Thomas Tallis: Spem in alium. A mystery in 40 parts. 

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This is probably the most engaging discussion of Spem in Alium, (in terms of giving us historical context, other background - political and personal etc - a dive into the lyrics and music, in terms of presentation, and including some fun facts, humour and a ton of great research, etc.) ever. Very well done, and thanks for all your hard work, and for uploading this fascinating video about a really great piece of music.

Thank you very much for your detailed and quietly humorous discussion of this magnificent piece which has been one of my favourites for many years. I appreciated your visual representation during the performance; it demonstrated the full complexity of Spem to me for the first time.

This is fantastic. Fascinating, very funny and really well made. Thank you so much!

You had me at 'hope in garlic'. A fantastic breakdown of a fantastic piece. I really appreciated the graphic depiction of the different choirs during the full piece; it really helps show the way it's constructed.

I didn't think that I could have been more in awe of this piece of "sonic architecture" than I was already., but your explanation of the layout and structure of the work added a whole other level "OMG". Thank you so much!! I am going to share this with my beloved middle school choir director and some of my former fellow choir members.

Absolutely brilliant; super informative, very interesting, witty and with an amazing performance graphic that brings everything together at the end. Loved your closing credits too. Thanks so much for producing this - it’s an extraordinary amount of work. I’m sharing it with my choir - it deserves to go far and wide!

The museum I work at is currently displaying Janet Cardiff's 40-part Motet, an art installation consisting of 40 speakers playing Spem in Alium. A friend visited the exhibit and sent this video to me, which I am grateful for. It's informative, funny and had greatly increased my appreciation of the artwork.

You have been absolutely magnificent: complete, clear, intriguing, entertaining. Tibi gratias.

Possibly the most defining piece in my long musical life. It still excites me. I love the way you show the active layout in the performance, so that even when listening through two speakers my brain could be fooled into hearing the eight choirs all around me.

This is so great! Thank you for making it and a warm and hearty hope in garlic to you, sir!

A wonderful presentation of the origin of this marvellous piece of music! Humour always helps the facts to 'stick'. Bravo!

This video is a work of Art. Not only did I learn far more than I had hoped to learn, I am hoarse and have a belly ache from laughing so much. I had to frequently pause the video, because the tears were streaming down my face from laughter, and I couldn’t take in the wonderful information anymore. Thank you so much! This was an experience, and every educational video, I will watch in future, will from now on be judged by this new & high standard. Excellent work. Thank you!

Highly informative, entertaining, witty, scholarly but not dry. Excellent!!! Thank you for all the work that went into this video.

I have long been fascinated by how this beautiful and seemingly impossible piece was organized, thank you so much for this explanation!

Totally excellent, thank you! Former King's Singer and BBC presenter, Brian Kay, mentioned that he took part in a performance of this piece in his youth when there were only about 37 singers on the platform.

Un-freaking-believable. Many thanks for all the insights on this piece. I’ve heard about much of this, as an Earl;y Music enthusiast and some-time performer. To see it all put in one place and so well explained helps immensely to understand the piece. I especially appreciated the graphic to go along with the performance at the end!! Again, many thanks.

Fascinating. Thank you so much for explaining this beautiful composition by Thomas Tallis, a true genius. Thank you.

Thanks so much for this! The humor and the scholarship compliment each other in a delightful way. The community choir I conduct has been asked to watch this as part of our Zoom discussion of Renaissance choral music. And - I still have a copy of ‘Tentatio’ that you signed for me at an ACDA conference in Cincinnati. Maybe someday my choir will be large enough that we can take a stab at it.

Gosh what an incredible piece of work! (Tallis' and yours :-)

Extraordinary octagonal mandala diagram explains all. Thank you.

My wife and I used to Tallis a lot when we were younger, numerologically speaking.

Amazing. Makes me want to know more, if I just knew what to ask more.

There has been so much praise already, but anyway: thanks a lot. I have tried to figure out the spatial effect of that piece by the score, but your explanation and also the context of Tallis were very, very helpful! Thank you again!

Please make more informational videos, this was brilliant and I love it. I first heard this piece in my Theory I class, when a student asked to hear an example of a polyphonic piece. I was awestruck. I was not prepared to hear the most beautiful song I had ever heard. And I'm not religious.

Brilliant! And you made me roar with laughter! I shall show it to my grandkids during their lockdown from school! So instructive in every way. Hope in garlic indeed and always!

I’ve sung this three times in my life and you certainly have to keep your wits about you! This is a brilliantly written ‘road map’ to this amazing piece, helped by the graphics, especially the octagonal one. It’s very witty, which helps when it could have been a very dry monologue. (I lost count of how many different drinks he had next to him,presumably to stop HIM getting too dry!) I’ll be passing this on to a few people who I know will appreciate it.

This is so informative and so very comprehensive, and the information is so imaginatively conveyed visually. It adds so much to the enjoyment of the piece. The performance, showing each voice coming in is wonderful. Thank you for all your work on this.

This is fun. I think you enjoyed making this video, it's certainly enjoyable to watch. Thanks!

