The Hilliard Ensemble was a British male vocal quartet originally devoted to the performance of early music. The group was named after the Elizabethan miniaturist painter

Nicholas Hilliard Nicholas Hilliard () was an English goldsmith and limner best known for his portrait miniatures of members of the courts of Elizabeth I and James I of England. He mostly painted small oval miniatures, but also some larger cabinet miniatures, ...

. Founded in 1974, the group disbanded in 2014. Although most of its work focused on music of the

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

and

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

periods, the Hilliard Ensemble also performed contemporary music, working frequently with the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt and included in its concerts works by John Cage,

Gavin Bryars Richard Gavin Bryars (; born 16 January 1943) is an English composer and double bassist. He has worked in jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, historicism, avant-garde, and experimental music. Early life and career Born on 16 January 1943 in ...

Giya Kancheli Gia Kancheli ( ka, გია ყანჩელი; 10 August 1935 – 2 October 2019) was a Georgian composer. He was born in Tbilisi, Georgia but resided in Belgium. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Kancheli lived first in ...

, and Heinz Holliger.

History

Membership

The group was founded by Paul Hillier, Errol Girdlestone, Paul Elliott, and David James, although the membership was flexible until Hillier left in 1990. After that, the core members were David James (

counter-tenor A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist (a ...

Rogers Covey-Crump Rogers Henry Lewis Covey-Crump (born 1944) is an English tenor noted for his performances in both early music and contemporary classical music. He has sometimes been identified as an ''haute-contre'' tenor. He has performed for over 50 years i ...

(tenor/ high tenor), John Potter (tenor), and Gordon Jones (bass), except that in 1998 John Potter was replaced by Steven Harrold.

Recordings

The Hilliard Ensemble, under Paul Hillier, had an extensive discography with

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...

's Reflexe early music series during the 1980s. The ensemble then recorded mainly for the ECM label. In 1994, when popular interest in

Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainsong, plainchant, a form of monophony, monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek (language), Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed ma ...

was at its height, the ensemble released the CD '' Officium'', an unprecedented collaboration with the Norwegian saxophonist

Jan Garbarek Jan Garbarek () (born 4 March 1947) is a Norwegian jazz saxophonist, who is also active in classical music and world music. Garbarek was born in Mysen, Østfold, southeastern Norway, the only child of a former Polish prisoner of war, Czesław ...

. The disc became one of ECM's biggest-selling releases, reaching the pop charts in several European countries and receiving five

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

s in sales. ''Officium's'' sequel, the 2-CD set ''

Mnemosyne In Greek mythology and ancient Greek religion, Mnemosyne (; grc, Μνημοσύνη, ) is the goddess of memory and the mother of the nine Muses by her nephew Zeus. In the Greek tradition, Mnemosyne is one of the Titans, the twelve divine chil ...

'', followed in 1999. The third album, '' Officium Novum'', was released in 2010. Their recordings have also been included in Craig Wright's ''Listening to Music'' textbook for music students and

music appreciation Music appreciation is a division of musicology that is designed to teach students how to understand and describe the contexts and creative processes involved in music composition. The concept of music appreciation is often taught as a subset o ...

Performances

In 2005 the ensemble took part in the

Rheingau Musik Festival The (RMF) is an international summer music festival in Germany, founded in 1987. It is mostly for classical music, but includes other genres. Concerts take place at culturally important locations, such as Eberbach Abbey and Schloss Johannisberg, ...

's composer's portrait of Arvo Pärt, together with the Rostock Motet Choir. In 2008 the Hilliard Ensemble premiered Heiner Goebbels' avant-garde staged concert ''I went to the house but did not enter'' at the 2008

Edinburgh International Festival The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread over the final three weeks in August. Notable figures from the international world of music (especially european classical music, classical music) and ...

, repeated at the Berliner Festspiele.

