Well, part of it is surely the richness of hearing a chord in many octaves at once: the last note is (I vaguely recall) G-major in all 8 choirs, but that's from the low bass G in the basses of some choirs up to a high C in some sopranos. Which is 3-1/2 octaves of G-major.
Also, having some of the choirs singing different words from others, or at different speeds, makes the piece quite a bit more interesting. Tallis is able to make different themes appear in different parts of the performance space.
I've done pieces in 12 parts before (antiphonal double choir, with 6 parts in each choir), and this was probably more exciting for the audience. But probably 16 parts, as four 4-part choirs, would have been almost as cool.
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Date: Tuesday, 31 May 2005 12:36 pm (UTC)Also, having some of the choirs singing different words from others, or at different speeds, makes the piece quite a bit more interesting. Tallis is able to make different themes appear in different parts of the performance space.
I've done pieces in 12 parts before (antiphonal double choir, with 6 parts in each choir), and this was probably more exciting for the audience. But probably 16 parts, as four 4-part choirs, would have been almost as cool.