"The Forty Part Motet (A reworking of “Spem in Alium” by Thomas Tallis 1573)" by Janet Cardiff

I have come across this piece twice, once at The Met Cloisters and once at The Cleveland Museum of Art; both times by accident. It was like suddenly hearing an angel choir singing from a distant corner, and I followed the sound to a sterile-seeming circle of elevated speakers. Only in the center, walking around, is the full beauty of the piece communicated. Each speaker conveys a single voice, and to move through space is to feel yourself shift from presence to presence, a harmonious whole of perfect individuals. I hope to hear it again one day.

From Cardiff's artist statement:

"“While listening to a concert you are normally seated in front of the choir, in traditional audience position. With this piece I want the audience to be able to experience a piece of music from the viewpoint of the singers. Every performer hears a unique mix of the piece of music. Enabling the audience to move throughout the space allows them to be intimately connected with the voices. It also reveals the piece of music as a changing construct. As well I am interested in how sound may physically construct a space in a sculptural way and how a viewer may choose a path through this physical yet virtual space.

I placed the speakers around the room in an oval so that the listener would be able to really feel the sculptural construction of the piece by Tallis. You can hear the sound move from one choir to another, jumping back and forth, echoing each other and then experience the overwhelming feeling as the sound waves hit you when all of the singers are singing.”