Lamentations

“Tallis is dead, and music is dying.” Thus wrote William Byrd in his elegy on the death of his teacher, Thomas Tallis. Tallis, affectionately known as the father of English music, took up his post in the royal chapel in 1543 and served the British royal family for more than 40 years. He maintained his reputation as the country’s greatest composer during the turbulent reigns of four monarchs with changing faiths. He continually adapted his compositional style to suit Protestant and Catholic sensibilities, earning the favor of his respective rulers.

Tallis’ Lamentations are of monumental importance to the English choral tradition. Probably composed in the early years of Elizabeth I’s reign, these settings subtly demonstrate the unique so-called ‘ambidenominational’ style that emerged from the constant vacillation between Protestant and Catholic during Tallis’s lifetime.

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In the form of a Lenten Evensong, a vocal ensemble joined by an organ frame Tallis’ Lamentations with other works from throughout his life, providing an intimate insight into one of the most important compositional works of the English Renaissance.

2 Concerts: 17:15 and 19:15
Kartäuserkirche, Waisenhaus, Basel

Jacob Lawrence – voice; direction

Tessa Roos – voice

Loïc Paulin – voice

Henry Van Engen – voice

Elam Rotem – voice

Joseph Laming – organ