Bach's Christmas Oratorio is a series of six self-contained but linked cantatas, resembling his Passions and other cantatas in its mixture of Biblical verses, Italianate aria forms, and German chorale texts.
Compositional Technique
The English version of Spem in alium, Sing and glorify, uses cornetts, sackbuts, dulcians, and organs in place of some voices, offering a glorious complement to the original vocal version.
Album & Artwork
The album, titled 'Music for Monarchs and Magnates', includes works by Tallis, Byrd, Gibbons, and Thomas Tomkins, some of which have never been recorded or performed since their creation.
Composition History
Bach's Christmas Oratorio was created in 1734 by re-using three occasional secular cantatas he had written for the Elector of Saxony and his family.
Recording & Production
This album features the first-ever recording in surround sound of Thomas Tallis' 40-part motet, Spem in alium.
Performer Biography
Mark Padmore, a tenor soloist on this recording, joined The Sixteen's choral line-up straight from university and later returned to work with the group as a soloist.
Composition History
An English version of Tallis' Spem in alium, titled Sing and glorify, was adapted for King James I to honor his son Henry, the newly-appointed Prince of Wales.
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