The Tallis Scholars is a British professional early music vocal ensemble normally consisting of two singers per part, with a core group of ten singers. They specialise in performing ''

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

'' sacred vocal music.

History

The group was formed in 1973 by

Peter Phillips Peter Mark Andrew Phillips (born 15 November 1977) is a British businessman and the son of Anne, Princess Royal, and Captain Mark Phillips. He is the eldest nephew of King Charles III, and 17th in the line of succession to the British throne. ...

, who in 1972-1975 was an organ scholar at

St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its founder, Sir Thomas White, intended to pro ...

and studied music with

David Wulstan David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

and

Denis Arnold Denis Midgley Arnold (Sheffield, 15 December 1926 – Budapest, 28 April 1986) was a British musicologist. Biography After being employed in the extramural department of Queen's University, Belfast, he became a Lecturer in Music at the Univ ...

. Phillips invited the members of chapel choirs from Oxford and Cambridge to form an amateur Renaissance vocal music ensemble, which turned professional after ten years of concert-giving. From the first performance in the Church of St. Mary Magdalen, Oxford on November 3, 1973, Phillips aimed to produce a distinctive sound, influenced by choirs he admired, in particular the renowned Clerkes of Oxenford, directed by David Wulstan. Since winning a

Gramophone Award The Gramophone Classical Music Awards, launched in 1977, are one of the most significant honours bestowed on recordings in the classical record industry. They are often viewed as equivalent to or surpassing the American Grammy award, and refer ...

in 1987, the Tallis Scholars have been recognised as one of the world's leading ensembles in

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

polyphony.Libbey, Theodore.
NPR Listener's Encyclopedia of Classical Music
'. New York: Workman Pub, 2006.

Concerts

The Tallis Scholars singers tour widely, performing some 70 concerts a year, in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. In April 1994, they sang Allegri's ''

Miserere mei, Deus Psalm 51, one of the penitential psalms, is the 51st psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Have mercy upon me, O God". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vu ...

'' in the newly restored

Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel (; la, Sacellum Sixtinum; it, Cappella Sistina ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the pope in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), the chapel takes its name ...

in Vatican, and performed in February 1994 in the

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore The Basilica of Saint Mary Major ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, ; la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Major papal basilica as well as one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and the larges ...

in Rome to commemorate

Palestrina Palestrina (ancient ''Praeneste''; grc, Πραίνεστος, ''Prainestos'') is a modern Italian city and ''comune'' (municipality) with a population of about 22,000, in Lazio, about east of Rome. It is connected to the latter by the Via Pren ...

's 400th anniversary. In 1999, they toured China, giving two concerts in Beijing. In 1998, the Tallis Scholars marked the ensemble's 25th anniversary with a performance in London's

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...

. At the millennium, they performed in New York City with Paul McCartney. During the 2013-2014 40th-anniversary concert series, the group announced a world tour including the United States, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The Tallis Scholars started the tour with a concert in

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

in London for 2000 people.

Recordings

Since March 1980, the Tallis Scholars have recorded on their own label, Gimell Records, established by Peter Phillips and Steve Smith. The label was named after the compositional technique gymel. In accordance with Phillips, Soon, there was a critical consensus that, "the Tallis Scholar's recordings are of reliably high quality". Between 1981 and 2006, the group recorded 40 critically acclaimed discs. The recordings covered a repertoire from over 150 years of music history (approximately the years 1450–1600), with some excursions into later repertoire. In 2010, Gimell released its 50th recording, Victoria's ''Lamentations of Jeremiah''. Other notable releases included Gramophone magazine's ''Record of the Year Award'' winning disc of

Josquin Josquin Lebloitte dit des Prez ( – 27 August 1521) was a composer of High Renaissance music, who is variously described as French or Franco-Flemish. Considered one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he was a central figure of the ...

's '' Missa Pange lingua'' and ''

Missa La sol fa re mi The ''Missa La sol fa re mi'' is a musical setting of the mass by Josquin des Prez, first published in 1502. It is one of his most famous masses, and one of the earliest and most renowned examples of the soggetto cavato technique – the techniq ...

''. In 2011, the ensemble's recording of Allegri's ''Miserere mei, Deus'' in

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of Oxford University, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the ...

in 1980 was named by ''BBC Music Magazine'' as one of the "50 Greatest Recordings of All Time". In 2013, the recording of

John Taverner John Taverner ( – 18 October 1545) was an English composer and organist, regarded as one of the most important English composers of his era. He is best-known for ''Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas'' and ''The Western Wynde Mass'', and ''Missa Coro ...

's ''Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas'' became the number one in the ''UK Specialist Classical Chart''.

