Day 206
Thomas Tallis: Three Anthems
O Lord, give they holy spirit
Remember me not, O Lord God
Hear the voice and prayer
Tallis Scholars
Peter Phillips
I've said before that I have not done any choral singing. That is not quite true - at University I did take part in a performance of Tallis's 40 part motet Spem in Allium. It was an amazing experience to be in the middle of that wonderful texture - and very scary in case I was in the wrong place when everything suddenly comes to a temporary halt and there is absolute silence.
There three anthems are much more modest but give plenty of opportunities to understand why Tallis is such a highly regarded composer. They are largely chordal but but have plenty of polyphonic textures. There are some typical soaring moments but I would say that generally these are rather subdued, inward looking pieces. Mostly the harmony was straightforward and consonant but there were certainly a few moments where Tallis enjoyed experimenting with dissonance. I feel that I have now seen the two extremes of Tallis - the 40 part motet and these tiny anthems. There must be a lot in between to explore.
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