Purge Me, O Lord

SATB a cappella. Penitential, straightforward, and beautiful.  Also available for SAB.

Notes: Thomas Tallis’ contributions to the musical repertoire of the early Anglican church masterfully combine a declamatory style with simple imitative polyphony, always conforming to the requirement that words be intelligible and not treated in too ornate a fashion. Intelligibility is also key to a good performance. Set a speed in which the words are not very gabbled (anticipate the dangers of bar 18, for example): a four-in-a-bar pulse rather than two-in-a-bar would be appropriate here.

Beware of E flats and E naturals: the tonality of this motet shifts between the old Dorian mode (with E naturals) and a more modern sounding G minor. As with all of Tallis’ English works, it is unnecessary to force an elaborate dynamic scheme onto the music, though choir directors may like to create a contrast in the repeat of the final section, either with an echo effect or perhaps with a louder, reaffirmation of the material.