New music

In 2009 the ensemble premiered five new works: Guido Morini's ''Una Iliade'', Fabio Vacchi's ''Memoria Italiana'', Steffen Schleiermacher's ''Die Beschwörung der Trunkenen Oase'',

Simon Bainbridge Simon Bainbridge (30 August 1952 – 2 April 2021) was a British composer. He was also a professor and head of composition at the Royal Academy of Music, London, and visiting professor at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, in the United ...

's ''Tenebrae'' and

Wolfgang Rihm Wolfgang Rihm (born 13 March 1952) is a German composer and academic teacher. He is musical director of the Institute of New Music and Media at the University of Music Karlsruhe and has been composer in residence at the Lucerne Festival and the Sa ...

's ''Et Lux''. In September 2010 the Hilliard Ensemble joined the

London Philharmonic Choir The London Philharmonic Choir (LPC) is one of the leading independent British choirs in the United Kingdom based in London. The patron is Princess Alexandra, The Hon Lady Ogilvy and Sir Mark Elder is president. The choir, comprising more than ...

and

Orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

for the world premiere of Matteo D'Amico's ''Flight from Byzantium'' at the Royal Festival Hall, London.

Miscellaneous

They also performed three pieces by

Guillaume Dufay Guillaume Du Fay ( , ; also Dufay, Du Fayt; 5 August 1397(?) – 27 November 1474) was a French composer and music theorist of the early Renaissance. Considered the leading European composer of his time, his music was widely performed and repr ...

: ''Moribus et genere'', ''Vergene bella'' and ''Lamentatio sanctae matris ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae''. On 15 November 2010, the group appeared at Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York to perform

Kjartan Sveinsson Kjartan "Kjarri" Sveinsson (; born 2 January 1978) is the keyboardist for the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós. He joined the band in 1998. A multi-instrumentalist, he has also played such instruments as the flute, tin whistle, oboe, guita ...

's ''Cage a Swallow Can’t You but You Can’t Swallow a Cage''.

Disbanding

The Hilliard Ensemble decided to disband after 41 years and gave their final concert on 20 December 2014 at the

Wigmore Hall Wigmore Hall is a concert hall located at 36 Wigmore Street, London. Originally called Bechstein Hall, it specialises in performances of chamber music, early music, vocal music and song recitals. It is widely regarded as one of the world's leadi ...

, London.

Selected discography

Harmonia Mundi

* 1982: ''

Cipriano de Rore Cipriano de Rore (occasionally Cypriano) (1515 or 1516 – between 11 and 20 September 1565) was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance, active in Italy. Not only was he a central representative of the generation of Franco-Flemish compose ...

: Le Vergine'' (LP, HM 1107) * 1982: ''Medieval English Music'' (HMC 901106) * 1983: ''Sumer is icumen in'' (HMC 901154) * 1983: ''The Singing Club'' (HMC 901153)

EMI Reflexe

* 1980: '' Lionel Power: Messen und Motetten'' (LP, EMI Reflexe 1C 069-46 402) * 1982: '' John Dunstable: Motets'' (EMI Reflexe CDC 7 49002 2) * 1983: '' Josquin Desprez: Motets and chansons'' (EMI Reflexe CDC 7 49209 2) * 1983: '' Schütz: Matthäus-Passion'' (EMI Reflexe CDC 7 49200 2) * 1984: ''

J. S. Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

Motets'' (EMI Reflexe CDC 7 49204 2) with Knabenchor Hannover * 1984: '' Ockeghem: Requiem; Missa Mi-Mi'' (EMI Reflexe CDC 7 49213 2) * 1984: ''

Palestrina Palestrina (ancient ''Praeneste''; grc, Πραίνεστος, ''Prainestos'') is a modern Italian city and ''comune'' (municipality) with a population of about 22,000, in Lazio, about east of Rome. It is connected to the latter by the Via Pre ...

