Of the three texts chosen by Steven Stucky for his
Three New Motets ‘in memoriam Thomas Tallis’, composed in 2005 for the Seattle Pro Musica as part of Tallis’s 500th birthday celebrations, only
O sacrum convivium was definitely set by the old Elizabethan master. Alongside the rhythmic urgency of
O sacrum convivium,
O admirabile commercium and
O vos omnes, both predominantly homophonic, are quiet and respectful, much like Tallis’s own shorter four-part motets. For all their adventurous harmonic language they engender a modest yet powerful feeling of homage to their dedicatee.
from notes by Gabriel Crouch © 2011
