The Swingle Singers
Encyclopedia
The Swingle Singers are a mostly a cappella
vocal group formed in 1962 in Paris
, France
by Ward Swingle
with Anne Germain, Jeanette Baucomont, Jean Cussac and others. Christiane Legrand
, the sister of composer Michel Legrand
, was the group's lead soprano through 1972. Until 2011 the group consisted of eight voices: two soprano
s, two alto
s, two tenor
s and two basses. The French group performed and recorded typically with only a double bass
and drums as accompaniment. The current group performs primarily a cappella. In 1973, the original French group disbanded and Ward Swingle moved to London
and recruited all new members who debuted as Swingle II. The group later performed and recorded under the name The Swingles and then, The New Swingle Singers and eventually, simply, The Swingle Singers. Since the London group's incarnation, the group has never disbanded. As individual members have left the group, the remaining members have held auditions for replacements.
's French vocal group Les Double Six
), began as session singers mainly doing background vocals for singers such as Charles Aznavour
and Edith Piaf
. Christiane Legrand
, sister of Michel Legrand
, was the original lead soprano, and they did some jazz vocals for Michel Legrand. The eight session singers sang through Bach
's Well-Tempered Klavier as a sight-reading exercise and found the music to have a natural swing. They recorded their first album Jazz Sébastien Bach
as a present for friends and relatives. Many radio stations picked it up and this led to the group recording more albums and winning a total of five Grammy Award
s.
's "Air on the G String
", recorded with the Modern Jazz Quartet
. This is also the theme tune to a popular Italian TV Show Superquark. Luciano Berio
wrote his postmodern symphony Sinfonia for eight voices and orchestra
in 1968 with the Swingle Singers in mind (appearing on the original premier recording
with the New York Philharmonic
). They also recorded Ben Johnston's "Sonnets of Desolation" in 1984.
In 2005, their recording of Bach's Prelude in F Minor
was incorporated into the hit single "They
", by Jem Griffiths
; the piece was also used in the 2006
film The Gigolos
. The group's music has a trademark sound and is used frequently on TV (The West Wing, Sex in the City, Miami Vice
, Glee
), in movies (Bach's Fugue in G Minor
(BWV 578) in Thank You for Smoking, Mozart
's "Horn Concerto No. 4
" in Wedding Crashers
, Bach's "Prelude No.7 in E flat [The Well Tempered Clavier - Book 2 BWV 876]" in Milk
). The London group sang with French pop star Étienne Daho
on his songs "Timide intimité" and "Soudain" from his 1996 album Eden, and with the Style Council
on their song "The Story of Someone's Shoe" from the 1988 album Confessions of a Pop Group. (Style Council leader Paul Weller claims the song was inspired by the Swingle Singers' 1966 album with the Modern Jazz Quartet
, Place Vendôme
.)
They appeared several times on the UK comedy programme " The Two Ronnies" in the early 70s.
ranging from modern classics (Björk
, Annie Lennox
, and The Beatles
) to classical music
(Bach, Mozart
) to Contemporary Music (Luciano Berio, Pascal Zavaro and Azio Corghi
). Their arrangements are often informed by jazz
harmonies and stylings.
The Swingle Singers are curators of the London A Cappella Festival
, based at Kings Place
, near Kings Cross
.
In late 2011, the group comprised the following singers:
In September 2011, Lucy Bailey (Alto) left the group and the Swingle Singers announced the decision not to replace her but to continue as a 7 person lineup.
On November 1, 2011 both Christiane Legrand and Swingles composer André Hodeir passed away, severing important links with the original ensemble .
in the 1960s and early 1970s and the successor group continued to record, after the move to London, for Columbia / CBS
, Virgin Classics
and other record labels from 1974 to the present.
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
vocal group formed in 1962 in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
by Ward Swingle
Ward Swingle
Ward Swingle is an American vocalist and jazz musician.Swingle was born in Mobile, Alabama. He studied music, particularly jazz, from a very young age. He was playing in Mobile-area Big Bands before finishing high school. After high school, Swingle graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Cincinnati...
with Anne Germain, Jeanette Baucomont, Jean Cussac and others. Christiane Legrand
Christiane Legrand
Christiane Legrand was a French singer.Legrand was born in Paris, the daughter of film composer Raymond Legrand, who wrote "Irma la Douce."She studied piano and classical music from the time she was four...
