The Tallis Scholars: Chant

The Tallis Scholars
Peter Phillips director 

Hildegard von Bingen In principio
Arvo Pärt Triodion
Hildegard von Bingen O Virtus Sapientiae
Arvo Pärt Sieben Magnificat-Antiphonen
Allegri Miserere mei, Deus
Hildegard von Bingen O ignis Spiritus paracliti
Arvo Pärt Magnificat
Arvo Pärt Da Pacem Domine
Hildegard von Bingen O Ecclesia
Arvo Pärt ...which was the son of…

One of the world’s leading choral ensembles and ‘rock stars of Renaissance vocal music’ (New York Times) The Tallis Scholars bring their unique sound to sublime, centuries-spanning music.

Hildegard von Bingen’s voice from the Middle Ages speaks of luminous spiritual rapture. Allegri’s heavenly Miserere mei, Deus, a deeply moving prayer and plea, is exquisite. ‘The world’s greatest living composer’ (Daily Telegraph), Arvo Pärt, is a voice for the ages, his entrancing music caught between the secular and the sacred.

Did you know?

An Abbess and founder of two monasteries, Hildegard von Bingen was also known as the ‘Sibyl of the Rhine’.

Though renowned in the 12th century, her music lay forgotten until being rediscovered in the late 1970s.

Allegri’s Miserere Mei is a setting of the penitential Psalm 51. It was once the sole preserve of the Vatican. Legend has it that Mozart was the first to copy it after hearing it sung in the Sistine Chapel.

Arvo Pärt was once asked by a musician in rehearsal what speed he should play his music. 'Play your heartbeat,’ he replied.

His signature ‘tintinnabuli’ style mimics the ringing sound of ‘little bells’

Listen out for…

The single melodic line and shifting between different notes on single syllables that infuse Hildegard’s music with is ethereal quality.

Allegri’s awe-inspiring use of rich harmonic choral sections against a single line of plainsong, and the otherworldly soaring high Cs – repeated five times – in its quartet.

How the austere, shadow-cast quality of Arvo Pärt’s music is lit up by echoes of Gregorian Chant, his devout Russian Orthodox faith.

The supple tintinnabuli ringing in the Magnificat and the use of harmonic drones to stress the timeless quality of the Latin text.

The sprung rhythms in …which was the son of… suggest a French-style Baroque overture. 

Presented by NCH