description Spem in Alium Overview
Thomas Tallis's Spem in alium is a Latin motet for forty independent voices, arranged as eight choirs of five parts each. Probably composed in the late sixteenth century, it sets a prayer adapted from the Book of Judith. The music passes material among separate choirs, builds large antiphonal exchanges, and occasionally unites the entire ensemble, making spatial placement and coordinated direction central concerns in performance.
help Spem in Alium FAQ
How are the 40 voices arranged in Spem in alium?
Thomas Tallis divides them into eight separate choirs of five voices each. Entries move around the choirs before all 40 parts join, making spatial placement an important part of performance.
Was Spem in alium written to rival an Italian 40-part motet?
A well-known account connects Tallis's work with Alessandro Striggio's 40-part Ecce beatam lucem or his Mass Ecco sì beato giorno. The story is plausible, but the precise commission and first-performance circumstances remain uncertain.
What language and text does Spem in alium use?
It sets a Latin prayer beginning Spem in alium nunquam habui, meaning that the speaker has placed hope in no one but God. The text is associated with the deuterocanonical Book of Judith.
Can Spem in alium be performed by only 40 singers?
Yes, one singer can take each independent line, producing a transparent performance with 40 solo voices. Larger choirs can double the parts, but maintaining the eight-choir layout helps listeners hear Tallis's waves of sound.
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