, the sister of composer Michel Legrand
Michel Legrand
Michel Jean Legrand is a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist...
, was the group's lead soprano through 1972. Until 2011 the group consisted of eight voices: two soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
s, two alto
Alto
Alto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,...
s, two tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
s and two basses. The French group performed and recorded typically with only a double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
and drums as accompaniment. The current group performs primarily a cappella. In 1973, the original French group disbanded and Ward Swingle moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and recruited all new members who debuted as Swingle II. The group later performed and recorded under the name The Swingles and then, The New Swingle Singers and eventually, simply, The Swingle Singers. Since the London group's incarnation, the group has never disbanded. As individual members have left the group, the remaining members have held auditions for replacements.
History
The group, directed originally by Ward Swingle (who once belonged to Mimi PerrinMimi Perrin
Jeannine "Mimi" Perrin was a French jazz pianist and singer, and translator.Perrin received private musical instruction, including piano as a child and pursued English studies at Sorbonne. In 1949, she contracted tuberculosis and was treated at a sanatorium...
's French vocal group Les Double Six
Les Double Six
Les Double Six was a French vocal jazz group established in 1959 by Mimi Perrin. The group established an international reputation in the early 1960s. The name of the group was an allusion to the fact that the sextet used overdubbing techniques to achieve twelve-part singing...
), began as session singers mainly doing background vocals for singers such as Charles Aznavour
Charles Aznavour
Charles Aznavour, OC is an Armenian-French singer, songwriter, actor, public activist and diplomat. Besides being one of France's most popular and enduring singers, he is also one of the best-known singers in the world...
and Edith Piaf
Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf , born Édith Giovanna Gassion, was a French singer and cultural icon who became widely regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads...
. Christiane Legrand
Christiane Legrand
Christiane Legrand was a French singer.Legrand was born in Paris, the daughter of film composer Raymond Legrand, who wrote "Irma la Douce."She studied piano and classical music from the time she was four...
, sister of Michel Legrand
Michel Legrand
Michel Jean Legrand is a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist...
, was the original lead soprano, and they did some jazz vocals for Michel Legrand. The eight session singers sang through Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
's Well-Tempered Klavier as a sight-reading exercise and found the music to have a natural swing. They recorded their first album Jazz Sébastien Bach
Bach's Greatest Hits
Bach's Greatest Hits is the debut album released by the Paris-based Swingle Singers. The album was a 1963 Grammy award winner for "Best Performance by a Chorus" and the group also won the 1963 Grammy award for "Best New Artist"All tracks from this album are also included on the CD re-issue /...
as a present for friends and relatives. Many radio stations picked it up and this led to the group recording more albums and winning a total of five Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s.
Notable performances
An early hit for the group was BachJohann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
's "Air on the G String
Air on the G String
The "Air on the G String" is an adaptation by August Wilhelmj of the Air, the second movement from Johann Sebastian Bach's Orchestral Suite No...
", recorded with the Modern Jazz Quartet
Modern Jazz Quartet
The Modern Jazz Quartet was established in 1952 by Milt Jackson , John Lewis , Percy Heath , and Kenny Clarke . Connie Kay replaced Clarke in 1955...
. This is also the theme tune to a popular Italian TV Show Superquark. Luciano Berio
Luciano Berio
Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian composer. He is noted for his experimental work and also for his pioneering work in electronic music.-Biography:Berio was born at Oneglia Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (October 24, 1925 – May 27, 2003) was an Italian...
wrote his postmodern symphony Sinfonia for eight voices and orchestra
Sinfonia (Berio)
Sinfonia is a composition by the Italian composer Luciano Berio which was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic for its 125th anniversary...
in 1968 with the Swingle Singers in mind (appearing on the original premier recording
Sinfonia (1968 Berio album)
Sinfonia is a 1968 Columbia Records recording of Luciano Berio conducting the New York Philharmonic and The Swingle Singers in the premier of his 4 movement "Sinfonia." The composer would later add a fifth movement....
with the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
). They also recorded Ben Johnston's "Sonnets of Desolation" in 1984.
