AN INTERVIEW WITH PETER PHILLIPS DIRECTOR OF THE TALLIS SCHOLARS by Dennis Shrock DUCATED AT OXFORD UNIVERSITY IN who are struck by the beauty and power of the Great Britain, Peter Phillips has dedicated sound. Thegroup derives its name from the 16th­ his life's work to the research and century English composer Thomas Tallis. While the performance of Renaissance sacred music. music of Tallis and other well-known English, Through his nearly 100 performances Franco-Flemish, and Italian composers forms the annually with the Tallis Scholars, and basis of their repertoire, the Tallis Scholars embrace numerous recording projects with Gimell the whole of sacred vocal Renaissance music; they Records (which he co-founded in 1981), Mr. Phillips uncover and perform the works of lesser-known has the opportunity to Renaissance masters of the explore Renaissance Spanish,Portuguese, and polyphony to its fullest. He Russian schools. can frequently be heard on The Tallis Scholars have radio broadcasts throughout over two dozen recordings the United States, Canada, on the Gimelliabei. The and worldwide; his first group's recording of Missa book, English Sacred Music Pange lingua and Missa La 1549-1649, has been sol fa re mi of Josquin Des published by Gimell; and he Prez won Gramophone's continues to contribute a 1987 Record of the Year regular column to the award the first ever in its London Spectator. Early Music category to win The Tallis Scholars, hailed that distinction. Since Peter as "a cappella superstars," Phillips founded the Tallis have performed to standing Scholars in 1978, they have room only crowds across the toured throughout western United States ever since their Europe, Australia, Israel, American debut tour in the Far East, and North 1987. The London based America. The Tallis Scholars ensemble, under the broadcast regularly on direction of Phillips, appeals international radio and were not only to early music recently featured in an hour­ enthusiasts who search for long documentary produced musical and vocal purity, by the British public TV but also to first-time listeners network, lTV. .......................................................................... SHROCK: Tell us about the Tallis sity. This was from 1972 to 1975. I Anglican chapel services - so I Scholars - their inception, was an organ scholar at St. John's branched out, so to speak, and began development, and makeup. College and, as part of my scholar­ to put on concerts with some of the ship, I was required to conduct the members of the chapel choir and PHILLIPS: The group started from a chapel choir. I wanted to perform other fine singers in the area. I did chapel choir I conducted when I was large works with Latin texts this until about 1979. Then, with a an undergraduate at Oxford Univer- which obviously weren't suitable for difficult union situation at that time May 1992 Page 7 in England, we were forced to make It took years. The early 80s were actually paid for it to be made in a decision to be completely amateur quite rough, but we believed in what 1980. We had a five-year contract or completely professional. It was a we were doing. that EMI wanted to renew, but we very difficult decision to choose the The introduction of the compact wouldn't do this. We took the tape professional route. However, we had disc helped us considerably, since we back, and now it is available to; it was the only way forward. recognized right from the start that it worldwide on Gimell. By 1986-87, After we became a professional would suit our type of music. It gives we had started to make five to seven group, we suddenly cost a lot of such a lovely, clear representation of records a year, and by 1990, we had money and immediately lost quite a a cappella voices. You can hear begun to accumulate a pile of few of our regular concerts. In 1982 I everything, or, put another way, if unreleased material. Just now we thought we would have to disband. have eight discs recorded that haven't But, we had made some records, two been edited or released. of which were on EMI, and we Consequently, we won't start concentrated our efforts there. One of recording again until 1993 when all the recordings was of the Allegri I think people are often the previous recordings will have "Miserere," which sold 100,000 confused or simplistic in come out. copies on black vinyl between 1980-1985. Since we had this sort of how they approach SHROCK: Tell us about the repertoire support from the record pitching Renaissance music, you choose for performances and away in the background, and since recordings. we really wanted a proper series of thinking that all the great Renaissance masterpieces to polyphony sounds