: Canticum canticorum, Spiritual madrigals'' (EMI Reflexe CDS 7 49010 8) * 1985: ''Schütz: Schwanengesang (Opus ultimum)'' (EMI Reflexe CDS 7 49214 8) with London Baroque and Knabenchor Hannover * 1985: ''

Lassus Orlande de Lassus ( various other names; probably – 14 June 1594) was a composer of the late Renaissance. The chief representative of the mature polyphonic style in the Franco-Flemish school, Lassus stands with Giovanni Pierluigi da Pales ...

: Penitential Psalms'' (EMI Reflexe CDS 7 49211 8) with the Kees Boeke Consort * 1986: '' Dufay: Missa L'Homme armé, Motets'' (EMI Reflexe CDC 7 47628 2) * 1987: ''Draw on Sweet Night - English Madrigals'' (EMI Reflexe CDC 7 49197 2) * 1988: ''Ockeghem: Missa prolationum and Marian Motets'' (EMI Reflexe CDC 7 49798 2) * 1989: ''Josquin Desprez: Missa Hercules Dux Ferrariae'' (EMI Reflexe CDC 7 49960 2)

Coro

* 1996: ''Perotin and the Ars Antiqua'' (HL 1001) * 1996: ''For Ockeghem'' (HL 1002) music by Ockeghem, Busnois and Lupi and translated excerpts from ''Lament on the Death of the Late Ockeghem'' by Guillaume Crétin * 1997: ''

Antoine Brumel Antoine Brumel (c. 1460 – 1512 or 1513) was a French composer. He was one of the first renowned French members of the Franco-Flemish school of the Renaissance, and, after Josquin des Prez, was one of the most influential composers of his gene ...

'' (HL 1003) * 1998: ''Guillaume Dufay - Missa Se la Face ay Pale'' (HL 1004)

ECM

* 1986: ''Thomas Tallis: The Lamentations of Jeremiah'' ( ECM 1341) * 1987: ''Arbos'' (ECM 1325) with the Staatsorchester Stuttgart Brass Ensemble under

Dennis Russell Davies Dennis Russell Davies (born April 16, 1944 in Toledo, Ohio) is an American conductor and pianist, He is currently the music director and chief conductor of the Brno Philharmonic. Biography Davies studied piano and conducting at the Juilliard Sch ...

performing works of Arvo Pärt * 1988: ''Passio'' (ECM 1370) performing works of Pärt * 1989: ''Perotin'' (ECM 1385) performing works of Perotin * 1991: ''Tenebrae'' (ECM 1422–23) performing works of Carlo Gesualdo * 1991: ''Miserere'' (ECM 1430) performing works of Pärt * 1993: ''The Hilliard Ensemble Sings Walter Frye'' (ECM 1476) * 1994: '' Officium'' (ECM 1525) with

(Part 1 of the ''Officium''-trilogy) * 1995: ''Codex Speciálník'' (ECM 1504) * 1996: ''A Hilliard Songbook - New Music for Voices'' (ECM 1614–15) * 1998: ''Lassus'' (ECM 1658) performing works of

Orlande de Lassus Orlande de Lassus ( various other names; probably – 14 June 1594) was a composer of the late Renaissance. The chief representative of the mature polyphonic style in the Franco-Flemish school, Lassus stands with Giovanni Pierluigi da Pale ...

* 1999: ''

'' (ECM 1700–01) with Jan Garbarek (Part 2 of the ''Officium''-trilogy) * 2001: ''Morimur'' (ECM 1765) with Christoph Poppen * 2003: ''Ricercar'' (ECM 1774) with Christoph Poppen and Münchener Kammerorchester performing works of

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wor ...

and

Webern Anton Friedrich Wilhelm von Webern (3 December 188315 September 1945), better known as Anton Webern (), was an Austrian composer and conductor whose music was among the most radical of its milieu in its sheer concision, even aphorism, and stead ...

