# The Tallis Scholars

The Tallis Scholars is a British professional early music vocal ensemble established in 1973. Normally consisting of two singers per part, with a core group of ten singers, they specialise in performing a cappella sacred vocal music. Peter Phillips, the founder of the group, is its conductor. The group has released over 60 discs through its own label, Gimell Records and in 2013, they were elected to the Gramophone Hall of Fame. In 2023, Gramophone marked the group's 50th anniversary by dedicating a special edition of its magazine to them.

## History

The group was formed in 1973 by Peter Phillips, a music student of David Wulstan and Dennis Arnold, who in 1972–1975 was an organ scholar at St John's College, Oxford. 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 in 1987, The Tallis Scholars has been recognised as one of the world's leading ensembles specializing in Renaissance polyphony.

## Concerts

The Tallis Scholars 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 in the Vatican's newly restored Sistine Chapel, and in February 1994, they performed in Rome's Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the death of the composer Palestrina.
In 1999, The Tallis Singers toured China, giving two concerts in Beijing. In 1998, they marked their 25th anniversary with a performance in London's National Gallery. At the millennium, they performed in New York City with Paul McCartney. For the 2013-2014 40th-anniversary concert series, the group announced a world tour to include the United States, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, starting the tour with a concert in St Paul's Cathedral in London for 2000 people.

## Recordings

Since March 1980, The Tallis Scholars has 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,
   The word Gimell comes from the Latin word ‘gimellus’, meaning ‘a twin’, and it’s a technical term. It’s a corrupt form of the word gimellus that you find in manuscripts of the Tudor school where the part is twinned. You have to understand that in those days the music wasn’t written in score; it was written in parts so you’d only see your part. If you were singing your part and you saw the word ‘gimell’ it had to be decided in rehearsal that some of you singing that part would have to look elsewhere on the page, or even pick up another book and find your part. So it was a signpost.
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, de Victoria's Lamentations of Jeremiah. Other notable releases included Gramophone magazine's Record of the Year Award winning disc of Josquin's Missa Pange lingua and Missa La sol fa re mi. In 2011, the ensemble's recording of Allegri's Miserere mei, Deus in Merton College, Oxford 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'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 Tallis Singers formed a core that was more or less consistent for the next 25 years. Some singers left the group to develop successful solo careers, including Michael Chance, Mark Padmore, James Gilchrist, John Mark Ainsley, Tessa Bonner, and Jeremy White, who became a principal bass at The Royal Opera, Covent Garden.

## Accomplishments

The Tallis Scholars ensemble contributed to a greater recognition of the choral works of Tallis, Palestrina, Byrd, Tye, and de Victoria, and 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 Clerks, The Cardinall's Musick, The Binchois Consort, Trinity Baroque, the Gabrieli Consort, and Octarium. Founded in 1999, the Boston-based early-music a cappella ensemble Blue Heron is viewed by some critics as an example of The Tallis Scholars' influence 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 in the United Kingdom, Seattle in the United States, and Sydney in Australia.
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, Francis Steele, and Deborah Roberts have all worked as music editors and publishers with interests spanning the Renaissance and early Baroque music. Andrew Gant is also organist at the Chapel Royal.
The Tallis Scholars has performed and recorded Russian Orthodox repertoire, including music by Sergei Rachmaninoff and Igor Stravinsky, and contemporary works by Norbert Moret, Ivan Moody, Arvo Pärt, John Tavener and Eric Whitacre.

## Accolades and awards

In 2013, The New York Times described The Tallis Scholars as a "superb a cappella ensemble founded and conducted by Peter Phillips". During their 40 years of concert performances, the group has received many accolades and awards.
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 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

| Year | Composer/s | Title / Works | Detail |
| 1980 | Allegri / Palestrina / Mundy | Miserere / Missa Papae Marcelli / Vox parts caeliestis | #1 HMV Classical Chart, February 1981 |
| 1981 | Palestrina | Missa Benedicta es/ Motet | |
| 1982 | Tavener, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky, Bortniansky and anon | Russian Orthodox Music | |
| 1982 | Gibbons, Byrd, Weelkes, Morley, Tomkins, etc. | English Madrigals | |
| 1983 | Palestrina, Lhéritier, Victoria and de Silva | Missa Nigra sum / Motets | |
| 1984 | John 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 / Lobo | Requiem/ 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 | Duarte Lobo | Requiem/ Missa Vox clamantis | |
| 1992 | Tallis | Lamentations of Jeremiah/ Motets and Antiphons | |
| 1993 | Byrd | William Byrd | 2-disc reissue to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the composer's birth |
| 1993 | Taverner, Tye and Sheppard | The Western Wind Masses | |
| 1994 | Palestrina | 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 | Allegri, Palestrina | Live in Rome: Allegri and Palestrina | Winner, Cannes Classical Awards at MIDEM, 1995 |
| 1995 | Taverner | 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 | Ferrabosco, Tallis, White, Brumel, Palestrina | Lamenta: Lamentations | |
| 1998 | | Tallis Scholars 25th Anniversary | 2-disc reissue |
| 1998 | Josquin, Obrecht, Taverner, Byrd, Tallis, Mundy | Tallis Scholars Live in Oxford | |
| 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/ Motet | 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 | Palestrina | The Tallis Scholars sing Palestrina | 2-disc reissue |
| 2004 | Tallis | 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 | Palestrina | 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 | Byrd | Playing Elizabeth's Tune: Byrd's Mass for Four Voices/ Motets | |
| 2006 | | Renaissance Giants | 2-disc reissue |
| 2006 | Josquin | The Tallis Scholars sing Josquin | 2-disc reissue |
| 2007 | Allegri / Palestrina | Miserere / Missa Papae Marcelli and Motets | New recordings |
| 2007 | | English Madrigals | 25th Anniversary Edition of the 1982 release |
| 2007 | Byrd | 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 / Palestrina | Miserere / 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 | |
| 2016 | Josquin | Missa Gaudeamus/ Missa L'ami Baudichon | |
| 2019 | Josquin / Bauldeweyn / Brumel | Missa Mater Patris/ Missa Da pacem/ Mater Patris | |
| 2021 | Josquin | Missa Hercules Dux Ferrarie - Missa D'ung aultre amer - Missa Faysant regretz | |
| 2023 | Sheppard | Missa Cantate | |
| 2024 | Fayrfax | Robert Fayrfax | |