like PHILLIPS: I have a particular fondness be recorded, I set off, full of for Renaissance polyphony and for missionary zeal, to the big record Palestrina. Only Palestrina· the sound of unaccompanied voices. labels and said, here it is, you can't sounds like Palestrina. The intellectual challenge that's ignore this music, and we are the best contained in part writing intrigues at it. I was quite arrogant and me - even in music of later eras; I'm confident. But, no one was interested not terribly interested in music which apart from EMI, and all EMI would consists simply of chords. I remember do was the Allegri - and, with a lot it's there to be heard, you can hear it. several experiences of my youth, of arm-twisting, some madrigals We borrowed money and took risks hearing performances of great which we didn't want to do anyway. (all that sort of thing) and the Renaissance polyphonic music and There was no question of doing a business really got going about 1985. being thrilled - you might say proper series, so we started our own It helped a lot that we had only converted. One such experience was label, Gimell. It was the only way leased the Allegri disc to EMI; my when I was 15 or so years old. I was out, and it took forever to get going. partner at Gimell, Steve Smith, singing in the chapel choir of Winchester College, which has a fine choral heritage (Thomas Weelkes was THE GRINNELL COLLEGE employed there in the late 16th DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC PRESENTS century and Samuel Sebastian Wesley was organist in the 19th century). We were singing Gibbons' "Oh clap Na zemli mir your hands," which as you know is an eight-part piece of quite SACRED CHORAL MUSIC OF THE astonishing detail and complexity. I remember looking down the line of RUSSIAN "SILVER AGE" choristers, each having such a good time singing his own line. It was PERFORMED BY terribly exciting. I couldn't believe it, THE GRINNELL COMMUNITY CHORUS AND really. On another occasion, later, THE GRINNELL SINGERS while I was at Oxford, I remember hearing a Clerkes of Oxenford concert conducted by my tutor, David DIRECTED BY JOHN STUHR-ROMMEREIM Wulstan. They sang Tallis' "Gaude Gloriosa" in such a way that my RECORDED AT HERRICK CHAPEL, GRINNELL COLLEGE, GRINNELL, IOWA head was ringing with the sound for weeks afterwards. That was the other moment of conversion. With the To ORDER CDs SEND $8.95 PLUS $2.00 SHIPPING: Clerkes concert it was partly the CHORAL CD, MUSIC DEPARTMENT music - it is a huge piece - butit GRINNELL COLLEGE, GRINNELL, IOWA 50112 was also partly the way they sang it. They could have sung anything and I Page 8 CHORAL JOURNAL would have been entranced. The SHROCK: You obviously select singers the singers sing and enjoy the music, basic sound was so beautiful. who will manifest your ideals of the performance will have some Consequently, as I said earlier, I sound. Can you speak about those power. formed an amateur group to perform ideals? the large Renaissance sacred Latin SHROCK: Tell us about your rehearsal, pieces. These works seemed to PHILLIPS: It is difficult to describe performance, and recording schedule. represent the finest achievements of sound in words; however, I think composers, such as Tallis and Byrd, that I strive for a clear sound so that PHILLIPS: We rehearse when there is and the repertory wasn't familiar to the details of the counterpoint can be a job to do, otherwise we don't meet. most members of the concert-going heard; that's the first requirement This has been the case for our entire public. People needed to be exposed affecting Renaissance polyphony. In history; we never did the weekly to the music, and the music needed an eight-part piece, for instance, if rehearsal routine. However, since this to be heard. you can't hear the second alto or first year we will be singing close to 100 tenor part - one of those middle concerts, we will be meeting most of ...................... parts - then the writing is the time. unbalanced, the polyphony is Renaissance sacred music compromised. So it's essential to SHROCK: Basically, how many create a set of circumstances between rehearsals do you have before each deals with the most the singers and the manner of performance? profound sentiments, so performance which preserves the clarity of the counterpoint. In PHILLIPS: Well, as you may know, profound that it is useless combination with this, I want the English are particularly quick at to try to express them in performances to live; I want them to sight reading, so we don't need to come alive. It's no good, therefore, spend too much time getting the obvious interpretative having little fluty voices that sound notes.