Tallis - If Ye Love Me...

The bulk of the musical talk
Post Reply
Mark

Tallis - If Ye Love Me...

Post by Mark »

Does anyone know where I can buy Thorp's arrangement for brass quintet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaYP0Pb1ci8?
User avatar
imperialbari
6 valves
6 valves
Posts: 7461
Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2004 3:47 am

Re: Tallis - If Ye Love Me...

Post by imperialbari »

Thanks for the link!

I didn’t know neither the tune nor the ensemble.

The tune is very beautiful. From the title one might assume a love song, but is a hymn or a motet.

The playing is beyond belief beautiful. The very coherent sound however tends to blur the musical lines. And they take their freedoms about fermatas and interpunktuation. I was not able to follow the original score through their performance.

The homepage of Synergy Brass Quintet is here:

http://www.synergybrass.com/

There is no direct option for buying their sheet music, but then you may contact them.

I found the music so interesting, that I have started making an edition along the lines I use for my hymn project: 9 compatible 4-part scores, which will allow for performances by just about any permutation of band and orchestra instruments. It will be possible to perform it by an EETT tuba quartet. An EEET quartet may be better, as the 3rd part goes up to G above the staff.
User avatar
imperialbari
6 valves
6 valves
Posts: 7461
Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2004 3:47 am

Re: Tallis - If Ye Love Me...

Post by imperialbari »

From the index of my Yahoo based project of making musical arrangements available for free downloading:

Thomas Tallis (1505-1585): If Ye Love Me, a motet edited in the same modular way as the Danish hymn project, only here a compatible 10th score has been added to allow for a performance by three violas and a cello. Parts for all orchestral and band instruments (except for percussion) plus for recorders, organ/keyboards, and guitars:

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/Yo ... Love%20Me/

My modular way of editing Danish hymns has proved itself efficient for other music of the same 4-part type. I have placed these hymns from Norway, Sweden, and England plus the present motet in the same folder as the Danish hymns, because the same texts on how to combine the various scores up to full orchestra or full band.

The idea came from reports on the entity of the American church orchestra, something not much known over here. The orchestras varying very much in instrumentation prompted me to systemize a flexible way of scoring, so that just about any instrument, but for percussion, will find a relevant part.

The performance linked to by the OP is very personal for the musicians involved. I have not written in these detailed dynamics, as they were never written into the original score by Tallis. Musicians of his era were supposed to be very well aware of the period performance practices.

I may have provided the written music, but the ensemble as a whole or its musical director should encourage a lively performance by notes in the music, by his/her conducting, or by simply teaching the period practices (easier said than done, but if one plays in a dynamic fashion that style will be adopted by the ensemble).

Klaus
Post Reply