MEET TALLIS SCHOLARS - A CAPELLA SUPERSTARS.Byline: David Mermelstein Correspondent At a time when early-music ensembles are fighting to maintain an identity, the Tallis Scholars The Tallis Scholars are a British vocal ensemble normally consisting of 10 members. Formed in 1973 by their director Peter Phillips, they specialize in performing a cappella sacred vocal music written during the Renaissance by composers from all over Europe. remain unflappably what they have always been: a superb all-vocal group primarily devoted to music from the 16th and 17th centuries. On Sunday afternoon, the ensemble graced Royce Hall Royce Hall is a building on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Designed by the Los Angeles firm of Allison & Allison (James Edward Allison, 1870-1955, and his brother David Clark Allison, 1881-1962) in the Italian Romanesque Revival style and completed , where Peter Philips Peter Philips (c 1560–1628) was an eminent English composer, organist, and Catholic priest exiled to Flanders after the start of the Protestant Reformation. He was one of the greatest keyboard virtuosos of his time, and transcribed or arranged several Italian motets and , who founded the Scholars in 1973, led them in music by William Byrd, Thomas Tomkins, Orlando Gibbons and Henry Purcell. The Scholars kept this all-English program short, perhaps because some feel this sort of relatively monochromatic monochromatic /mono·chro·mat·ic/ (-kro-mat´ik) 1. existing in or having only one color. 2. pertaining to or affected by monochromatic vision. 3. staining with only one dye at a time. polyphony polyphony (pəlĭf`ənē), music whose texture is formed by the interweaving of several melodic lines. The lines are independent but sound together harmonically. wears thin quickly, though the Royce audience displayed only fervid enthusiasm. Regardless, it's hard to imagine any group treating these scores with greater care. Philips' 12 singers (four sopranos, four altos, two tenors and two basses) may sound best in churches, which is where the Scholars' sacred repertory was intended to be heard, but they are masters at filling any good auditorium with their near-ethereal tone. More than exceptionally pure tone, however, makes the Scholars what they are. Their diction is letter perfect, their manner relaxed, their ensemble superb and their commitment beyond reproach. To the untrained ear, much of program may have sounded similar, but subtle worlds of difference were everywhere apparent. To help achieve those musical distinctions, Philips rotates his singers, on this program after each short selection. Still, the point is clearly to be enveloped en·vel·op tr.v. en·vel·oped, en·vel·op·ing, en·vel·ops 1. To enclose or encase completely with or as if with a covering: "Accompanying the darkness, a stillness envelops the city" in a rarefied rar·e·fied also rar·i·fied adj. 1. Belonging to or reserved for a small select group; esoteric. 2. Elevated in character or style; lofty. rarefied Adjective 1. sound world, and when a listener relaxes into this music, there is much that is affecting. In one of the three Tompkins offerings, for instance, the cry ``O my son'' was searingly expressed, to great effect, in a musical round. Following how music evolved in England was another benefit of this well-constructed program, which saw the little-known Tomkins' work framed by his mentor's, the far-more-familiar Byrd. The concert culminated in three Purcell items, by turns haunting and robust. Only one encore was offered, despite the audience's entreaties, a Christmas carol by one Hieronymus Praetorius titled ``Joseph Lieber.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: The London-based Tallis Scholars bring their unique sound to each performance, especially at Sunday's Royce Hall concert. |
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