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Views from the Choir Loft

Singing with Peter Philips

Andrew Leung · October 26, 2017

CTL Peter Philips AST WEEK, I had the opportunity and privilege to sing in a concert with the Tallis Vocalis under the direction of Peter Philips, the founder and director of The Tallis Scholars. Being able to work with Peter was really “a dream come true” for me and many of my colleagues. Peter and The Tallis Scholars have inspired so many musicians in the past forty years and they have successfully reintroduce the Renaissance polyphony to the world. I founded my first choir (a small liturgical choir) in college after listening to Peter’s choir, and realizing how one can produce this powerful and beautiful sound even with a small chamber choir. Since then, I have started similar groups in Atlanta, Macau, and now in Hong Kong.

One of the things that impressed me the most over the week was Peter’s extraordinary memory. After so many years of conducting polyphony, it is not surprising that he knows the music very well from his memory and can pick on the details without looking at the scores. What impressed me the most was that he had all the singers’ names memorized in a short period of time. He met half of the choir at dinner on the night he landed in Hong Kong and we each did a brief introduction of ourselves at the table. On the second evening, we had our first rehearsal and he was able to greet us with our names, the singers he met on the previous evening; he met the rest of the choir there (26 of us all together). By the second rehearsal, he knew exactly, by names, who were missing or late to the rehearsal. I think this is a very useful skill for conductors. It allows us to engage our singers and to maintain a friendly relationships. As a singer, I felt my importance in the group as I was treated with respect by the leader.

On the musical aspects, Peter is a very disciplined musician. He takes a pretty straight approach on the tempo and rhythm of the pieces. Instead of the more romantic approach, he asked the choir not to make long pauses after cadences and not to rit too early at the end of a piece. For example, in Byrd’s “Ave Verum Corpus“, he preferred the altos and tenors to pick up right away the “miserere mei” phrase without pausing after the cadence of “O Jesu Fili Mariae”; there was also no ritardando until the second-to-the-last measure, which is when everyone sing “-men” of the “Amen”.

Regarding singing with vibrato in Renaissance pieces, he doesn’t think that polyphonies have to be sung with absolute straight tone. He says that vibrato is a natural thing and it helps the singers to express the melodies and texts more fully. However, he did point out that it can be overdone, especially in the top voice, and consequently can affect the tuning.

Here is a video of Peter Philips talking about Renaissance music:


Last week was a very fruitful week! I am blessed to be able to work with Peter and to learn from him. If you are interested to know more about Peter Philips and The Tallis Scholars, you can read his book, or watch this video on Youtube where he talks about the origins of his choir.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Andrew Leung

Andrew Leung currently serves the music director of Vox Antiqua, conductor of the Cecilian Singers, and music director at Our Lady of China Church.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. However, on the feasts website, the chants have been posted for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), which is this coming Sunday: 6 July 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“The chapter secretary is authorized to write a letter beseeching a royal pardon for Caspar de Cuevas, cathedral sackbut player, who is imprisoned on a murder charge.” [From “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]

— Sevilla: Chapter Resolution (23 March 1566)

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  • Boston Auxiliary Bishop: “In offering the Traditional Mass for the first time, after removing the vestments, I knelt in the back pew and wept.”

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