Spem In Alium – Thomas Tallis
A Renaissance-era motet written by English composer Thomas Tallis in the 1570s. “Spem in Alium” is another example of excellent use of counterpoint. The song was originally composed for 40 voices, broken into eight choirs of five singers, and Tallis even specified that the small choirs should stand around the room to surround the listeners. The 40-part chorus version is more commonly reduced to 11 parts, because what church choir has 40 people nowadays?