The Scholars (vocal group)


The Scholars is the name of an English a cappella group of four to five solo singers active 1968-2010, mainly in the field of classical music. In the United States they were also known as The Scholars of London and The Voices of London.

Membership

Each of the five original members of The Scholars had been a Choral scholar in the Choir of King's College, Cambridge under David Willcocks between 1964 and 1968, and David Van Asch, the founder, organiser and bass of the group, had also been a boy chorister there under Boris Ord. After beginning as a male voice quintet, they had a middle phase as a mixed voice quintet and latterly worked as an SATB quartet. Membership of The Scholars was nevertheless remarkably stable over its 40-year existence. The original members were Nigel Perrin, Timothy Brown, Robin Doveton, Stephen Varcoe and David Van Asch. After approximately three years Perrin, Brown and Varcoe left and were replaced, respectively, by Shelagh Molyneux, Nigel Dixon and Michael Leighton Jones. The latter was replaced in 1980 by Philip O'Reilly, and when he left in 1982 the group continued as an SATB quartet. In 1982 Paula Bott became The Scholars' soprano, followed by Kym Amps in 1988. In 1987 Angus Davidson replaced Dixon as countertenor and in 2004 Simon Grant took over from Van Asch as bass.
Although The Scholars no longer performs as a group on a regular basis, individual members remain active in other related fields of music such as solo and ensemble singing, conducting, teaching and composing.

Concerts

The Scholars' first public concert took place in Chelsea Town Hall in 1969 and they were subsequently signed by London agent Ibbs and Tillett who obtained numerous concerts for them all around the United Kingdom. A promotional European tour in 1972 sparked three decades of concert tours in over fifty countries. The Scholars sang in many of the world's premier concert venues: The Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and St John's, Smith Square, London; The Opera Houses of Sydney and Buenos Aires; Alice Tully Hall, New York; Symphony Hall, Osaka; Auditorio Nacional, Madrid; Brahmsaal, Musikverein, Vienna to name but a few. On a number of occasions the British Council selected The Scholars to represent British musical culture, promoting tours in Iran, Kenya, Ghana, Cameroon, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

Performance style

At the outset, being a male voice ensemble, The Scholars' ideals remained close to those cultivated by David Willcocks at King's College, Cambridge: accurate tuning, rhythmic precision, clarity of diction and neat coordination of consonants. With the addition of a soprano voice came the opportunity for a warmer, more soloistic style of singing. In the 1990s the requirements of Early Music prompted an adjustment of tuning ideals away from equal temperament towards just intonation. The Scholars possessed an outgoing stage presence and their spoken introductions, as well as being informative, were often of a humorous nature.

Repertoire and programming

The promotion of English music and of the English singing tradition, were high on The Scholars' original priorities. Early programmes included English madrigals and sacred music of the 16th and early 17th centuries. The lighter side of their repertoire with which they often concluded their concerts - spirituals and close harmony arrangements - initially continued to echo student days. Sets of five-voice folksong arrangements were made for The Scholars by David Willcocks, Gordon Langford and John Rutter which soon superseded the close harmony arrangements. From 1982, when The Scholars reduced to SATB, their place was in turn taken by Robin Doveton's four-voice folksong arrangements, although songs by The Beatles were still sung as encores. During the 1980s Italian, French, German and Spanish music of the Renaissance became standard repertoire and English glees of the late 18th and early 19th centuries were revived, including works by Arnold, Webbe and Callcott.
Contemporary music often formed part of The Scholars' programmes and included specially composed works by Philip Radcliffe, Malcolm Williamson, William Wordsworth, John Rutter, John Joubert, William Mathias, Robert Walker, Christopher Brown and Howard Blake. The group forged strong connections with Spain and often sung works composed for them by Ángel Barja of León.
Non-specialist programmes were generally structured to include six groups of songs, each themed by musical genre or subject matter, aiming for contrast of pace, humour/seriousness and key. Specialist programmes also became more and more in demand for Early Music festivals, and complete Mass settings by Josquin and Byrd often formed the basis of these.

The Scholars Baroque Ensemble

In 1992 Van Asch brought together, as artistic director, a small group of specialist baroque instrumentalists and extra singers to collaborate, without a conductor, with The Scholars in performances and recordings of major works by Handel, Bach, Purcell and Monteverdi.

