104 – Clarifica me pater III
Thomas Tallis
Neutral Spinet Performance
Organ - Plein-jeu
This recording on the organ is influenced by the Plein-jeu movements found in French Baroque organ masses. The registration is a very bright sound consisting of 8’, 4’, 2’, and mixture stops. This registration provided a very rich pallet of sound for this piece. The rich pallet of sound is further complimented by the French inspired ornamentation and the decision to indulge in this piece’s many suspensions and dissonances. Like the other French inspired recordings of this project, I also think that this one is very convincing. As a listener, I feel fooled – it sounds as though this piece of Tallis could have been composed by Couperin or de Grigny.
Spinet - improvisation
This is the first recording of this project featuring an improvisation on a spinet. The motif of this improvisation comes from the bass voice in the first two bars of this piece. I used the original score as a starting and re-entry point. In between these points I freely improvised on the selected motif. Part of the challenge as an improviser is to improvise in a convincing and authentic style (relevant to the piece you are experimenting with). Occasionally in this improvisation, the harmonic language slips into a more modern style. However, I’m really pleased with most of the improvisation in this recording. I believe that listeners will have a hard time trying to discern where Tallis’ original score begins or ends and where my improvisation takes over. The act of improvisation and freely exploring an instrument helps one to further understand the original music and instrument. All while indulging one’s own musicality and the original intentions of the composer.