Thomas Tallis: Spem in Alium

Throughout September, the Daily Classical Music Post celebrates the music of 15th-, 16th-, and 17th-century England.




“In Queen Elizabeth's time yere was a songe sen[t] into England in 30 parts (whence ye Italians obteyned ye name to be called ye Apices of ye world) wch beeinge songe mad[e] a heavenly Harmony. The Duke of — bearinge a great love to Musicke asked whether none of our Englishmen could sett as good a songe, and Tallice being very skilfull was felt to try whether he would undertake ye matter, wch he did and made one of 40 partes wch was songe in the longe gallery at Arundell house, wch so farre surpassed ye other that the Duke, hearinge yt songe, tooke his chayne of Gold from his necke & putt yt about Tallice his necke and gave yt him (wch songe was againe songe at ye Princes coronation.” Thomas Wateridge, 1611


Ah, Spem in Alium. If you’ve heard it, you want to sing it. If you’ve sung it, you want to sing it again . . . and again. This extraordinary "song of fortie partes, made by Mr. Tallys" (the incomparable Thomas Tallis [(c. 1505–1585)], that is) is composed for eight choirs of five voices (treble, countertenor, tenor, baritone, and bass). It was probably meant to be sung in a circle or horseshoe shape. I’ve performed it both ways. It seems likely that the duke referred to in Thomas Wateridge’s letter was the Duke of Norfolk, and the first performance took place in Arundel House, the duke's London home.


Jeremy Summerly points out, “It is unlikely that early audiences were either aware that all forty voices enter together for the first time at the fortieth semibreve, or that the piece lasts 69 longs [double length bars] (in the Latin alphabet, where I and J are the same letter, T=19, A=1, L=11, L=11, I=9, S=18, so TALLIS = 69).” How neat that in the midst of all of this extraordinary beauty there is a little Tallis numerology! For more on this, see http://www.ifagiolini.com/striggio/historical-notes/.


The text is taken from a response at Matins, for the 3rd Lesson, in the Sarum Rite, adapted from the Book of Judith.


My classical music post for today is Thomas Tallis’s Spem in Alium.

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