Members

According to Phillips, during the 1982-1983 concert season, the group formed its core that was more or less consistent for the next 25 years. Some singers left the Tallis Scholars to develop their successful solo careers; these included

Michael Chance Michael Chance CBE (born in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom 7 March 1955) is an English countertenor and the founder and Artistic Director of The Grange Festival. Chance was born in Penn, Buckinghamshire, into a musical family. After growing u ...

Mark Padmore Mark Padmore (born 8 March 1961) is a British tenor appearing in concerts, recitals, and opera. He was born in London on 8 March 1961, and raised in Canterbury, Kent, England. Padmore studied clarinet and piano prior to his gaining a choral s ...

, James Gilchrist,

John Mark Ainsley John Mark Ainsley (born 9 July 1963) is an English lyric tenor. Known for his supple voice, Ainsley is particularly admired for his interpretations of baroque music and the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In the course of his career, he has g ...

, and Jeremy White, who became a principal bass at

The Royal Opera The Royal Opera is a British opera company based in central London, resident at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. Along with the English National Opera, it is one of the two principal opera companies in London. Founded in 1946 as the Cove ...

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

Accomplishments

The Tallis Scholars ensemble contributed to the wider and greater recognition of choral works of Tallis,

Byrd Byrd commonly refers to: * William Byrd (c. 1540 – 1623), an English composer of the Renaissance * Richard E. Byrd (1888–1957), an American naval officer and explorer Byrd or Byrds may also refer to: Other people * Byrd (surname), includin ...

, Tye, and de Victoria, among the other European Renaissance sacred and secular composers, while performing over 1800 concerts around the world and releasing 50 discs. The singers have paved the way for many younger groups such as

The Sixteen The Sixteen are a United Kingdom-based choir and period instrument orchestra; founded by Harry Christophers, they started as an unnamed group of sixteen friends in 1977, giving their first billed concert in 1979. The group performs early Engl ...

The Clerks The Clerks (formerly The Clerks Group) 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-Flemi ...

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.Ivan March, Edward Greenfield, Robert Layton - The Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music - 2008 Page 28 ...

The Binchois Consort ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, Trinity Baroque, the

Gabrieli Consort Paul McCreesh (born 24 May 1960) is an English conductor. Paul McCreesh is the founder and artistic director of the Gabrieli Consort & Players. With them he has performed in major concert halls and festivals across the world. He has been the ...

, and Octarium. Founded in 1999, the Boston-based early-music a cappella ensemble Blue Heron is viewed by some critics as a direct influence of the Tallis Scholars on the American early-music scene. 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 is the county town of Rutland in the East Midlands of England, east of Leicester, south-east of Nottingham and west of Peterborough. It had a population of 10,922 in the 2011 census, estimated at 11,191 in 2019. Oakham is to the west o ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, and

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Various members of the group have scholarly interests in addition to their activities as professional musicians. Phillips has published a scholarly text ''English Sacred Music 1549–1649''.

Sally Dunkley Sally may refer to: People *Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name Military * Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port *Sally, the Allied reporting na ...

Francis Steele Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places *Rural Mu ...

, and Deborah Roberts are all active as music editors and publishers with interests spanning the Renaissance and early Baroque music.

Andrew Gant Andrew John Gant (born 6 August 1963) is a British composer, singer, author, teacher and Liberal Democrat politician. He was organist, choirmaster and composer at Her Majesty's Chapel Royal from 2000 to 2013, and has published several books on ...

is also organist at the

Chapel Royal The Chapel Royal is an establishment in the Royal Household serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the British Royal Family. Historically it was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarch. The term is now also applie ...

. The Tallis Scholars have also performed and recorded Russian Orthodox repertoire, including music by

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...

and

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the ...

, and contemporary music, including works by Norbert Moret,

Ivan Moody Ivan L. Moody (born Ivan Lewis Greening on January 7, 1980) is an American singer and songwriter who is the lead vocalist of Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch (FFDP). He performed for several other bands including Mo ...

Arvo Pärt Arvo Pärt (; born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt's music is in pa ...

John Tavener Sir John Kenneth Tavener (28 January 1944 – 12 November 2013) was an English composer, known for his extensive output of choral religious works. Among his best known works are '' The Lamb'' (1982), '' The Protecting Veil'' (1988), and ''Song ...

and

Eric Whitacre Eric Edward Whitacre (born January2, 1970) is an American composer, conductor, and speaker best known for his choral music. In March2016, he was appointed as Los Angeles Master Chorale's first artist-in-residence at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. ...

