w8593
| Title | Spem in Alium Nunquam Habui, Op 19 |
| Contributors |
John Rose (composer) Hystoria Judith, Sarum Breviary (original text) |
| Composition date | 2001 2001 |
| Duration (mins) | 12 |
| Category | accompanied choral sacred |
| Instrumentation | SSAATTBB / 4 Hn 3 Tpt 3 Trb Tp Org |
| Commissioned by | |
| Key signature | |
| First line | Spem in alium nunquam habui |
| First performed | |
| Notes | Scores and parts available on loan (free of charge) from Edinburgh City Libraries, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EH. Tel: 0131 242 8050. Email: central.music.library@edinburgh.gov.uk |
| Programme Note | The text of the motet 'Spem in Alium', previously set by Thomas Tallis (c.1505 - 1585), is taken from the Sarum (Salisbury) Rite which was in use in England from the 11th. c. to the Reformation. It celebrates the beheading of Holofernes by Judith and the deliverance of Israel from his depredations, as narrated in the apochryphal Book of Judith. Unaware of the origins of the text and its significance, I had long been interested in the text for what it in itself seemed to convey. This was in relation to human fallibility. But more recently I came to see it in relation to the uncritical idealization of guru figures, and the cults that surround them. © John Rose, 2001 |
This work is associated with the following collection items:
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