Spem in alium nunquam habui choral public domain library. Gimell thomas tallis spem in alium the tallis scholars. Collins described it in 1929 as talliss crowning achievement, along with his. Clearly spem in alium is an occasional piece, presumably written for a great state occasion, and perhaps the most likely was the fortieth birthday of queen elizabeth in 1573. Spem in alium is wonderful, unearthly celestial music. Spem in alium score, found at via wikimedia commons. The points where these tectonic plates of sound grind against each other come into much sharper relief in this closeup studio setting, and the palette of dissonances that tallis must have heard. Spem in alium tallis from cda66400 hyperion records. Buy the tallis scholars sing thomas tallis spem in alium by tallis scholars, thomas tallis, peter phillips from amazons classical music store. Bbc none discovering music talliss spem in alium and. Spem in alium, a song by the tallis scholars, peter phillips 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. The tallis scholars 1985 recording of spem in alium has outsold even the tenor luciano pavarotti to reach the number one slot.
And thats a pity, because the oxford camerata perform this piece so beautifully. Except for the unplanned visit to london in june 1567 by the mantuan gentleman, diplomat and composer alessandro striggio senior, who came bringing performance. An outstanding performance of thomas talliss spem in alium provides a powerful cornerstone for a superbly conceived and executed programme. Spem in alium is a forty part motet composed by englishman, thomas tallis c. This recording is a great deal more transparent than david hills performance, with the singers probably placed in a more or less circular arrangement. Spem in alium had been cited as an exceptional piece of choral music and so i chose what i hoped would be a good performance by the sixteen.
It is considered by some critics to be the greatest piece of english early music. Jul 16, 2012 the tallis scholars 1985 recording of spem in alium has outsold even the tenor luciano pavarotti to reach the number one slot. Spem in alium nunquam habui motet by tallis britannica. Spem in alium winchester cathedral choir, david hill on allmusic 1990. Its a fortypart motet performed by eight choirs of five members each which means that you need 40 frigging people singing 40 totally different lines of music. In the spem in alium, the verse, and even the melodic line, dissolve as the music soars then saturates the ears. Sep 11, 2005 tribute to thomas tallis british composer thomas tallis was born 500 years ago. How to buy spem in alium by thomas tallis classic fm. Spem in alium for 40 voices tallis scholars bbc singers peter phillips cond. Members of the yorkshire bach choir will lead us off after that, its up to us all to enjoy the mad but marvellous birthday celebration.
Since then i have had a few months of listening and i have not been disappointed. The tallis scholars sing thomas tallis spem in alium. The fact that the founder and director of the womens choir luna from mainz has developed a special interest in the pure sound of a female choir, is proven by his sacred choral work spem in alium for a cappella womens choir ssaa which is well worth listening to. Spem in alium spem in alium numquam habui praeter in te deus israel qui irasceris et propitius eris et omnia peccata hominum in tribulatione dimittis. Thomas tallis, spem in allium motet for forty voiceshuelgas ensemble. Thomas tallis 40voice motet spem in alium scored for eight fivepart choirs was composed some 400 years before the modern age of recordings, and perhaps its a work thats best left for the experience of live performance. Spem in alium the tallis scholars on allmusic 1994. Sung by a constellation of singers, many of them familiar names from other wellestablished choral groups, it is a gripping realisation. Domine deus, creator coeli et terrae, respice humilitatem nostram. Spem in alium, by thomas tallis by john rommereim published on 20160223t17.
Fifty shades of grey sends sales of thomas talliss spem in. Spem in alium was composed during the reign of elizabeth i, probably in 1570. Pascal martine is a much soughtafter choral composer, both at home and abroad. All the works on this cd are also available on the speciallypriced double album the tallis scholars sing thomas tallis. Judes in hampstead a purely vocal performance, involving 40 solo voices. At the time there was competition between english and continental music publishers.
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. 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. The opening title track of this cd, spem in alium, is a 40voice motet for eight fivevoice choirs. 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 final bass voice. Notes fortypart motets from the sixteenth century are. Tribute to thomas tallis british composer thomas tallis was born 500 years ago. Modest hifi systems may also reveal rolloff during the spem in alium because the sound on the naxos seems compressed at high volume. An animated, graphical representation of thomas tallis spem in alium. Thomas tallis spem in alium this is the original release of the tallis scholars acclaimed recording of talliss monumental 40part motet. But even though we know the approximate when of spem in alium, were still unsure as to the why. 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. On 10th june 2006 more than 700 people came to manchester to sing tallis spem in alium, almost certainly the largest number of people to ever perform this. Whether singing the monumental splendour of his famous 40part motet spem in alium or the intimate prayer i call and cry to thee, o lord, the internationally renowned oxford camerata conducted by jeremy summerly are perfectly attuned to talliss timeless genius. What better way to celebrate a 40th anniversary than with tallis masterpiece for 40 voices and in the glorious setting of the chapter house of york minster.
An animated, graphical representation of thomas tallis spem. Fifty shades of grey seductive soundtrack, renaissance choral music duration. 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. Spem in alium is written for eight choirs of five voices arranged in an satbarb lineup. Spem in alium licensed to youtube by wmg on behalf of plg uk classics. On 24th november 2012 we brought together 98 singers and four choral directors for our most ambitious project to date. One of his most celebrated pieces of choral music was spem in alium, a motet he wrote to be sung by eight five. 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. Spem in alium latin for hope in any other is a 40part renaissance motet by thomas tallis, composed in c.
It turns out that christian grey, fifty shades of greys super. Written for 40 independent voices, this is a noble and monumental edifice, which in the course of its 69 longs makes creative and imaginative use of the extensive musical. Spem in alium is widely regarded as talliss finest achievement, if not one of the greatest compositions of all time. The kings singershave combined one of the greatest vocal compositions of all time with modern recording technology and customary style to produce a truly stunning recording of thomas tallis spem in alium. Lyrics spem in alium nunquam habui praeter in te, deus israel qui irasceris et propitius eris et omnia peccata hominum. Spem in alium music by thomas tallis brighton consort. Spem in alium sheet music download free in pdf or midi.
Gramophone an inspired performance of this breathtaking piece of music. Linda ryan is a comentor for two education for ministry groups, an avid reader, lover of baroque and renaissance music, and semiretired. This complex work has received some outstanding recordings, with the five selected here representing a worthy and everincreasing catalogue. Bbc recording from the proms 2007 alessandro striggio. Watch the video for spem in alium from thomas talliss discover early music for free, and see the artwork, lyrics and similar artists. Spem in alium thomas tallis tallis scholars youtube. Apr 29, 2011 on 10th june 2006 more than 700 people came to manchester to sing tallis spem in alium, almost certainly the largest number of people to ever perform this 400 year old 40 part motet. Spem in alium has been listed as a level5 vital article in an unknown topic. Collins described it in 1929 as talliss crowning achievement, along with his lamentations. Dancers jessy adrien morgan page anna goulding miles ziebart tara john. Spem in alium nunquam habui a motet for 40 voices by thomas tallis c. This is a unique opportunity to hear every part in spem sung and recorded to perfection, with the six kings singers dividing the forty parts of spem in alium between them, in this multi.
Spem in alium thomas tallis midi files to assist you in learning the notes all 40 parts of spem in alium as individual midi files for singers to learn their parts, plus midi files for each of the eight choirs, and each voice individually are set out below. One of his most celebrated pieces of choral music was spem. This is quite the best performance of talliss 40part spem in alium that i have heard. The piece opens with choir 1 on the left and moves through each choir in order down to choir 8 on the right. 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. Spem in alium sounds completely different here from the usual effect it makes with 40 singers, or some multiple of 40, holding forth in a cathedral.
Find classical music concert listings spem in alium by. Another version says that tallis wrote the 40 part motet for the 40th birthday of queen elizabeth i in 1573. Umpi, public domain compositions, latinautor, abramus digital, and 5 music rights societies. Watch the video for spem in alium from thomas talliss discover early music for free, and.
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