Accolades and awards

In 2013, the New York Times described the Tallis Scholars as the "superb a cappella ensemble founded and conducted by Peter Phillips".Shweitzer, Vivien
Exploring Spirituality, and Ending on a Prayer: Tallis Scholars Feature Taverner Works at White Light Concert
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', November 18, 2013. During their 40 years of concert performances, the group collected a number of recognitions. In 1987, the ''Gramophone magazine'' awarded The Tallis Scholars its ''Record of the Year'', and in 1989 the French magazine ''Diapason'' added its ''

Diapason d'Or The Diapason d'Or (French for "Golden Tuning Fork") is a recommendation of outstanding (mostly) classical music recordings given by reviewers of '' Diapason'' magazine in France, broadly equivalent to "Editor's Choice", "Disc of the Month" in the ...

de l'Année'' award. In 1991 and 2004, the ''Gramophone magazine'' gave The Tallis Scholars its ''Early Music Award''. In 2012, the singers again received the ''Diapason d'Or de l'Année'' award, and in 2013 they were elected by a popular vote to the Gramophone's ''Hall of Fame''.

Discography

* 1980 Allegri: Miserere/ Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli/ Mundy: Vox patris caelestis (#1 HMV Classical Chart, February 1981) * 1981 Palestrina: Missa Benedicta es/ Motet * 1982 Russian Orthodox Music: by Tavener, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky, Bortniansky and anon * 1982 English Madrigals: by Gibbons, Byrd, Weelkes, Morley, Tomkins, etc * 1983 Palestrina: Missa Nigra sum/ Motets by Palestrina, Lhéritier, Victoria and de Silva * 1984 Taverner: Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas/ Leroy Kyrie/ Dum transisset I * 1984 Tavener: Ikon of Light/ Funeral Ikos/ The Lamb * 1985 Tallis: Spem in alium and other Latin-texted works * 1985 Byrd: The Three Masses * 1986 Christmas Carols and Motets * 1986 Palestrina: Missa Brevis/ Missa Nasce la gioja mia * 1986 Tallis: The Complete English Anthems * 1986 Josquin: Missa Pange Lingua/ Missa La Sol Fa Re Mi (Gramophone magazine Record of the Year, 1987) * 1987 Gesualdo: Tenebrae Responsories for Holy Saturday/ Four Marian Motets * 1987 Clemens: Missa Pastores quidnam vidistis/ Motets * 1987 Victoria: Requiem/ Lobo: Versa Est in Luctum * 1987 Byrd: The Great Service/ Anthems * 1988 Sarum Chant: Missa in Gallicantu * 1988 Cornysh: Stabat Mater, Magnificat, Salve regina and other motets and secular songs * 1989 Sheppard: Media Vita * 1989 Josquin: L'homme armé Masses (Diapason d'Or de l'Année, 1989) * 1989 Lassus: Missa Osculetur me/ Motets * 1989 Palestrina: Missa Assumpta est Maria/ Missa Sicut lilum (Gramophone magazine Early Music Award, 1991) * 1990 Music Featured on the South Bank Show (1-disc reissue to accompany the programme) * 1990 Cardoso: Requiem/ Magnificat/ Motets * 1990 Victoria: Tenebrae Responsories * 1991 Isaac: Missa de Apostolis/ Motets * 1991 Tomkins: The Great Service/ Anthems * 1992 Brumel: Missa Et ecce terrae motus (The Earthquake Mass)/ Lamentations/ Magnificat * 1992 D. Lôbo: Requiem/ Missa Vox clamantis * 1992 Tallis: Lamentations of Jeremiah/ Motets and Antiphons * 1993 William Byrd (2-disc reissue to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the composer's birth) * 1993 The Western Wind Masses: by Taverner, Tye and Sheppard * 1994 The Palestrina 400 Collection (4-disc reissue to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the composer's death) * 1994 de Rore: Missa Praeter rerum seriem/ Motets (Gramophone Early Music Award, 1994; Gramophone/Classic FM People's Choice Award, 1994; Zlatá Harmonie Award, Brno, 1995) * 1994 Live in Rome: Allegri and Palestrina (a DVD version is available) (Winner, Cannes Classical Awards at MIDEM, 1995) * 1995 John Taverner (1-disc reissue to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the composer's death) * 1995 White: Lamentations/ Magnificat/ Motets * 1996 Obrecht: Missa Maria Zart * 1997 A Tudor Collection (2-disc reissue) * 1997 Ockeghem: Missa Au travail suis/ Missa De plus en plus and their chansons * 1997 A. Lobo: Missa Maria Magdalene/ Motets * 1997 The Yearning Spirit: Voices of Contemplation (1-disc reissue) * 1998 Lamenta: Lamentations by Ferrabosco, Tallis, White, Brumel, Palestrina * 1998 Tallis