| Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, also known as the Tallis Fantasia, was composed in 1910 for the Three Choirs Festival. This piece was one of the first major successes of British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. He revised the work twice, in 1913 and 1919. Performances of the work generally run for some 16 minutes. The work is scored for an expanded string orchestra divided into three parts: orchestra I, a full-sized string orchestra; orchestra II, a single desk from each section (ideally placed apart from Orchestra I); and a string quartet. Vaughan Williams makes this configuration resemble an organ in sound, with the quartet representing the swell division, orchestra II the choir division, and orchestra I the great division; it is difficult to listen to this piece without imagining the acoustics inside a church. This work, with its pleasing melodies, has been featured in several movies. It was played in the 1988 film Remando al viento with Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley, was prominently featured in the 2003 film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World with Russell Crowe, and was seamlessly woven into the post-crucifixion music of John Debney's score to the 2004 film The Passion of the Christ. |
Tallis Fantasia |
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