Spem in Alium

in association with

This is one of the “must haves” in choral music. Our journey is not complete without a firm tick-in-the-box for Spem in Alium.

Spem in Alium (Latin for “Hope in any other”) is a 40-part Renaissance motet by Thomas Tallis, composed in c. 1570. Whilst it is well known for being written for 8 choirs of 5 voices, a look at the original manuscript shows that it is, in fact, written for 4 choirs of 10 voices.

It is considered by some critics to be the greatest piece of early English choral music and has been described as Tallis's “crowning achievement”.

Choir of the Earth has partnered with Nigel Short and Tenebrae to bring this opportunity for us to learn, record and perform Spem in Alium. Tenebrae will sing all the 40 backing tracks for us and Nigel will teach us all 40 parts in live online sessions. Ben England BEM will assist Nigel in providing several extra teaching sessions. Here is Nigel’s introduction video:

Nigel Short of Tenebrae has just completed a marathon of 40 individual 90 minute sessions for each part of SPEM IN ALIUM. The choir has submitted over 1,700 voices to create the largest choir ever to sing this iconic piece. 

There is still time to contribute and be part of this story. Simply take one voice part (or more) and learn it with Nigel before submitting your voice to us before 21st September for the Concert featuring your voice along with the other 1,700 on 28th October 2021. If you wish to sing a lot then choose a part from Choirs I or II. If you wish to tackle a smaller part, choose Choirs III or IV. 

The sessions with Nigel and Tenebrae’s backing tracks are now recorded for you to enjoy at your own pace

The cost of the course is reduced from £55 to £25. 

The Music

The motet is laid out for four choirs of ten voices and each choir is divided again into A and B (each with soprano, alto, tenor, baritone and bass).

Beginning with a single voice from the first choir, other voices join in imitation, each in turn falling silent as the music moves around the various choirs.

All forty voices enter simultaneously for a few bars, and then the pattern of the opening is reversed with the music passing from choir to choir. There is another brief full section, after which the choirs sing in antiphonal pairs, throwing the sound across the space between them. Finally all voices join for the culmination of the work.

The work is a study in contrasts: the individual voices sing and are silent in turns, sometimes alone, sometimes in choirs, sometimes calling and answering, sometimes all together, so that, far from being a monotonous mass, the work is continually changing and presenting new ideas.

Here is Harry Christophers conducting Spem in Alium:

The Thomas Tallis Society

We have partnered with the Thomas Tallis Society to bring their unique score and historical documents/talks to the course. You will be provided with Hugh Keyte’s detailed research into the origins of the motet. Hugh has gone to the original score and produced a new score with four choirs - each sub-divided into choir A and choir B.

Timings

Your recordings are needed by 21st September

CONCERT PERFORMANCE – Thursday 28th October at 19:00

You may join as many choirs as you wish. In fact, you can join and learn them all if you wish!

Course Fee

The fee, therefore, for the course is £25 per person and this covers:

40 online sessions of 90 minutes with Nigel Short

-

Tenebrae backing tracks

-

Printable online score (this is Hugh Keyte’s latest score, provided by the Thomas Tallis Society)

-

Historical background from the Thomas Tallis Society

-

All administration

-

Sound Engineers

-

Concert Performance