* 2003: ''Tituli - Cathedral in the Thrashing Rain'' (ECM 1861) performing works of Stephen Hartke * 2004: ''Motets'' (ECM 2324) performing works of Guillaume de Machaut * 2005: ''Lamentate'' (ECM 1930) with Alexei Lubimov performing works of Pärt * 2007: '' Motetten'' (ECM 1875) performing works of Bach * 2008: ''Audivi Vocem'' (ECM 1936) performing works of

Thomas Tallis Thomas Tallis (23 November 1585; also Tallys or Talles) was an English composer of High Renaissance music. His compositions are primarily vocal, and he occupies a primary place in anthologies of English choral music. Tallis is considered one ...

, Christopher Tye and John Sheppard * 2010: '' Officium Novum'' (ECM 2125) with Jan Garbarek (Part 3 of the ''Officium''-trilogy) * 2011: ''Song of Songs'' (ECM 2174) with the Rosamunde Quartett performing works of Boris Yoffe * 2012: ''Quinto Libro di Madrigali'' (ECM 2175) performing works of Gesualdo * 2013: ''

Terje Rypdal Terje Rypdal (born 23 August 1947) is a Norwegian guitarist and composer. He has been an important member in the Norwegian jazz community, and has also given show concerts with guitarists Ronni Le Tekrø and Mads Eriksen as "N3". Career Rypda ...

: Melodic Warrior'' (ECM 2006) * 2013: ''Il Cor Tristo'' (ECM 2346) performing works of Roger Marsh, Bernardo Pisano and Jacques Arcadelt * 2014: '' Transeamus'' (ECM 2408) * 2015: '' Heinz Holliger: Machaut-Transkriptionen'' (ECM 2224) with Geneviève Strosser, Jürg Dähler and Muriel Cantoreggi * 2019: ''Remember me, my dear'' (ECM 2625) with Jan Garbarek

Other labels

* 1983: ''Madrigals by

Luca Marenzio Luca Marenzio (also Marentio; October 18, 1553 or 1554 – August 22, 1599) was an Italian composer and singer of the late Renaissance. He was one of the most renowned composers of madrigals, and wrote some of the most famous examples of the fo ...

'' (University of East Anglia Recordings UEA 82126) * 1988: ''Music from the time of Christian IV. Church Music at Court and in Town'' (BIS CD-389) * 1990: ''The Romantic Englishman'' (Meridian Records DUOCD 89009) * 1996: ''Sweet Love, Sweet Hope'' (Isis Records CD030) * 1997: ''

Cristóbal de Morales Cristóbal de Morales (c. 1500 – between 4 September and 7 October 1553) was a Spanish composer of the Renaissance. He is generally considered to be the most influential Spanish composer before Tomás Luis de Victoria. Life Cristóbal de Mo ...

: Missa Mille Regretz'' (Almaviva DS-0101) * 2013: ''Prayers and Praise. Vocal music by

Alexander Raskatov Alexander Mikhailovich Raskatov (Russian: Алекса́ндр Миха́йлович Раска́тов; born 9 March 1953, in Moscow) is a Russian composer. Life Alexander Raskatovs father was a leading journalist of the magazine ''Krokodil'', ...

'' (Challenge Classics CC72578) * 2016: ''Roger Marsh: Poor Yorick'' (CMRC001) * 2017: ''Trans Limen ad Lumen'' (Divox CDX-21702) * 2019: ''

John Casken John Arthur Casken (born 15 July 1949) is an English composer. Casken was born in Barnsley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. While at Barnsley Grammar School in the 1960s his music teacher played a recording of Berg's Violin Concerto, which h ...

: The Dream of the Rood'' (NMC Recordings NMC D245) with

Asko/Schönberg AskoSchönberg is a Dutch chamber orchestra that specialises in contemporary classical music, especially that of the 21st century. It was formed by a merger of the ''Asko Ensemble'' and the ''Schönberg Ensemble'' in 2009. Asko Ensemble Fo ...

References

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

The Hilliard Ensemble discography, album releases & credits
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...

The Hilliard Ensemble albums to be listened
as stream on

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

{{Authority control British early music ensembles Early music choirs British choirs ECM Records artists Virgin Veritas artists Musical groups established in 1974 Vocal quartets Medieval musical groups Erato Records artists