Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis

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Also known as the Tallis Fantasia, and composed in 1910 for the Three Choirs Festival, this piece was one of the first major successes of British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. He later revised the work twice, in 1913 and 1919. Modern, complete interpretations of the work run for roughly 16 minutes.

The work is scored for an expanded string orchestra divided into three parts: orchestra I, a typical string orchestra; orchestra II, consisting of a single desk from each section (ideally placed apart from Orchestra I); and a string quartet. What is impressive is that Vaughan Williams makes the orchestra resemble an organ in sound, with the quartet representing the swell box; it is difficult to listen to this piece without imagining the acoustics inside a church.

In structure this piece resembles the Elizabethan-age "fantasy": although the theme is heard in its entirety three times during the course of the work, mostly the music is based upon the theme's constituent motives or fragments, with variations upon them. A secondary melody, based on the original, is first heard on the solo viola about a third of the way into the Fantasia, and this theme forms the climax of the work about five minutes before the end.

Tallis's original tune is in the Phrygian mode and was one of nine he contributed to the Psalter of 1567 for the first Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Matthew Parker. When Vaughan Williams edited the English Hymnal of 1906, he also included this melody (number 92). Tallis's original words to the hymn were:

"Why fum'th in fight the Gentiles spite, in fury raging stout ?

Why tak'th in hand the people fond, vain things to bring about ?

The Kings arise, the Lords devise, in counsels met thereto,

against the Lord with false accord, against His Christ they go." [link]

The Tallis Fantasia, with its pleasing melodies, has been featured in several movies. It was played in the 1988 film Remando al viento with Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley. The Fantasia was also played in the 2003 film with Russell Crowe. New Yorker critic Alex Ross has noted in his blog that the love theme from the movie Troy bears resemblance to the Tallis Fantasia [link].

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