Tallis Scholars
Encyclopedia
The Tallis Scholars are a British
vocal ensemble normally consisting of two singers per part, with a core group of ten singers.
Formed in 1973 by their director Peter Phillips
, they specialise in performing a cappella
sacred vocal music
written during the Renaissance
by composers from all over Europe. They are currently recognised as one of the world-leaders in this field, having risen to a place of prominence among other professional ensembles.
They record widely on their own label, Gimell Records, which has world-wide distribution and some 50 releases, covering a repertoire from over 150 years of music history (approximately the years 1450–1600). They tour widely, including to America at least twice a year and Japan at least once every two years.
They are well known among music lovers and academics alike and have paved the way for many younger groups such as The Sixteen
, The Cardinall's Musick
, The Clerks
, The Binchois Consort, Trinity Baroque
, the Gabrieli Consort, and Octarium.
Various members of the group have scholarly interests on top of their activities as professional musicians. Phillips has published a scholarly text ("English Sacred Music 1549-1649": London: Gimell Records, 1991) and Sally Dunkley, Francis Steele, and Deborah Roberts are all active as music editors and publishers with interests spanning the Renaissance and early Baroque. Andrew Gant
is also organist at the Chapel Royal
.
In 2000 the group established the Tallis Scholars Summer Schools, a program providing amateur singers and promising young professionals the opportunity to be coached by Phillips and other members of the ensemble in their specialist repertoire. The program now includes three courses which take place in Oakham
in the United Kingdom
, Seattle in the United States
, and Sydney
in Australia
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
vocal ensemble normally consisting of two singers per part, with a core group of ten singers.
Formed in 1973 by their director Peter Phillips
Peter Phillips (conductor)
Peter Phillips was born in Southampton on 15 Oct 1953. After winning a scholarship to St John's College, Oxford in 1972, Phillips was offered the opportunity to study Renaissance music with the influential musicologists David Wulstan and Denis Arnold...
, they specialise in performing a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
sacred vocal music
Religious music
Religious music is music performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence.A lot of music has been composed to complement religion, and many composers have derived inspiration from their own religion. Many forms of traditional music have been adapted to fit religions'...
written during the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
by composers from all over Europe. They are currently recognised as one of the world-leaders in this field, having risen to a place of prominence among other professional ensembles.
They record widely on their own label, Gimell Records, which has world-wide distribution and some 50 releases, covering a repertoire from over 150 years of music history (approximately the years 1450–1600). They tour widely, including to America at least twice a year and Japan at least once every two years.
They are well known among music lovers and academics alike and have paved the way for many younger groups such as The Sixteen
The Sixteen
The Sixteen are a choir and period instrument orchestra; founded by Harry Christophers in 1979.The group's special reputation for performing early English polyphony, masterpieces of the Renaissance, bringing fresh insights into Baroque and early Classical music and a diversity of 20th century...
, The Cardinall's Musick
The Cardinall's Musick
The Cardinall's Musick is a United Kingdom-based vocal ensemble specialising in music of the 16th and 17th centuries and contemporary music. They have earned themselves an enviable reputation around the world both for the excellence of their voices and the way in which they work together as a...
, The Clerks
The Clerks
The Clerks are a British early music vocal ensemble. They have authored a series of recordings and concerts featuring music by Johannes Ockeghem, Josquin des Prez, Jacob Obrecht and other composers of the Franco-Flemish Renaissance...
, The Binchois Consort, Trinity Baroque
Trinity Baroque
Trinity Baroque is a group of musicians who focus on the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Founded originally at Trinity College, Cambridge, they are formed of a pool of 6-8 singers, sometimes expanding to larger vocal and instrumental forces. The ensemble has formed close relationships with the...
, the Gabrieli Consort, and Octarium.
Various members of the group have scholarly interests on top of their activities as professional musicians. Phillips has published a scholarly text ("English Sacred Music 1549-1649": London: Gimell Records, 1991) and Sally Dunkley, Francis Steele, and Deborah Roberts are all active as music editors and publishers with interests spanning the Renaissance and early Baroque. Andrew Gant
Andrew Gant
-Biography:Andrew attended Radley College before going on to read Music and English at St John's College, Cambridge. He was a choral scholar and sang in the College Choir under George Guest. He subsequently studied composition with Paul Patterson at the Royal Academy of Music and completed his PhD...
is also organist at the Chapel Royal
Chapel Royal
A Chapel Royal is a body of priests and singers who serve the spiritual needs of their sovereign wherever they are called upon to do so.-Austria:...
.
In 2000 the group established the Tallis Scholars Summer Schools, a program providing amateur singers and promising young professionals the opportunity to be coached by Phillips and other members of the ensemble in their specialist repertoire. The program now includes three courses which take place in Oakham
Oakham
-Oakham's horseshoes:Traditionally, members of royalty and peers of the realm who visited or passed through the town had to pay a forfeit in the form of a horseshoe...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Seattle in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.