2013 marks the fortieth anniversary of the foundation of The Tallis
Scholars. This milestone will be marked by concerts all over the world,
including a special birthday event in St Paul’s Cathedral in March
at which music by Byrd and Tallis, including the latter’s Spem
in alium. This will be heard alongside some contemporary
pieces such as the world premières of commissioned works by Eric Whitacre
and Gabriel Jackson (details here).
I expect – and hope – that some new recordings will be forthcoming
also. In the meantime Gimell has come up with this very clever idea
of issuing a set of forty-seven short recordings, mainly from their
back catalogue, though I think I’m right in saying that the two Taverner
items on disc two are brand new and come from a disc of that composer’s
music that is due out later this year. The concept behind this compilation
is that whereas forty years ago Renaissance vocal music was seldom
heard on the radio that’s no longer the case and this release will
be ideally suited to radio presenters who need a “Renaissance snippet”.
As such, these discs may well introduce radio listeners to the art
of The Tallis Scholars and to the music which they’ve so effectively
championed for four decades. For the CD collector this is a splendid
compilation set to dip into, though I warn you that if you do so you’re
likely to find your ear led on to further tracks.
The selection doesn’t take us right back to the start of the ensemble’s
recording history, that famous recording of the Allegri Miserere
made when the group had been in existence for six or seven years (review).
In fact, the recording of the Allegri that’s included here, in a foreshortened
version, is their second account of the piece, which incorporates
some embellishments devised by soprano, Deborah Roberts (review).
Actually, because verses 7-18 of the piece are omitted, we don’t get
to hear much of the embellishments. The recordings included in this
present set span a period of some twenty-seven years. During that
time the composition of The Tallis Scholars has changed quite a bit
– 65 singers are listed in the booklet, quite a few of whom have gone
on to have illustrious solo careers. Yet the sound that the group
makes has remained remarkably consistent – though it can vary subtly
according to which composer’s music is being sung; some differences
of approach are appropriate as between, say, Byrd and Victoria. However,
the fundamental consistency – and excellence - is a tribute to the
fact that Peter Phillips has always known what sound he wants and
how to get it.
The recorded sound is also pretty consistent across the set – to my
ears, anyway – though the sound of the recordings from St. John’s,
Hackney, especially in the Byrd pieces at the end of disc two, is
somewhat different to the rest. That, I think, is down to two factors.
One is that the group has used very few recording venues: they started
off at Merton College; they then recorded largely at Salle for quite
a few years, with a few excursions to London, before coming home,
as it were, to Merton some years ago. So Peter Phillips and his singers
know the acoustics of their venues extremely well. So do the engineers:
I don’t know how many separate recording sessions are represented
here but only five engineers have been involved, which must also have
benefits in terms of consistency.
Disc One is given over to music from continental Europe and
many gems have been included. Early on we hear two settings of words
from the Song of Songs, one by de Rore and one by Clemens non Papa,
both of which are in seven parts. De Rore’s piece is wonderfully poised,
though the pulse quickens for the last two lines of text. His music
is richly scored, as John Milsom says in his notes. By contrast the
music by Clemens non Papa is strikingly pure in texture – as is the
sound made by the singers; it’s like the musical equivalent of crystal-clear
water. Not long ago The Tallis Scholars released a disc devoted to
the music of Jean Mouton (review)
and that’s represented here. One might have expected, perhaps, to
encounter Mouton’s best-known piece, Nesciens mater, but
it’s good that we are offered instead something less familiar in the
shape of Salva nos, Domine, a succinct and beautiful piece
scored, I think, in six parts. That Mouton disc was the most recent
Tallis Scholars recording but I’m glad to find an example from the
very first disc by them that I bought, many years ago. The little
Praetorius Christmas piece was originally released as part of an anthology
of Christmas Carols and Motets (CDGIM 010). It may be available still
in that form but it’s also now included on a two-disc set (review)
for which this charming little piece may whet your appetite.
Further on in the disc we hear an extract from Brumel’s ‘Earthquake
Mass’, with its astonishing 12-part sonorities after which another
Agnus Dei, this time by Palestrina, provides an intriguing
and telling contrast. The disc concludes with four consecutive pieces
by the Iberian master, Victoria, including the magnificent Kyrie
from his Requiem and the extraordinarily eloquent yet disciplined
Versa est in luctum, surely a prime example of patrician
mourning.
Disc Two contains English music and the selection is dominated
by the music of Thomas Tallis – fourteen out of twenty-seven tracks.
As well as samples from his Lamentations we get to hear O
nata lux, one of my favourite Tallis pieces. There’s also Miserere
nostri. In a small way this is quite a remarkable piece; it’s
a seven-part setting and Tallis’s music takes, in this performance,
some two and a half minutes to sing yet he sets a mere four words!
There’s also his exquisite If ye love me, another personal
favourite, and A new commandment. Why fum’th
in fight is one of the Tunes from Archbishop Parker’s Psalter
and it will be instantly recognisable as the source for the celebrated
Fantasia by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Moving away from Tallis, there are two pieces by John Taverner. These
are brand-new recordings scheduled for release on a Taverner disc
later in 2013. That will include a complete account of his superb
Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas; for now the Benedictus
from that Mass whets our appetite for the full Mass. Robert White’s
Christe qui lux es alternates verses in plainchant and polyphony,
which I always think is such an effective device. Here there’s wonderful
variety in the polyphonic verses even though the piece as a whole
is not long. It will be seen that all three settings of John Sheppard’s
In manus tuas are included. It’s good to be able to experience
these three very different settings in immediate proximity to each
other and to hear how Sheppard found fresh inspiration each time he
revisited this Responsory for Compline. After Tallis the most represented
composer here is William Byrd. The sublime Agnus Dei from
his Mass in Four Parts is balanced to perfection by The Tallis
Scholars and they are buoyant and vital in his Sing joyfully.
