Stile Antico: Young Voices, Old Styles
A British Early Music Group Singing Byrd, Tallis, Sheppard and More
Jun 26, 2009
Most of the singers in the early music choral group Stile Antico are in their 20s. But that youth doesn't stop the British ensemble from specializing in a repertoire dating from the 16th century.
16th Century Renaissance: The Blending of Sacred Unity and Secular Individuality in an Ancient Style
This was a time when great open cathedrals were still the main venue of choice even as musicians began to move toward a more worldly appreciation of the human role in music-making. With such a blending of sacred unity and secular individuality, it's no wonder that late Renaissance music dazzles with its ringing clarity and sensuous color.
Vocal parts weave in and out of the fabric of the music, shining in momentary splendor, only to fade back into the unity of the whole cloth. Stile Antico approaches this interplay between individual parts and blended voices with skill and confidence. The group sings without a conductor, meaning that each singer must be especially aware of her neighbor's nuances in pitch, timbre and volume.
The ensemble's name comes from a term coined by later 17th century musicians to describe the "ancient style," a music already associated with the past. Though their core repertoire is in English Renaissance music, they do sing the occasional motet from the Continent.
Music for Compline, Heavenly Harmonies and Song of Songs: Works by William Byrd, Thomas Tallis, John Sheppard and More
The group's first album, Music for Compline, highlights works that were written to be performed during a monastery's last service of the day. Featuring the English composers William Byrd, Thomas Tallis and John Sheppard, as well as plainsong, the album runs through the order of service. Like the Compline itself, Stile Antico's music can also serve as a final confession and meditation for the day.
Heavenly Harmonies, the group's second album, is also another hour and 19 minutes of good solid English Renaissance works. Alternating between Thomas Tallis and his pupil William Byrd, the album explores sacred texts written by these Catholic musicians, who were composing during the middle of the Catholic-Protestant debate in England.
Stile Antico's third and most recent album, Song of Songs, perhaps highlights the sacred/secular play of Renaissance music the best of all their recordings. Though the text is sacred, taken from King Solomon's writings, the topic is sensual and erotic: the pure joy of physical love. The breath-taking color and warmth of Sile Antico's voices as they sing through Flemish and Italian composers makes this album a delight to hear.
Stile Antico recently made their North American debut at the 2009 Boston Early Music Festival and still have a busy touring schedule ahead of them back in England. Please see their website for a full listing of concert dates and venues.
Sources
McCreath, Brian. "Stile Antico: Old-School A Cappella in Boston". June 24, 2009. NPR Music.
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