Discography

Company, Catalogue no.Year/FormatTitleDetails
Unicorn UNS 2541971/VinylThe Versatility of The Scholars IEnglish Renaissance music for AATBarB by Tallis, Byrd - Various. Engineer: Bob Auger
Unicorn RHS 3181973/VinylThe Versatility of The Scholars II: Make we joyChristmas music for SATBarB. Engineer: Bob Auger
Firecrest FEU 10021975/Vinyl.
Reissued 1978 by Decca MOR-R-512		The Scholars sing the New National Songbook
Words and Music by Howard Blake
Cover picture: Hugh Casson
Pilgrim Praise 21975/VinylChrist in CompetitionEira Heath with The Scholars and the William Davies Quintet. Music by Edward Hughes, words by Peter Westmore.
Prelude PRS 25011976/VinylThe Scholars SingMadrigals - Victorian - Folk - Contemporary
Enigma Classics VAR 10171976/Vinyl. Reissued in the USA.Elizabethan and Jacobean Madrigals Producer: John Boyden.
Arion AR 319391978/VinylL'AGE D'OR DE LA MUSIQUE SACREE EN ANGLETERRELambe, Cornysh, Tallis, Whyte
Arion ARN 384111979?/VinylAdriano Banchieri: Festino
Accento ACR 101?/VinylThe Chester Books of Madrigals16th and early 17th century madrigals and partsongs from England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Producer: Mark Sutton.
Accento ACR 1021985/VinylHispanae Musica Vocibus Vol. ISacred Music for 4-6 voices by Melchor Robledo. Producer: Mark Sutton.
Accento ACR 1031986/VinylHispanae Musica Vocibus Vol. IISacred and Secular Music for 4-6 voices by Pedro Ruimonte. Producer: Mark Sutton.
Classic CD-1021988/CDAngel Barja Planctum Jeremiae, Madrigales y Romances, Poemas del Mar
Accento ACD 1041989/CDBritish FolksongsSATB arrangements by Robin Doveton
Toshiba-EMI/Eastworld CC38-30761983/CD and Vinyl Greensleeves The Scholars/English Folk SongsArrangements for 5 voices by Robin Doveton, John Rutter, Gordon Langford et al.
A landmark very early digitally recorded CD made before editing became practicable. Each song was recorded complete as a single take.
Toshiba-EMI/Eastworld CC33-33231984/CD and Vinyl English & Italian MadrigalsSATB madrigals by Dowland, Morley, Farmer, Wilbye, Josquin, Arcadelt, Rore, De Wert, Marenzio et al.
Toshiba-EMI/Eastworld CC33-34661986/CD and VinylLoch Lomond - The Scholars/English Folk SongsSATB arrangements of English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish Folksongs by Robin Doveton
Toshiba-EMI/Eastworld CE20-5324/52 CD reissue of CC38-3076 and CC33-3466Home, Sweet HomeThe Scholars: British Folk Songs
Accento ACD 1051990/CDEnglish Ayres and MadrigalsByrd, Morley, Dowland, Wilbye, Weelkes, Tomkins et al.
Accento ACD 2011991/CD
Reissued in 2001 by Dorian as DOR-93227		G.F. Handel: Acis & GalateaThe Scholars Baroque Ensemble.
The part of Damon adapted for countertenor by Andrew Lawrence-King
NAXOS 8.8550667-6681992/CD Handel: MessiahThe Scholars Baroque Ensemble
NAXOS 8.8550660-11993/CD Purcell: The Fairy QueenThe Scholars Baroque Ensemble
NAXOS Early Music 8.5508801993/CDFrench ChansonsThe Scholars of London
NAXOS 8.550664-651994/CD J.S.Bach St John Passion The Scholars Baroque Ensemble
Accento ACD 1061993/CDBreathe soft, ye windsThe Scholars: A collection of Classic Glees from Georgian England
NAXOS Early Music 8.8550662-31995/CD Monteverdi: Vespers of the Blessed VirginThe Scholars Baroque Ensemble
Toshiba-EMI/Eastworld TOCE-88801995/CDWorld Famous SongsThe Scholars/Yukinobu Kuni. 21 Arrangements by Robin Doveton
Musica en la catedral de Pamplona 21996/CDMusica en la catedral de PamplonaThe Scholars/Jeremy West/Terence Charlston/Capilla de Música de la Catedral de Pamplona
Accento ACD1071996/CDThe Sound of The ScholarsFive Hundred Years of Song: Renaissance - Classical - Romantic - Folk
NAXOS 8.5531081997/CD Purcell: Dido and AeneasThe Scholars Baroque Ensemble
NAXOS 8.5531881998/CD Handel: Acis and GalateaThe Scholars Baroque Ensemble
NAXOS 8.5537521998/CD Purcell: The Indian QueenThe Scholars Baroque Ensemble
NAXOS 8.5538231997/CD J.S. Bach MotetsThe Scholars Baroque Ensemble
NAXOS 8.5532081999/CD Handel: Dixit Dominus The Scholars Baroque Ensemble
Accento ACD1082001/CDThe Scholars of London: Five Hundred Years of SongSongs of Praise - Singing and Dancing - The Animal Kingdom - The Seasons - The Power of Music - Songs of Love