In 2005, their recording of Bach's Prelude in F Minor
The Well-Tempered Clavier
The Well-Tempered Clavier , BWV 846–893, is a collection of solo keyboard music composed by Johann Sebastian Bach...
was incorporated into the hit single "They
They (song)
"They" is the first single released by Jem from her debut album Finally Woken. It includes a sample of the Swingle Singers' 1963 adaptation of Johann Sebastian Bach's Prelude in F minor from Book II of Well-Tempered Clavier from their album Jazz Sebastian Bach.The song became her most popular...
", by Jem Griffiths
Jem (singer)
Jemma Griffiths , better known as Jem, is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Her debut album, Finally Woken, includes elements of rock, new wave-styled electronica and trip-hop...
; the piece was also used in the 2006
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
film The Gigolos
The Gigolos
The Gigolos is a 2006 British comedy film directed by Richard Bracewell, starring Sacha Tarter and Trevor Sather alongside Susannah York, Anna Massey and Siân Phillips...
. The group's music has a trademark sound and is used frequently on TV (The West Wing, Sex in the City, Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
, Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
), in movies (Bach's Fugue in G Minor
Little Fugue in G minor, BWV 578
Fugue in G minor, BWV 578, "Little", is a piece of organ music written by Johann Sebastian Bach sometime around his years at Arnstadt ....
(BWV 578) in Thank You for Smoking, Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
's "Horn Concerto No. 4
Horn Concerto No. 4 (Mozart)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 4 in E-flat major, K. 495 was completed in 1786.- Structure :The work is in three movements:*I. Allegro moderato*II. Romance *III. Rondo 6/8...
" in Wedding Crashers
Wedding Crashers
Wedding Crashers is a 2005 American comedy film directed by David Dobkin. It stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, with Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper, Diora Baird, Jane Seymour, and an uncredited Will Ferrell....
, Bach's "Prelude No.7 in E flat [The Well Tempered Clavier - Book 2 BWV 876]" in Milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
). The London group sang with French pop star Étienne Daho
Étienne Daho
Étienne Daho is a French singer, songwriter and record producer who has released a number of synth-driven and rock-surf influenced pop hit singles since 1981.- Career :...
on his songs "Timide intimité" and "Soudain" from his 1996 album Eden, and with the Style Council
The Style Council
The Style Council were an English band, formed in 1983 by the ex-The Jam singer and guitarist Paul Weller, with keyboardist Mick Talbot. The permanent line-up grew to include drummer Steve White and Weller's then-wife, vocalist Dee C. Lee. Other artists such as Tracie Young and Tracey Thorn also...
on their song "The Story of Someone's Shoe" from the 1988 album Confessions of a Pop Group. (Style Council leader Paul Weller claims the song was inspired by the Swingle Singers' 1966 album with the Modern Jazz Quartet
Modern Jazz Quartet
The Modern Jazz Quartet was established in 1952 by Milt Jackson , John Lewis , Percy Heath , and Kenny Clarke . Connie Kay replaced Clarke in 1955...
, Place Vendôme
Place Vendôme (Swingle Singers with MJQ album)
Place Vendôme is an album released by the Swingle Singers performing with the Modern Jazz Quartet...
.)
They appeared several times on the UK comedy programme " The Two Ronnies" in the early 70s.
Present
The Swingle Singers produce coversCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
ranging from modern classics (Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
, Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox, OBE , born Ann Lennox, is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving minor success in the late 1970s with The Tourists, with fellow musician David A...
, and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
) to classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
(Bach, Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
) to Contemporary Music (Luciano Berio, Pascal Zavaro and Azio Corghi
Azio Corghi
Azio Corghi is an Italian opera composer, also a teacher and musicologist. He was born at Cirié, in the Province of Turin, studied at the Turin and Milan conservatories and was a pupil of Bruno Bettinelli...
