The five sixteenth-century composers on this album—Philip van Wilder, Derrick Gerarde, Alfonso Ferrabosco I, Thomas Tallis, and William Byrd—all worked under the influence of Nonsuch Palace, a grand residence built by King Henry VIII.
Recording & Production
This album features a 'tasting menu' of Tudor motet repertory, curated by John Milsom, with most pieces not heard since the sixteenth century.
Compositional Technique
The structure of Tallis's Spem in alium strongly suggests it was meant to be sung 'in the round' by four choirs of ten singers, each subdividing into 5+5.
Composition History
Thomas Tallis's forty-part motet, Spem in alium, was commissioned in the late 1560s by two Tudor noblemen, Thomas Howard, fourth duke of Norfolk, and Henry Fitzalan, twelfth earl of Arundel.
Compositional Technique
James MacMillan's Vidi aquam begins in the style of sixteenth-century polyphony but gradually shifts to more modern textures, including closed-mouth sounds and 'smudging' of harmonies.
Composition History
Sir James MacMillan's Vidi aquam, also a forty-part motet, was commissioned by ORA Singers as a 'reflection' of Tallis's Spem in alium.
Historical Context
Three of the sixteenth-century composers on this album—Philip van Wilder, Derrick Gerarde, and Alfonso Ferrabosco I—were foreign-born but resided in England, serving Tudor monarchs or magnates who appreciated foreign fashions.
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