Thomas Tallis is often called the father of English Church Music, though he maintained a taste for Latin music throughout his career.
Composer Biography
Tallis likely held recusant sympathies, meaning he was a Catholic who refused to attend church in Elizabethan England, and was discreet about it.
Historical Context
Tallis's career spanned the reigns of four English monarchs—Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary Tudor, and Elizabeth I—each with significantly different religious and musical preferences.
Composition History
Tallis's forty-part work, Spem in alium, was likely written in 1571 to honor the Duke of Norfolk, a staunch Catholic, and its forty parts may refer to years until the restoration of the true faith.
Composition History
In 1575, Queen Elizabeth I granted Tallis and William Byrd an exclusive license to print and publish music, leading to the first collection of Latin motets ever printed in England.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded at two different locations: Saint Jude-on-the-Hill in Hampstead, UK (June 1997 and November 1995) and St Mary the Virgin in Buckland, UK (January 2000).
Compositional Technique
Spem in alium is highly unusual, with nothing else quite like it in the English repertoire, and is structured for eight five-part choirs.
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