the music for a. Spem in alium, a 40 fortypart motet by elizabethan composer thomas tallis c. It seems that striggios own 40 part motet, ecce beatem lucem track 1 on both these discs was written in about 1561. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Already a fan of the incredible 40 part motet by thomas tallis, i loved this installation by janet cardiff of each separate part coming from its own speaker. Moved to tears at the cloisters by a ghostly tapestry of. The forty part motet by janet cardiff high museum of art. English composer thomas tallis composed this exceptional piece around 1570. Watch 40 cellists play the 40part renaissance motet spem in alium. Spem in alium latin for hope in any other is a 40part renaissance motet by thomas tallis, composed in c. To god full oft for mercy did he cry, wherefore he lives, let death do what it can.
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