The Tallis Scholars, founded in 1973 by director Peter Phillips, are renowned for their performances of Renaissance sacred music, having given over 2,500 concerts worldwide.
Compositional Technique
O Maria, Deo grata, though incomplete, was reconstructed by Nick Sandon using its shared cantus firmus and other musical links with Fayrfax's Missa Albanus.
Composer Biography
Robert Fayrfax, an English composer, was born in Deeping Gate, Lincolnshire, on April 23, 1464, and died in St Albans on October 24, 1521, at age 57.
Composition History
The work Eterne laudis lilium was likely the 'Anthem of oure lady and Saint Elisabeth' for which Fayrfax was paid by Elizabeth of York, wife of Henry VII, in 1502.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Fayrfax's musical style evolved significantly, moving away from the elaborate, virtuoso lines and simple harmonies characteristic of earlier music.
Compositional Technique
Fayrfax's Maria plena virtute uses reduced voices, including an unusual number of duets, to convey Christ's utterances with stark simplicity, resembling polyphonic recitative.
Compositional Technique
Eterne laudis lilium contains an acrostic spelling out the name of its dedicatee, Elizabeth of York, within its text.
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