St John's C of E Primary School
"Use your God-given gifts to serve others." 1 Peter 4: 10
Week 7 13.10.25 Spem in Alium
Music of the Kings and Queens
Spem in Alium (Latin for 'in no other is my hope') is a choral piece of music. It is unusual because it is in 40 parts. Most choral music is in 4 to 8 parts. It can have more than 40 singers - it just means there are 40 different lines of music. It builds up throughout the piece to make an amazingly rich and textured sound. Tallis would have been composing at the time of Henry VIII and then Elizabeth I. 'Spem in Alium' is considered one of his greatest achievements and it is thought he probably wrote it for Elizabeth I.
Here is also an alternative version with 40 'cellos playing the piece of music.