A simply phantastic video. Kiitos paljon, maestro Mäntyjärvi! Rich on details, very informative - it brought me much closer to this excellent piece of music. Also, I like the graph that goes along with the recording at the end of the video. Surprising how slim the composer arranged most of the parts. Thank you again, an god bless you with health and creativity to create a lof of more of such videos! Kind Regards from Thuringia, Ulrich Matthes

What a complete and perfect "surround sound" experience that must have been live! Each listener in the center would have had an individual experience of the music coming at him/her. Bravo to all the singers, and adoration to the Creator of Thomas Tallis' skill!! 😇

I found this beautiful piece through the BBC detective series Endeavour--I have found many very interesting pieces of music through that show. I am most grateful to have experienced this particular piece, and I truly admire your analysis and presentation of its' history which adds even more to my appreciation and enjoyment.

I enjoyed watching this from beginning to end, and it illuminated music I have loved for a long time. I also appreciated the succession of drinks by your side!

An astounding presentation and explanation of an astounding piece. Thank you!

This is brilliant. Thank you so much for informing us all.This piece is truly sublime.

Awesome! Thank you so much for putting this together!

the chaotic energy of this video. chefs kiss

Thank you very much for making this short video. It has been very enjoyable to watch and learn more about Tallis and his work.

An utterly incredible and wonderful addition to the scholarship on this unique work - many thanks!

This video alone is a work of art. Very fascinating! And I don't even have a clue what your saying most of the time

This is delightful! We were supposed to go see this piece by the Tallis Scholars in London back in June (later postponed to September) to celebrate our 5th year anniversary, but in the end couldn't go through due to Covid-19. This warms my heart, my husband and I absolutely love this piece and still hope to hear it one day. The end showing how each voice carries through the space is so insightful (and also explains the difference in quality in different choirs, specially for the soprano's since you need 8 equally good ones). Thank you so much!! ❤️❤️

The C19 virus and the precautions we must all take make it pretty certain that an old chorister like me will never again enjoy singing this extraordinary and incomparable piece. Virtual choirs will never replace the tension, the counting and the exhausting alertness required but what a wonderful sound experience it is. Bless you for this brilliant introduction to it.

Grateful Thanks, enlightening explanation and cogent description. Enthralling music! ♦️♦️♦️

Splendid!...thank you so much. This certainly made my day.

Fabulous! Thank u for all your hard work and research.

I know nothing about choral music, but as I live close to the site of Nonsuch Palace, I was looking for an introduction to Spem in Alium that I could understand. This video is brilliant in explaining something unfamiliar and rather complex in a way that is both informative and entertaining. No doubt many hours of creative work went into this video presentation, but the result is spectacular: Thank you, Jaakko Mantyjarvi, I now have a much greater appreciation of Spem in Alium and the work of Thomas Tallis. You have also inspired me to buy a number of different performances of Spem in Alium on CD and I'm enjoying hearing the similarities and differences.

Brilliant! Thank you, you explained so well I always had wonder how this was composed such a beautiful work of art.

Thank you for this presentation. It really is wonderful, and I enjoy coming back to watch it in its entirety.

Bravo and bravi! Thank you, Jaakko, for all the time and talent put into producing this charming video. Ending with the visual demonstration of Spem is just genius. Well done.

Oh dear, this was not only very educational, but almost pythonesque- love it and thank you ! My favourite version of Spem in alium was sung by the "Dresdner Kreuzchor und Thomanerchor", both choirs are more than 800 years old. There is a wonderful version on youtube from 2001 ;)

Thank you so much, Jaako! Tallis has always struck me as quite a dude and you have helped me to understand a little of how!

Thank you so much! I have loved this piece for decades and was delighted to find out so much more about it, presented in such an interesting way!

Excellent, couldn’t stop giggling at “Hope in Garlic”. First heard the music 50 years ago, still play the dozens of performances I have regularly.

I had no idea you were so funny! The Monty Python-esque presentation is great! Spem is so much fun/(frustrating if your sopranos can't count)/brilliant to sing. Your deconstruction and historical analysis were so entertaining and educational, thank you!

This was absolutely superb. Thank you for taking the time to create such an entertaining and informative video about this amazing piece of art! World without end. Amen!😇

Pure musical bliss! Tallis is my favorite Renaissance choral composer.

This is a beautiful video, Jaakko! Well done.

A wonderful insight into this awe inspiring masterpiece - and rarer still a production of true wit at every level. Thank you.

Magnificent production making the musicology highly engaging. Great to highlight the Striggio element. Loved the visualisation for the performance. Superb!

I have had the challenge and pleasure of singing "Spem" once, and have listened many times. Thank you for this fascinating introduction!

Brilliant exposition! So impressive! THank you for all the work you did on this.

I have never had an opportunity to sing this, but I’ve loved listening to recordings of it for decades. Thank you for the illustration at the end showing the parts entering and leaving. This is truly wonderful.

Brilliant video! And how nice to see your opening shot in one of Helsinki’s loveliest parks.

Superb! Thanks for making and sharing this!

