Stile antico

Stile antico (literally "ancient style", Italian pronunciation: [ˈstiːle anˈtiːko]), is a term describing a manner of musical composition from the sixteenth century onwards that was historically conscious, as opposed to stile moderno, which adhered to more modern trends. It has been associated with composers of the high Baroque and early Classical periods of music, in which composers used controlled dissonance and modal effects and avoided overtly instrumental textures and lavish ornamentation, to imitate the compositional style of the late Renaissance. Stile antico was deemed appropriate in the conservative confines of church music, or as a compositional exercise as in J. J. Fux's Gradus Ad Parnassum (1725), the classic text-book on strict counterpoint. Much of the music associated with this style looks to the music of Palestrina as a model.

In the early Baroque Claudio Monteverdi and his brother coined the term prima pratica to refer to the older style of Palestrina, and seconda pratica to refer to Monteverdi's music.

Stile Antico (early music vocal ensemble)

Stile Antico is a British vocal ensemble, specialising in polyphonic early music composed prior to the eighteenth century. Like groups such as the Tallis Scholars or The Sixteen, it has roots in the choral tradition of the Oxford and Cambridge colleges, but, unusually for groups tackling complex polyphony, Stile Antico has no conductor. The singers rehearse and perform as chamber musicians, an approach which has been praised by critics.

Established in 2001, they won the Audience Prize at the 2005 Early Music Network Young Artists' Competition, and have since been described as "one of the brightest new stars in the firmament of Renaissance vocal ensembles".

They record exclusively for Harmonia Mundi, and have released nine discs to date. Their debut recording, Music for Compline, achieved great commercial success after it was featured on NPR's All Things Considered, reaching #2 in the BILLBOARD Classical Chart; NPR's Tom Manoff described the group as "one of the finest choral ensembles of our day". The disc also received industry awards including the 2007 Diapason d'or de l'année and was nominated for the 50th Grammy Awards. Their release Song of Songs, was the winner of the 2009 Gramophone Award for Early Music, and spent three weeks at #1 on the BILLBOARD Classical Chart. It was also nominated for the 52nd Grammy Awards.