Spem in alium (Latin for "Hope in any other") is a 40-part Renaissance motet by Thomas Tallis, composed in c. 1570 for eight choirs of five voices each.

The earliest surviving manuscripts are those prepared in 1610 for the investiture as Prince of Wales of Henry Frederick, the son of James I.

[2][3][4]Supposing the "30" to be a mistake, the Italian song referred to has been argued to be either the 40-part motet Ecce beatam lucem or the 40–60-voice mass Missa sopra Ecco sì beato giorno, both by Alessandro Striggio,[5] who is known to have visited London in June 1567 after a trip through Europe during which he arranged other performances of Missa sopra Ecco sì beato giorno.

The text comes from a response in the Matins order in the Sarum rite, which had been superseded by the Book of Common Prayer.

As for the original text, its context of Judith slaying Holofernes and regaining her position fits with Mary's execution of the Duke of Northumberland, who had attempted to supplant her on the throne with Lady Jane Grey, rather than Tallis using it for Elizabeth.

[9][7] An early score of the work resides at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, where it was part of an exhibition shown in 2008–09 detailing 1000 years of British choral music.

[citation needed] The motet is laid out for eight choirs of five voices (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone and bass).

[13] Spem in alium features prominently in the Stephen Poliakoff TV drama Gideon's Daughter.

It is also used in the film Touching the Void, reaching a climax when Yates and Simpson arrive at the summit of the mountain.

[1] Spem in alium has inspired modern composers to write 40-part choral works; examples include Giles Swayne's The Silent Land (1998), Robert Hanson's And There Shall Be No Night There (2002), Jaakko Mäntyjärvi's Tentatio (2006), Peter McGarr's Love You Big as the Sky (2007) and Alec Roth's Earthrise (2009), which was commissioned by the UK choir Ex Cathedra for its 40th anniversary.

[16][17][18] The Society also made available learning material whereby a singer may hear a recording of any chosen voice line, with metronome and/or organ accompaniment.