Scholars 25th Anniversary ''(2-disc reissue)'' * 1998 Tallis Scholars Live in Oxford: Josquin, Obrecht, Taverner, Byrd, Tallis, Mundy * 1998 Tallis: Missa Puer natus (The Christmas Mass)/ Magnificat/ Motets * 1999 The Best of the Renaissance ''(2-disc reissue)'' * 2000 Morales: Missa Si bona suscipimus/ Motets ''(nominated for a Grammy, 2002)'' * 2001 Allegri: Miserere ''(reissue of the 1980 release)'' * 2001 Tavener: Ikon of Light/ Funeral Ikos/ The Lamb ''(reissue of the 1984 release)'' * 2001 Gombert: Magnificats 1-4/ chant antiphons * 2002 Gombert: Magnificats 5-8/ chant antiphons * 2002 Tallis: The Complete English Anthems ''(reissue of the 1986 release)'' * 2002 Tallis: Lamentations of Jeremiah ''(reissue of the 1992 release)'' * 2003 Christmas with the Tallis Scholars ''(2-disc reissue)'' * 2003 The Essential Tallis Scholars ''(2-disc reissue)'' * 2004 The Tallis Scholars sing Palestrina ''(2-disc reissue)'' * 2004 The Tallis Scholars sing Thomas Tallis ''(2-disc reissue)'' * 2005 Allegri - Miserere ''(25th Anniversary Edition of the 1980 release)'' * 2005 Browne - Music from the Eton Choirbook ''(Gramophone Early Music Award, 2005)'' * 2005 Tallis Scholars sing Palestrina ''(2-disc reissue)'' * 2005 Victoria/ D. Lobo/ Cardoso: Requiem ''(2-disc reissue)'' * 2006 Guerrero: Missa Surge Propera/ Motets * 2006 Palestrina: Missa Benedicta es ''(25th Anniversary Edition of the 1981 release)'' * 2006 Playing Elizabeth's Tune: Byrd's Mass for Four Voices/ Motets ''(DVD version is available)'' * 2006 Renaissance Giants ''(2-disc reissue)'' * 2006 The Tallis Scholars sing Josquin ''(2-disc reissue)'' * 2007 Allegri: Miserere/ Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli and Motets ''(New Recordings)'' * 2007 English Madrigals ''(25th Anniversary Edition of the 1982 release)'' * 2007 The Tallis Scholars sing William Byrd ''(2-disc reissue)'' * 2008 Josquin: Missa Sine nomine/ Missa Ad fugam * 2008 The Tallis Scholars sing Tudor Church Music - Volume One ''(2-disc reissue)'' * 2008 The Tallis Scholars sing Tudor Church Music - Volume Two ''(2-disc reissue)'' * 2009 Flemish Masters ''(2-disc reissue)'' * 2009 Josquin: Missa Malheur me bat/ Missa Fortuna desperata ''(Diapason d'Or, 2010; Nominated for a Grammy, 2009)'' * 2010 Sacred Music in the Renaissance, Vol. 1 ''(4-disc reissue to celebrate Gimell's 30th anniversary)'' * 2010 Sacred Music in the Renaissance, Vol. 2 ''(4-disc reissue to celebrate Gimell's 30th anniversary)'' * 2010 Sacred Music in the Renaissance, Vol. 3 ''(4-disc reissue to celebrate Gimell's 30th anniversary)'' * 2010 Victoria: Lamentations of Jeremiah ''(Nominated for a Grammy, 2010)'' * 2011 Josquin: Missa De beata virgine and Missa Ave maris stella ''(Diapason d'Or de l'Année, 2012)'' * 2011 The Victoria Collection ''(3-disc reissue to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the composer's death)'' * 2012 Mouton: Missa Dictes moy toutes voz pensées/ Motets * 2013 Allegri's Miserere & Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli ''(Pure Audio Blu-ray release of the 2007 disc)'' * 2013 Whitacre: Sainte-Chapelle ''(Single track download, not available on CD)'' * 2013 Taverner: Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas/ Magnificats ''(Winner, 51st Japan Record Academy Early Music Award, 2013; #1 for several weeks, UK Specialist Classical Chart, 2013)'' * 2013 Renaissance Radio ''(2-disc reissue of selected tracks)'' * 2014 Tavener: Ikon of Light/ Funeral Ikos/ The Lamb ''(Reissue of the 1984 release to commemorate the death of the composer)'' * 2015 Arvo Pärt: ''Tintinnabuli'' (MusicWeb International Recording of the Year) * 2015 Perfect Polyphony ''(2-disc reissue of selected tracks)'' * 2015 John Taverner: Missa Corona spinea/ Dum transisset Sabbatum I and II * 2016 Josquin: Missa Di dadi/ Missa Une mousse de Biscaye * 2018 Josquin: Missa Gaudeamus/ Missa L'ami Baudichon * 2019 Josquin: Missa Mater Patris/ Bauldeweyn: Missa Da pacem/ Brumel: Mater Patris * 2021 Josquin: Missa Hercules Dux Ferrarie - Missa D'ung aultre amer - Missa Faysant regretz

References

External links

*
Gimell RecordingsBibliography
by EBSCO {{DEFAULTSORT:Tallis Scholars British early music ensembles Early music choirs British choirs Musical groups established in 1973 Medieval musical groups Thomas Tallis