Choral ecstacy
January 27, 2008
~Tallis was a master of polyphony, that is music with more than one melodic line happening simultaneously. One of the finest examples of this is the motet Spem in Alium, written for 40 voices split into eight choirs of five. The first 20 voices all enter with exactly the same phrase, making what is known as imitative entries, before the next 20 voices enter with new material. All the parts come together finally in harmony. This piece produces a magical effect. Although one of his minor tunes (the third of a set of nine written in 1567 for Archbishop of Canterbury, Matthew Parker’s Psalter, and which did not even receive the dignity of a separate name), it was used by Ralph Vaughan-Williams as the theme in his Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis when he was compiling the English Hymnal. This is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever composed.~
OMG~
I have sat and listened to this 2x and am just blown away. This is incredible. What a treasure! Thank you for sharing this I need to see if i can find this piece on itunes..
Wow, just WOW!
Bright blessings!
Mermaid,
The voices fill the room. What must it be like to hear this piece in a concert hall. Utter magnificence. I’m off to look for more of Tallis’s works. Thank you for posting this masterful piece. You are quite the MC of grand music. I must agree with you about music that reaches toward the divine. Or, that assists us in the same. I am at a point in my life where I am redefining my relationship with the divine on my terms. Instead of terms handed to me when I was young. I see the creator everywhere these days. I find that when I quiet myself I can hear the current flowing through my life. I listed to its course. I take heed. Music like this tends smooth out that task. Thank you so much for these gifts. Dobry.
Exquisitely beautiful, Mermaid! Almost moved me to tears. Choral music does that to me. I’m so thrilled to hear this, for me it’s a new piece. Thank you! janetleigh