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Tonus Peregrinus

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

Tonus Peregrinus is a British vocal ensemble devoted to early music and to contemporary sacred music, above all that of its founder and director Antony Pitts. The ensemble was founded in 1990 and made many CDs for the label Naxos. The first, with Arvo Pärt's Passio, won the Cannes Classical Award. For Hyperion two albums appeared with music by Pitts, Seven Letters and Alpha and Omega. The ensemble also sang at the memorial for Alexander Litvinenko.

Music and breakthrough

The titles of the recordings show how wide the repertoire is. Among them are The Mass of Tournai and St Luke Passion (2003), Sacred Music from Notre-Dame Cathedral (2005), Sweet Harmony: Masses and Motets (2005) and Hymns and Songs of the Church (2006). The group also recorded Le Jeu de Robin et de Marion (2006), a medieval musical play, and later Jerusalem-Yerushalayim (2017). In 2012 came Music from the Eton Choirbook, recorded with a new microphone technique developed by the NRK engineer Geoff Miles.

Influence

The ensemble is therefore not tied to a single period: it sings early music and new sacred works, including those of its own director. It is best heard on recordings, and the CDs on Naxos and Hyperion form the core of what the group has recorded.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Arvo Pärt's Passio as performed by Tonus Peregrinus and notice how the voices together form a single sound.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists