jmcmichael

Daily Euphony

Thomas Tallis - Spem in Alium
from the The Tallis Singers

Spem in alium is a forty-part motet by Thomas Tallis, composed circa 1570 for eight choirs of five voices each. Though composed in imitative style and occasionally homophonic, its individual vocal lines act quite freely within its fairly simple harmonic framework; allowing for an astonishing number of individual musical ideas to be sung during its ten-to-twelve minute performance time. (Wikipedia)