). Their arrangements are often informed by jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
harmonies and stylings.
The Swingle Singers are curators of the London A Cappella Festival
London A Cappella Festival
The London A Cappella Festival is a series of concerts based at Kings Place, London, showcasing some of the finest a cappella acts from London and the surrounding area. The inaugural festival, in January 2010, was curated by the international a cappella outfit, Swingle Singers...
, based at Kings Place
Kings Place
Kings Place is a building in London’s Kings Cross area, providing music and visual arts venues combined with seven floors of office space, a home for The Guardian newspaper since December 2008 and the headquarters of Network Rail...
, near Kings Cross
Kings Cross, London
King's Cross is an area of London partly in the London Borough of Camden and partly in the London Borough of Islington. It is an inner-city district located 2.5 miles north of Charing Cross. The area formerly had a reputation for being a red light district and run-down. However, rapid regeneration...
.
In late 2011, the group comprised the following singers:
- Joanna Goldsmith-Eteson (soprano, UK)
- Sara Brimer (soprano, US)
- Clare Wheeler (alto, UK)
- Lucy Potterton (mezzo, UK)
- Oliver Griffiths (tenor, UK) (Replaced Richard Eteson mid-2010)
- Christopher Jay (tenor, UK)
- Kevin Fox (baritone, Canada)
- Tobias Hug (bass, Germany)
- Sound engineer: Hugh Walker (UK)
In September 2011, Lucy Bailey (Alto) left the group and the Swingle Singers announced the decision not to replace her but to continue as a 7 person lineup.
On November 1, 2011 both Christiane Legrand and Swingles composer André Hodeir passed away, severing important links with the original ensemble .
Honors and awards
- Grammy AwardGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winner:- 1963: Best New Artist and (for Bach's Greatest HitsBach's Greatest HitsBach's Greatest Hits is the debut album released by the Paris-based Swingle Singers. The album was a 1963 Grammy award winner for "Best Performance by a Chorus" and the group also won the 1963 Grammy award for "Best New Artist"All tracks from this album are also included on the CD re-issue /...
) Best Performance by a Chorus, - 1964: Best Performance by a Chorus, for The Swingle Singers Going BaroqueGoing BaroqueGoing Baroque is the second album released by the Paris-based Swingle Singers...
- 1965: Best Performance by a Chorus, for Anyone for Mozart?Anyone for Mozart?Anyone for Mozart? is the third album released by the Swingle Singers. The album was a 1965 Grammy award winner for "Best Performance by a Chorus."...
- 1969: Best Choral Performance, for Berio: SinfoniaSinfonia (1968 Berio album)Sinfonia is a 1968 Columbia Records recording of Luciano Berio conducting the New York Philharmonic and The Swingle Singers in the premier of his 4 movement "Sinfonia." The composer would later add a fifth movement....
- Ward Swingle, choral master; Luciano Berio conducting the New York Philharmonic and Swingle Singers
- 1963: Best New Artist and (for Bach's Greatest Hits
- Grammy Award nominations:
- 1966: Best Performance by a Chorus, for Rococo À Go GoRococo A Go GoRococo Á Go Go is the fifth album released by the Swingle Singers. The album was nominated for a 1966 Grammy award....
- 1967: Best Performance by a Chorus, for Encounter, Swingle Singers with the Modern Jazz QuartetPlace Vendôme (Swingle Singers with MJQ album)Place Vendôme is an album released by the Swingle Singers performing with the Modern Jazz Quartet...
- 1966: Best Performance by a Chorus, for Rococo À Go Go
Discography
The Paris-based Swingle Singers recorded regularly for PhilipsPhilips Records
Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...
in the 1960s and early 1970s and the successor group continued to record, after the move to London, for Columbia / CBS
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, Virgin Classics
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
and other record labels from 1974 to the present.
External links
- The Swingle Singers web site
- The Swingle Singers [ discography at allmusic.com].
- The Swingle Singers profile at singers.com.
- The Swingle Singers discography & sheet music listing at a-cappella.com