The Tallis Scholars at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin During the holiday season many public spaces become an aural purgatory, with hapless listeners subjected to a relentless torrent of Christmas jingles. But on Saturday night in the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, just steps away from the cacophony of Times Square, the Tallis Scholars, the superb English a cappella ensemble, offered respite from the ubiquitous noise with a program of works for double choir by Renaissance and contemporary composers. The first half of the program proved the highlight of the concert, presented by the Miller Theater. The singers, five men and five women directed by Peter Phillips, opened the program with the "Magnificat Octavi Toni" by Sebastián de Vivanco, which alternates polyphonic verses with unison plainsong. The group beautifully illuminated the rich textures, the polyphonic elements contrasting vividly with the more somber plainsong. The voices swelled with sensual languor in a gorgeously phrased rendition of Orlande de Lassus's "Osculetur Me." The motet, set to an erotic section of the "Song of Solomon," opens with the words: "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his lips: for your breasts are better than wine," as translated in the program. Lassus's "Missa Osculetur Me" is one of three double-choir settings among his 60-some Masses, using fragments and variations on motifs from his motet. The Tallis musicians sang immaculately in this harmonically rich and texturally sumptuous Mass, after which two motets by the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, performed after intermission, sounded almost barren. Mr. Pärt calls his signature technique, a blend of elements including Renaissance polyphony and Gregorian and Russian chant, tintinnabuli, inspired by the Latin word for bells. The music features meditative tempos and gently shifting yet static harmonies. Both works featured here exemplified this aesthetic. In "I Am the True Vine," a setting of texts from the Gospel of St. John, the low voices create sustained pedal points over which the women's voices unfold. In "Tribute to Caesar," a depiction of Jesus" meeting with the Pharisees, the austere purity is gently stirred by eerie harmonic shifts. After Thomas Tallis's "Sancte Deus," a mesh of fragments from various Christian texts, the program concluded with the "Magnificat Quinti Toni" by Hieronymus Praetorius. The work is unusual in its weaving of two carols - "Joseph, Lieber Joseph Mein" and "In Dulci Jubilo" - into the traditional Magnificat structure: in this case, at least, a welcome chance to hear carols in a jingle-saturated season.