83 – O ye tender babes
Thomas Tallis
Neutral Spinet Recording
Organ - rich registration
This performance is perhaps a rather extreme reworking of this piece. The selected tempo is extremely slow which helps to emphasise the many suspensions and dissonances – further heightening the emotional affect of this piece. The use of a rich 8’ registration scheme provides this recording with a very lush sound scape. While this particular selection of stops would not have been possible on a Tudor organ, it is very effective on a modern instrument. This kind of registration completely transforms the affect of this piece from the neutral performance: it has become much more sombre and reflective.
Harpsichord - lute
This recording on the harpsichord once again makes use of the lute stop. I find that this stop is incredibly effective at capturing the more intimate and emotional sides of these pieces. The use of the lute stop also seems to make the spreading of chords and use of ornamentation far more effective. To complement the ornamentation I have also added numerous anticipatory grace notes at cadences. These grace notes have the effect of heightening the emotional expression of this reworking. These techniques all combine to produce a far more introspective performance than the neutral performance.