24 June 2010

Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis

 

I heard an excerpt of this today as background music in a video about Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated voyage to Antarctica, posted at Scribal Terror. It's a haunting melody; this is the full (17-minute) composition. 

Reposted from January of 2009.

2 comments:

  1. Both Tallis and Vaughan Williams were geniuses, though I give Tallis the edge on that, however VW really knew how to make a tune sing, that's for sure. The original Tallis tune makes a lovely, haunting hymn tune that is unfortunately so interesting as to be somewhat difficult for congregations to sing. Lovely nonetheless.

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  2. This was used to score the burial at sea scene in Peter Weir's "Master and commander: the far side of the world". Haunting indeed.

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