Alfred Deller
Alfred Deller was the first renowned countertenor. As a child, Deller studied voice first with his father as a boy soprano, and when his voice changed he continued his singing as a countertenor. He joined the Canterbury Cathedral choir in 1940, where Michael Tippett heard him and invited him to London to make his debut. He came to the attention of the English public after a 1946 radio broadcast of Purcell's Come, ye sons of art, away. During the early years of his career, he concentrated on performing English Baroque and pre-Baroque composers such as Purcell and Dowland. In 1950 he formed the Deller Consort, a group that dedicated itself to performing early music using authentic performance practice. For many years, the group toured Europe and the Americas, bringing the music of this period to a new public. In 1964, Deller's son, Mark, joined the Deller Consort, also as a countertenor. Deller founded the Stour Music Festival in 1963 in order to have another venue for his Consort and to team with other early music specialists such as Franz Bruggen and Gustav Leonhardt. In 1960, he sang the role of Oberon in the premiere of Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream. This was the first important countertenor role in opera of the 20th century. He repeated the role at Covent Garden Opera House, London, the following year. Other composers who wrote works specifically for Deller include Fricker, Mellers, Ridout, and Rubbra. In 1970, he was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He died while on vacation in Italy.
Alfred Deller set the standard for countertenors for many years. His voice was very light with a wonderful lyric quality. He was most effective in the more contemplative pieces, but when necessary he was able to sing very florid pieces extremely well. Although he could sing the dramatic arias of Handel, he never allowed his voice to be pushed beyond its basically light sound. Deller's recordings cover the entire range of his repertoire from the lute songs of Dowland to Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream with many stops along the way. Without Alfred Deller, the international recognition of countertenor voice might not have come as quickly as it did.
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Chant grégorien (Deller Consort, Alfred Deller)
Sacred Vocal Music - Released by harmonia mundi on 15 Nov 1972
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Purcell: Te Deum
Classical - Released by harmonia mundi on 20 Nov 1968
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Music For A While
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16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Music For A While
Classical - Released by Planet Blue Records on 1 Jan 1979
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Thomas Morley: Madrigals - Best Classical Collection
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16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Purcell: Hail, Bright Cecilia (Mono Version)
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Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Hark, Ye Shepherds! (Carols at Christmastide) (Original Christmas Album 1960)
Christmas Music - Released by Christmas Time on 1 Jan 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Christmas Music - Released by Christmas Dreams on 2 Dec 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Madrigal Masterpieces
Classical - Released by Omega Vanguard on 17 Jul 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Purcell: Come Ye Songs of Art - Lully: Miserere
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16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Music of Shakespeare
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16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blow: Ode on the death of Mr. Henry Purcell (Alfred Deller)
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16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gibbons: Anthems, Madrigals & Fantasies / Morley: Madrigals
Denis Stevens, Ambrosian Singers, Violen-Ensemble Der Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Alfred Deller, August Wenzinger
Classical - Released by Archiv Produktion on 1 Jan 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Anthems, Madrigals and Fantasies
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Classical - Released by Past Classics on 13 Oct 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Holly & The Ivy
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16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Musical Panorama of Shakespeare's England
The Deller Consort, Alfred Deller
Classical - Released by Classic Style on 19 Dec 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tavern Songs (Album of 1957)
Classical - Released by Casta Diva on 1 Dec 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Purcell: Ode to St. Cecilia
April Cantelo, Alfred Deller, Peter Salmon, Ambrosian Singers, Kalmar Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Past Classics on 17 Jul 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo