- Hilliard Ensemble
The Hilliard Ensemble is a British male vocal quartet devoted to the performance of
early music . Founded in 1973 or 1974, [Grove] the group is named after the Elizabethan miniaturist painterNicholas Hilliard .Although most of its work focuses on music of the Medieval and Renaissance periods, the Hilliard Ensemble also performs contemporary music, working frequently with the Estonian composer
Arvo Pärt and including in its concerts works byJohn Cage ,Gavin Bryars ,Giya Kancheli , andHeinz Holliger .The group was originally founded by
Paul Hillier , Paul Elliott, and David James, although the membership was flexible until Hillier left in the late 1980s. Since 1990 the core members have been David James,Rogers Covey-Crump , John Potter, and Gordon Jones, with one change: in 1998 John Potter was replaced by Steven Harrold.The Hilliard Ensemble has recorded extensively for the ECM label. In 1993, when popular interest in
Gregorian chant was at its height, the ensemble released the CD "Officium", an unprecedented collaboration with the Norwegian saxophonistJan Garbarek . The disc became one of ECM's biggest-selling releases of all time, reaching the pop charts in several European countries. ("Officium"'s sequel, the 2-CD set "Mnemosyne", followed in 1999.)Their recordings have also been included in Craig Wright's "Listening to Music" textbook for music students and
music appreciation .References
*GroveOnline|Hilliard Ensemble|Fabrice Fitch|February 2|2006
Notes
External links
* [http://www.hilliardensemble.demon.co.uk/ The Hilliard Ensemble official site]
* [http://www.ecmrecords.com The Ensembles' record label, ECM]
* [http://modoonlus.it/ Concerts in Italy by Associazione MODO onlus]
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