Thomas Tallis was arguably the most versatile composer before Stravinsky, and one of the most prodigiously gifted of any age. This concert reflected the diversity of musical styles encompassed by Tallis’s religious works; from the simple writing of the Eight Tunes for Archbishop Parker’s Psalter to the complexity of Salve intemerata virgo; from the plainsong organ hymn Ecce tempus to the massive polyphonic canvas of the 40-part motet Spem in alium; from the austere minature Hear the voice and prayer for men’s voices to the radiant and sonorous Videte miraculum. Although diverse in style, together these works give evidence that Tallis’s mastery as a composer of sacred music encompassed virtually every idiom of the time.