What a great video! Informative and funny, a real treat to watch! I have loved Tallis and Spem in alium from a young age. My mother had a LP (remember those?) called the Glories of Tudor Church Music which was a collection of works by Tallis. Spem in alium was a crowning jewel of that collection. So sublime and extra special to see how it plays out in an octagonal space. I would love to hear it that way!

Amazing video! I loved getting to know the background and structure of this great piece that I've been lucky enough to sing a couple of times. Also loved seeing Jaakko on screen- you're a very entertaining presenter. Thanks for the pieces you have composed too- I will never forget performing Canticum Calamitatis Maritimae with my choir this year. It's a stunning piece- thank you for bringing it into the world!

Thank you for making this. So good.

Fabulous! Thanks for making sense of this amazing piece and for delving into some of its secrets. I've sung it several times and it now makes a lot more sense. BTW very much enjoyed singing your three Shakespeare settings on a choir tour to Latvia three years ago.

Wow Wow. The Algorithm brought this amazing video to my feed 2 years after it was made. _Jaakko, jatkakaa ihmeessä videoiden tekemistä kiitos!_

It's such a privilege to be born in a time when this kind of quality of information is readily available and on demand. Thank you very much, I have loved this piece since a child as it was introduced to me by my father, who loved it deerly also. I was fascinated from start to finish

I've only just discovered your channel. Please keep making videos like this.

thank you for this, Jaakko

Your dry wit was a treat. The different drinks you placed on the table next to you were my favourite!

So good! Thank you for making this such fun!

Oh thank you for such an entertaining, informative and light-hearted take on this great piece! The end performance with the colour-coded choir informatics really illustrated the complexity of the composition. Hope you weren’t the worse for wear after all those beverages. Great work!

Fantastic and inspiring video essay. Thank you!

I loved this - thank you.

Thabk you so much Jaakko! I hope to one day be able to hear this piece in an octagonal room!

thank you for posting this

What a clever and fun educational video. Very well done!

Thank you so much. Your presentation is brilliant. And your humour moments add so much to the connection between the video and the observer. Have done other videos? Brilliant!!!!

totally brilliant presentation-Thank you for solving the mysteries of this piece.

and of course, BRAVO for this brilliant video, it is awesomely well done !

Really excellent and very entertaining too! The use of the "lit" graphic for the final performance was especially interesting and informative. Thanks, a great piece of work!

Thank you for this accessible and thorough explanation of this beautiful and complex piece.

Thank you for this magical mystery tour. wonderful

Kiitos, Jaako, this is great! I directed my choir at Christ Church Arcadia in Pretoria (South Africa) in your Ave Maria several times between 2009 and early 2019 when I left the post. It was a favourite with the choir.

Love the beer glass, cocktail, wine, alka seltzer/water and lemonade on the table. Well done, love the humor, but serious scholarship!! Great Italian accent, too!! Brilliant! Fantastic explanation of this complex piece! Thank you, Jaakko, for your tongue-in-cheek super knowledgeable and through explanation! Garlic is fun and tasty! You added both!

Well, that was amazing!! Thanks so much. And don't worry about not getting to London, Helsinki is a lovely city.

Thank you . A very clear talk about this magnificent work.

Thank you so much for your presentation .Beautifully done,thorough ,humorous (lemonade ?? )and so very informative.A delight !

Wow! Thank you. I'm so happy to have seen this.

This is a fantastic video. Well done!

What a superb sense of humour, he must be a wonderful choir director!

Amazing work sir! Thank you very much, very clear and nice analysis.

Thank you so much for this explanation and the visual while the piece was performed. It explains the experience we had when we heard it. We were privileged to have the San Francisco Bach Choir under the magnificent direction of David Babbitt until his death in 2006. One season, he included Spem In Alium. It was the first piece of the evening, and the 80 singers (making up 8 double-choirs with 10 voices each) surrounded the audience sitting in the middle of the church. It was the most extraordinary effect. That first lone voice came from the far distance. The sound would slowly swirl in one direction, only to slow and begin swirling the other direction. Choirs would sing across the church in response to each other. Then at those several places that all choirs sing in unison, the sound would sweep powerfully upward into the rafters of the chuch. Mr. Babbitt said that (at least at that time) the piece was so rarely performed, at the end of the evening he had the entire assembly of singers rotate 180 degrees around the audience and the choir sang the piece for a second time! You can imagine the difference of the effect then. I've always called it the "original surround sound", requiring nothing but the human voice to accomplish!

What a fascinating video, thanks so much!

A brilliant breakdown of this genius piece of music. It was so informative, funny. Putting the whole piece in a sort of pictogram is nothing amazing. I loved it. I loved it. I loved it,

Dear Jaakko, thank you so much for this deeply insightful video. I just went to see Spem in Alium performed this evening for the first time in my life, and watched your video in preparation. P.S. As a choir singer myself I very much enjoyed your piece, Die Stimme des Kindes - my personal favourite of all the music we did with the chamber choir I have just moved on from.

This is BRILLIANT, and remarkably funny. Having gathered a group of friends to read the Spem (badly) on my 40th birthday a few (quite a few) years ago, I'm delighted to learn so much more about it than I ever knew.