# What do you folks think of The Tallis Scholars ensemble ,great ensemble in general



## deprofundis (Apr 25, 2014)

Ah yes i remeneber the day when i first purchased my first Tallis Scholars on prestigieous gimell record, woaw , i had it order at HMV and it would take months before it came it was his requiem, i was like woaw!!

Bach than i was discovering Portuguese polyphony and still find it amazing Manuel Cardoso in perticular, but also the missa of Maghales and Duarte Lobo all good all great.

But anyway let's keep into ssubject well Tallis Scholars did a wwwonderful job whit GomberT's complete magnficats too, other great ''tour de force they done, well to be fair tthere gesualdo is solid, there Moralesalbum too, i have s(word)l -load of Tallis Scholars and remain a loyal fan, i promess myself to by the Franscisco Guerrero aalbum when i have the cash since he a good spanissh composer + a good ensemble.

All does i would not says there my favorite ensemblle ever they have probaably done fllaws,, but i spare them, they have a sound s of there own more emphasis on tenors, less bassuus i..e perhaaps hey?


So i think in the end Tallis Scholars is a refference in term of quality in a general sense annd i salute there talents.

:tiphat:


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

True, they have their own unique sound, and it works for them. They may not be as historically informed as current groups, but they are still enjoyable to listen to. Hey, Furtwangler isn't historically informed, either, but he was still great at what he did.

The Scholars are most effective on Palestrina and the English Renaissance composers, and I don't think they have been outdone on Obrecht's Missa Maria Zart.


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## deprofundis (Apr 25, 2014)

*The Scholars are most effective on Palestrina and the English Renaissance composers, and I don't think they have been outdone on Obrecht's Missa Maria Zart.*

I agree this Jacob Obrecht is quite something, would like to mention did you heard there Heinrich Isaac : missa de Apostolis, this is absolutly rad, most deffenetly.take care* ManXfeeder*


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## Joe B (Aug 10, 2017)

I have a hand full of discs by the Tallis Scholars. They are a first rate choir. Back in the 80's & 90's I held them in high esteem. However, I think there are many choral groups out there right now that are amazing. Choral music is experiencing a renaissance right now, with incredible choirs recording a lot of material, both old and new. For me, it all began with the Tallis Scholars and the Cambridge Singers.


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## BachIsBest (Feb 17, 2018)

I recently went to see them live and have a CD. I definitely have a very positive impression of them from everything I've listened to.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

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I think this is their best album, stunning singing.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Went to hear a concert by the Tallis Scholars not so long back and was bored out of my mind. Even my wife who is far more into that sort of music was disappointed, especially at £30 a ticket. I think they have been doing the same thing for so long they are just repeating themselves.


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## Biwa (Aug 3, 2015)

deprofundis said:


> I agree this Jacob Obrecht is quite something, would like to mention did you heard there Heinrich Isaac : missa de Apostolis, this is absolutly rad, most deffenetly.


Totally rad!!  LOL!! But seriously... that "Heinrich Isaac : missa de Apostolis" is probably my favorite recording of theirs.


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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

While I have a number of favorite recordings by the Tallis Scholars--which I treasure, I don't always go for Peter Phillips penchant for transposing the music up in order to accommodate his high sopranos--by which he achieves the Tallis Scholars' trademark 'ethereal' sound. Phillips learned this tendency from his studies with David Wulstan, I expect, and as with Wulstan, it tends to work best in music by the English Renaissance composers--such as Tallis, Mundy, Sheppard, Tye, Tomkins, and Taverner (though maybe not so much with White and Byrd, curiously...), than it does with the continental composers.

What I don't like about this practice is that it can sometimes make otherwise incredible music sound a little boring, as it deprives the listener of the full 'chiaroscuro' vocal effect (or tonal scale), if you will--i.e., the deepest lows, the full middle range, and a more delicate, rarefied upper range, all blending together. For me, that's what creates interest in vocal polyphony (along with achieving a clarity of the musical lines--by putting only one or two singers on a part, rather than opting for a huge, slow, homogenous, murky choir). However, if a choral leader decides to more uniformly reset the polyphony into the upper range, it can become somewhat fatiguing and one dimensional and well, boring, as the upper line becomes a lot more ordinary. It is no longer is special--like succumbing to an overdose of sugar.

Now, Phillips doesn't always transpose up. Some of his Josquin isn't transposed up, for example--such as with the Tallis's singing of Josquin's Missa "La sol fa re mi", which is exceptional (but most of it is).

My favorite Tallis Scholar recordings are their Palestrina Missa "Papae Marcelli" (1st recording) and Missa "Assumpta Maria", Mundy "Vox Patris Caelestis" (1st recording), Allegri "Miserere" (1st recording--best version ever!), Cardoso Requiem, Victoria Requiem, Tallis "Miserere" & "Spem in Alium", and Josquin "Missa Sine nomine" (unfortunately, they have no competition in this late Josquin masterpiece ...), Missa "De beata virgine", Missa "Ave maris stella", Missa "La sol fa re mi", Missa "Di dadi", and Brumel's brilliant Missa "Et ecce terrae motus":

https://www.amazon.com/Allegri-Mise...20203&sr=1-1&keywords=tallis+scholars+allegri
https://www.amazon.com/Josquin-Miss...20030&sr=1-8&keywords=tallis+scholars+josquin
https://www.amazon.com/Brumel-Missa...529021504&sr=1-1&keywords=brumel+missa+tallis

I also enjoy listening to the Tallis Scholars' CD of contemporary music by the late John Tavener:https://www.amazon.com/Tavener-Ikon...1-1&keywords=John+Tavener+chilingirian+tallis

Having said that, I confess there are other vocal ensembles that I tend to prefer to the Tallis Scholars (though not always)--such as the early Hilliard Ensemble, the early Orlando Consort, Cinquecento, De Labyrintho, La Main Harmonique, Weser-Renaissance, Capella Pratensis, Stimmwerck, Diabolus in music, La Morra, Romanesca, Huelgas Ensemble, Doulce Memoire, Ensemble Jachet de Mantoue, and Ensemble Musica Nova.


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