“Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis”. Composer: Vaughan Williams.

“Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis”.

Composer: Vaughan Williams.

BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andrew Davis, 

at Gloucester Cathedral, where, in 1910, it was played and conducted for the first time by the Composer, 

Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Available On YouTube

HERE

Text: BING

Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis is a One-Movement String Orchestral Work that re-imagines a 16th-Century English theme with lush, modal harmonies and innovative orchestration.

Text: WIKIPEDIA

Composed in 1910, the Fantasia was commissioned for the Gloucester Three Choirs Festival and premiered at Gloucester Cathedral, conducted by Vaughan Williams, himself, alongside Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius. 

The work marked a turning point in Vaughan Williams’ career, establishing his distinctive voice and cementing his reputation in England and Europe. 

The theme originates from Thomas Tallis, a Renaissance Composer, specifically from the third of nine Psalm tunes in the 1567 Psalter, which Vaughan Williams discovered while editing the 1906 edition of The English Hymnal.