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| Pro Cantione Antiqua | |
|---|---|
| Name | Pro Cantione Antiqua |
| Background | group_or_band |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genre | Early music, Renaissance polyphony |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Labels | Archiv Produktion, EMI, Hyperion, Virgin, L'Oiseau-Lyre |
Pro Cantione Antiqua is a British vocal ensemble specializing in Renaissance music, Medieval music and early choral repertoire, founded in London in 1968. The group became notable for performances and recordings of works by Guillaume Dufay, Josquin des Prez, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Orlando di Lasso, Thomas Tallis and William Byrd, and collaborated with prominent institutions and performers across Europe and North America. Its activity intersected with ensembles, conductors and festivals associated with historical performance, including connections to David Munrow, Christopher Hogwood, John Eliot Gardiner, Nicholas McGegan and venues such as St John's College, Cambridge, Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall and the BBC Proms.
The ensemble was founded by a group of British singers and musicologists influenced by the early music revival led by figures such as Gustav Leonhardt, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Alfred Deller and David Munrow. Its formation paralleled the activities of Consort of Musicke, The Sixteen, Tallis Scholars, Hilliard Ensemble and Deller Consort, emerging from the milieu of Early Music Festivals, Spitalfields Festival and collegiate choirs at King's College, Cambridge and Magdalen College, Oxford. Early patronage and recording opportunities involved labels like Archiv Produktion, L'Oiseau-Lyre and EMI Classics, and collaborations with editors from Oxford University Press, Schirmer and the Institut de Musicologie scene shaped its programming. Tours took the ensemble to European centers such as Paris, Rome, Vienna, Amsterdam and Berlin, and to North American venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and festivals in Boston and Toronto.
Core founders and directors included singers and scholars associated with Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, St Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and the Choir of King's College, Cambridge. Notable individual singers who sang with the ensemble intersected with names like James Bowman, Alfred Deller (as influence), Paul Hillier, Ian Partridge, John Mark Ainsley, John Potter (tenor), Peter Phillips (conductor), Simon Heffer, Michael Chance, Christopher Robson and David Canning. The ensemble worked with producers and engineers linked to Decca Records, Philips Classics, Sony Classical and Hyperion Records, and engaged musicologists from Cambridge University, Oxford University, Royal College of Music and Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Guest conductors, continuo players and directors included collaborations with Rupert Christie, Andrew Parrott, Paul McCreesh, Eugene Asti, Trevor Pinnock and Gustav Leonhardt-affiliated artists.
Programming emphasized sacred polyphony by composers such as Giovanni Gabrieli, Heinrich Schütz, Felix Mendelssohn (early choral works), Alonso Lobo, Cristóbal de Morales, Pierre de la Rue and Johannes Ockeghem. Secular repertoire drew on madrigals by Claudio Monteverdi, Carlo Gesualdo and Madrigalists of the Venetian School. The ensemble's approach combined influences from Historically informed performance advocates like John Eliot Gardiner, Christopher Hogwood and Nikolaus Harnoncourt with research from the Early Music movement, adopting period pronunciation, ornamentation and tuning systems discussed by scholars at Royal Holloway, Institute of Musical Research and King's College London. Their texture favored balanced a cappella sonorities, occasionally reinforced by instruments associated with the continuo practice found in ensembles led by Anthony Rooley and Philip Pickett.
Pro Cantione Antiqua's discography spans labels including Archiv Produktion, EMI Classics, Virgin Classics, Hyperion Records and L'Oiseau-Lyre, featuring complete cycles and themed albums devoted to Byrd, Tallis, Palestrina and Josquin des Prez. Landmark recordings garnered attention alongside releases by The Sixteen, Tallis Scholars, Hilliard Ensemble, Alfred Deller and The King's Singers, appearing in catalogues with distribution through Decca, Philips and Sony Classical. The ensemble participated in compilation projects with curators from BBC Radio 3, Gramophone magazine and festival producers at Aldeburgh Festival and Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and contributed to soundtrack projects connected to historical films and broadcasts produced by BBC Television and Channel 4.
The group's techniques influenced choral practice in academic and liturgical settings at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford and collegiate choirs at Trinity College, Cambridge. Its members collaborated with pioneers of period technique such as Christopher Hogwood, Nicholas McGegan and John Eliot Gardiner, and informed editions published by Schott Music and Breitkopf & Härtel. Musicological impacts are observable in doctoral work at King's College London, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge and conservatoires including Royal Academy of Music, shaping pedagogy at institutions like Guildhall School.
The ensemble received critical acclaim in reviews by Gramophone (magazine), The Times (London), The Guardian (London), and awards or nominations from organizations such as Grammy Awards, Gramophone Awards, Royal Philharmonic Society and festival juries at Edinburgh International Festival. Recording accolades placed their albums in year-end lists alongside releases by Tallis Scholars, The Sixteen and Hilliard Ensemble, and ensemble members received individual recognition from institutions like Royal Academy of Music and Royal College of Music.
Scholars and critics cite the group in studies by authors affiliated with Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press and articles in Early Music (journal), Journal of the Royal Musical Association and Musical Times. Its role in the late 20th-century early music revival links to movements led by Gustav Leonhardt, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, David Munrow and ensembles such as Consort of Musicke and The Sixteen. The ensemble's recordings remain referenced in university syllabi at Yale University, Harvard University, University of Chicago and conservatoire curricula, and its influence is acknowledged by later groups including Exaudi, Stile Antico, Tenebrae (choir) and Gallicantus.
Category:Early music choirs Category:British choirs Category:Musical groups established in 1968