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Spem in Alium
Tallis, Winchester Cathedral Choir, Hill
Spem in Alium
Genre: Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (11) - Disc #1

Thomas Tallis was one of the outstanding English composers of his generation; his long life (c. 1505-1585) saw him working under four different monarchs: Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary Tudor, and Elizabeth I. Like other chu...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Tallis, Winchester Cathedral Choir, Hill
Title: Spem in Alium
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Hyperion UK
Release Date: 10/10/2000
Album Type: Import, Limited Edition, Original recording remastered
Genre: Classical
Style: Opera & Classical Vocal
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 034571104003

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Thomas Tallis was one of the outstanding English composers of his generation; his long life (c. 1505-1585) saw him working under four different monarchs: Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary Tudor, and Elizabeth I. Like other church musicians of his day, Tallis had to adapt to whatever liturgy--Catholic/Protestant, Latin/English--was required, as monarchs and their prelates came and went. Latin motets inevitably make up a large part of his output, and this collection of 11 includes some of the more notable ones. Outstanding is the famous 40-part Spem in alium, a veritable cathedral in sound, although the occasion for its composition is not known (perhaps the 40th birthday of either Mary or Elizabeth?). Other pieces--such as the Lamentations of Jeremiah--are less monumental, but just as expressive. One or two moments of sluggishness, and the playing-down of characteristic discords detract marginally from what is generally fine singing from the Winchester Cathedral Choir in this 1989 recording, which profits from the building's acoustic. Overall, however, this disc provides a good introduction to the composer and his world. --George Hall
 

CD Reviews

Majestic, spiritual...beautiful
luvjalba | usa | 01/02/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)

"i am not familiar with choral work such as this. i heard this at a tower records listening booth and just stood there absolutely amazed at how beautiful the human voice can sound. these songs date back to around 450 years ago, when the church had absolute rule over any artistic expression. assuming these songs were performed in the same manner at that time, you can revel in the thought of sitting in a cathedral listening to men and women singing to praise God above. or you can do as i did, just marveling at the majestic scope of voices as they were meant to be heard in a cathdral setting. the topper here is 'spem in alium', a piece designed for 8 groups of 5-part choirs that washes the listener in sound. it is best, in my opinion, to listen to something like this through a good pair of headphones loud, but not so loud as to distort or disturb, but rather to pick up every single nuance, since i can assume that choral works such as this have subtleties missed when listening casually. a great beginning to my exploration of choral music from this time period."