In complete contrast with that extrovert Byrd piece the sorrow of
Thomas Tomkins’ plangent music in When David heard is movingly
conveyed.
There are forty-seven separate tracks here and on each one you will
hear singing of the very highest quality. More than that you will
experience music-making that’s born out of scholarship and a deep
understanding of each composer’s music and how it should be presented;
yet the scholarship is lightly worn. Nineteen very different and highly
individual composers are represented here and all are expertly served.
This pair of CDs is a splendid representation of the art of The Tallis
Scholars. If you are familiar with their work the set is a welcome
and highly pleasurable way to refresh your memory. If you haven’t
sampled much of their recorded output before – or if you’re unfamiliar
with the richly rewarding field of Renaissance vocal music – then
I hope this set may lead you to many new discoveries; you could not
wish for better guides than Peter Phillips and his expert singers.
As usual with Gimell, presentational values are high. This might be
regarded as a “sampler” but that doesn’t mean they’ve skimped on the
documentation. The very nicely produced booklet includes the full
texts and succinct but useful notes on each piece by that authoritative
writer, John Milsom. There’s also a reproduction of more of Raphael’s
masterpiece, The Sistine Madonna. It’s a detail from that picture
that has been chosen for the booklet cover and I must say it made
me chuckle. It just invites a caption. What about “Forty years on
and the cherubs are still sitting at the feet of The Tallis
Scholars”?
Tune in to Renaissance Radio for some wonderful music – and no irritating
announcers to get in the way!
John Quinn
Track listing
CD 1 [75:00]
Gregorio Allegri (1582-1652) Miserere (omitting verses 7-18)
[5.50]
Josquin Desprez (c1442/3-1521) Ave Maria … virgo serena*
[5:27]
Cipriano de Rore (1515/16-1565) Descendi in hortum meum* [5:27]
Jacobus Clemens non Papa (1510/15-1555/6)Ego flos campi*
[4:11]
Jean Mouton (bef.1459-1522) Salva nos, Domine [2:31]
Orlande de Lassus (1530/2-1594)Ave regina caelorum*
[3:53]
Orlande de LassusSalve regina* [3:58]
Hieronymus Praetorius (1560-1629) Joseph lieber, Joseph mein*
[2:33]
Josquin DesprezAgnus Dei II, from Missa L’homme
armé sexti toni* [4:16]
Antoine Brumel (c1460-?1512/13) Agnus Dei II, from Missa Et
ecce terrae motus* [3:29]
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525/6-1594)Agnus
Dei II, from Missa Brevis [3:07]
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Sicut lilium inter spinas*
[4:45]
Carlo Gesualdo, Prince of Venosa (c1561-1613) Precibus
et meritis* [3:03]
Carlo Gesualdo, Prince of Venosa Maria, mater gratiae* [3:43]
Francisco Guerrero (1528-1599) Ave virgo sanctissima** [3:59]
Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611) Ave Maria [4 vv]*
[2:17]
Tomás Luis de Victoria O vos omnes, from the Tenebrae
Responsories*** [2:53]
Tomás Luis de Victoria Kyrie, from the Requiem [6 vv]***[2:36]
Tomás Luis de Victoria Graduale, from the Requiem [6
vv]*** [3:11]
Tomás Luis de Victoria Versa est in luctum*** [3:51]
CD 2 [76:59]
Thomas Tallis (c1505-1585) Incipit, from Lamentations I* [1:22]
Thomas Tallis Aleph, from Lamentations I* [2:39]
Thomas Tallis Beth, from Lamentations I* [4:49]
Thomas Tallis Mihi autem nimis* [2:37]
Thomas Tallis O sacrum convivium* [3:40]
Thomas Tallis O nata lux* [2:03]
Thomas Tallis Miserere nostri [2:32]
John Taverner (c1490-1545) Leroy Kyrie [3:33]
John Taverner Benedictus, from Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas [2:59]
William Cornysh (fl. c1500) Ave Maria* [3:11]
Robert White (c1538-1574) Christe qui lux es III* [4:55]
John Sheppard (c1515-1558) In manus tuas I* [3:29]
John Sheppard In manus tuas II* [2:56]
John Sheppard In manus tuas III* [2:55]
William Byrd (c1540-1623) Agnus Dei II, from Mass for 4 voices
[3:18]
Thomas Tallis If ye love me [2:04]
Thomas Tallis Hear the voice and prayer [3:06]
Thomas Tallis A new commandment [2:42]
Thomas Tallis Why fum’th in fight [0:58]
Thomas Tallis Even like the hunted hind [0:53]
Thomas Tallis God grant we grace [1:04]
Thomas Tallis Come Holy Ghost [0:41]
Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656) When David heard* [4:27]
William Byrd Sing joyfully*** [2:48]
William Byrd O God, the proud are risen*** [3:04]
William Byrd O Lord, make thy servant Elizabeth*** [2:52]
William Byrd Nunc dimittis, from the Great Service*** [5:21]
