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The Tallis Scholars

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

The Tallis Scholars are a British professional chamber choir, founded in 1973 by Peter Phillips and named after the composer Thomas Tallis. Phillips was an organ scholar at Oxford at the time and asked members of the chapel choirs of Oxford and Cambridge to sing Renaissance music together. The first concert was on 3 November 1973 in Oxford. After ten years the ensemble became professional. Usually there are two singers to a part, with a core of about ten singers, and they sing sacred music a cappella from the period of roughly 1450 to 1600.

Music and breakthrough

Since 1980 they have recorded for their own label Gimell Records, which Phillips founded together with Steve Smith. Well-known recordings are Allegri's Miserere in 1980, Josquin's Missa Pange lingua and Missa La sol fa re mi, which became Gramophone Record of the Year in 1987, and Taverner's Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas. They brought the work of Tallis, Palestrina, Byrd and Victoria to a wide audience and also sang Russian church music and contemporary composers such as Arvo Pärt and Eric Whitacre. In 1994 they sang Allegri's Miserere in the newly restored Sistine Chapel, and in 2000 the choir performed in New York with Paul McCartney.

Influence

The sound is clear and transparent, because every voice can still be followed within the rich polyphony. The ensemble set an example for younger groups, such as The Sixteen and the Gabrieli Consort. In 2013 it was elected to the Gramophone Hall of Fame.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Allegri's Miserere and notice the high solo voice that rises above the choir. Can you hear how the voices weave through each other as separate lines and yet together form a single sound?

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists