related works
Cantiones Sacræ : for 5 voices / Thomas Tallis; transcribed and edited by Cees Wagemakers
Genre:
Vocal music
Subgenre:
Mixed choir
Scoring:
GK
Epicideum Hathumode : for mixed choir / Douglas Knehans
Genre:
Vocal music
Subgenre:
Mixed choir
Scoring:
GK
Magnificat : for mixed choir, 1985, revision 1987 / Xander Hunfeld
Genre:
Vocal music
Subgenre:
Mixed choir
Scoring:
4sopr 4alt 3ten 3bas
When David Heard : for 5-part male or female choir / Rens Tienstra
Genre:
Vocal music
Subgenre:
Mixed choir
Scoring:
GK
composition
Cantiones Sacræ : for 5 voices / Thomas Tallis; transcribed and edited by Cees Wagemakers
Other authors:
Wagemakers, Cees
(Editor)
Tallis, Thomas
(Composer)
Description:
Queen Elizabeth granted Thomas Tallis and William Byrd a longtime monopoly for polyphonic music and a patent to print and publish music. A very favorable privilege indeed. He and Byrd had the exclusive right to use the paper that was used in music printing. They produced the album Cantiones quæ ab argumento sacræ vocantur in 1575, printed by Thomas Vautor, a composer himself. This collections of their motets did not sell very well and they appealed to Queen Elizabeth for some financial support. Later these motets became very well-loved and many times republished.
It is from this very album that the three underlying motets are taken. These are the only three that are not so well-known, but they deserve to be saved from oblivion. The album contains 34 motets and 3 canons by both composers. Byrd’s compositions are all very wide-spread and therefore not reproduced here, Tallis’ compositions are also widely available, except the three in this small extract.