Virgo

Editorial Reviews
About the Artist
DANA VALERY CATALANO (Cancer / Taurus). Singer / Song Writer. Performed on television, radio , Broadway, and live concert performances worldwide including major cities such as New York, London, Monte Carlo, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and Johanassburg. Recordings include, "The Exciting Dana Valery on CBS", "Dana Valery all'Italiana", and "Dana Valery, Not The Flower But The Root".

DENISE RICH (Aquarius / Sagittarius). Composer/ Lyricist. Has written songs for Celine Dion, Jody Watley , Patti La Belle, and countless others. Denise has received many industry awards.

PETER CATALANO (Leo / Taurus). Pianist / Writer. Studied at the Brooklyn Converatory of Music and majored in Jazz. Has performed in many venues throughout the United States.

Album Description
Original zodiac music created in the frequency of Virgo. A series of (4) 15 minute meditation cycles designed to help the listener experience a deep relaxation. Use your Brith audio in the morning and during stressful situtations. Use your Spirit audio in the evening before bedtime to improve your sleep and open your portals to intuitive wisdom.

Tracks:

Miracles Of Sant'Iago: Music From The Codex Calixtinus: Venite omnes cristicole
Miracles Of Sant'Iago: Music From The Codex Calixtinus: Ad superni regis decus
Miracles Of Sant'Iago: Music From The Codex Calixtinus: Portum in ultimo
The Lily & The Lamb: Chant & Polyphony From Medieval England: O Maria stella maris
The Lily & The Lamb: Chant & Polyphony From Medieval England: Stabat iuxta Christi crucem
The Lily & The Lamb: Chant & Polyphony From Medieval England: Stillat in stellam radium
A Star In The East: Medieval Hungarian Christmas Music: Primo tempore alleviata
A Star In The East: Medieval Hungarian Christmas Music: Speciosus forma
A Star In The East: Medieval Hungarian Christmas Music: Mi Atyank Atya Isten
Love's Illusion: Music From The Montpellier Codex: Puisque bele dame m'eime - Flos Filius
Love's Illusion: Music From The Montpellier Codex: Ne sai, que je die - Iohanne
Love's Illusion: Music From The Montpellier Codex: Amor potest conqueri - Ad amorem sequitur
Love's Illusion: Music From The Montpellier Codex: Quant yver la bise ameine - In Seculum
Love's Illusion: Music From The Montpellier Codex: On doit fin(e) Amor - La Biaute - In Seculum
An English Ladymass: Medieval Chant & Polyphony: Edi beo thu hevene quene
An English Ladymass: Medieval Chant & Polyphony: Ave maris stella
An English Ladymass: Medieval Chant & Polyphony: Salve virgo virginum
On Yoolis Night: Medieval Carols & Motets: Ther Is No Rose Of swych vertu
On Yoolis Night: Medieval Carols & Motets: Prolis eterne genitor - psallat mater gracie
On Yoolis Night: Medieval Carols & Motets: Ecce quod natura
Spiritui sancto

Amazon.com

This sampler album of excerpts from seven other Anonymous 4 releases is a good introduction for anyone who is unacquainted with the A4's startlingly pure singing and virtually celestial blend. But if you fall under the spell of this outstanding a capella quartet, the present disc will become extraneous because you'll want to own the complete recordings from which it's drawn. If you prefer complete works to samplers, try taking the plunge with "An English Ladymass" or "On Yoolis Night." --Sarah Bryan Miller

Customer Reviews:

An aural treat for lovers of vocal music.......2007-04-14

If you love vocal music these gals are fabulous! This is a best of album, which is always good as an introduction to a new artist. It gives you a taste of their various albums, so you can go ahead and pursue the ones you like. Enjoy!

Enchanting.......2007-01-10

If you enjoy music that takes you to a different time and place, you will get lost in time with this beautiful work.

If Angels Ever Recorded A CD.......2006-03-16

Four female voices have never blended together so perfectly and beautifully as do those of the 'Anonymous 4.' Their CD titled, 'Portrait' contains a selection of tracks from seven other previous CD's, kind of a "Best Of" you might say.

If angels ever came down from heaven to record a CD this is what they would sound like.

Harmonious, Celestial, Purifying and Eternal.

another exquisite performance.......2006-02-27

This amazing quartette is so talented. The Christmas cd reminds me of Christmas 50 years ago in rural England where I grew up. It contains the only rendition of The Holly and the Ivy I have heard that actually does the carol justice.

Anonymous, but in no way generic.......2001-02-04

I learned about this quartet though a review in Stereophile magazine. Although they don't publish a lot of reviews, I've had exceptionally good luck with their past picks and have been able to branch out successfully in new musical directions as a result.

These four women are virtuoso female vocalists, hauntingly pure of voice. They perform music from centuries ago in the same type of setting that it was originally performed in, with stunning results. I'm generally not one for "religious" material (this is the first recording of this nature I've ever bought), but this music goes so far back in time that it sounds more primal than Christian overall.

A refreshing change when you're in the right mood, and something that can relax even you type A personalities out there (and you *know* who you are :) , I can suggest this one without reserve. You'll be adding a nice, quiet corner to your collection, and you'll probably wind up visiting it more than you ever imagined.

Josquin Desprez: Motets & Chansons
Average customer rating:

A good reference disc

Beautiful music.

Beneath the objective criticism often lies a subjective grandeur

The Orlando Consort sings Desprez much better...

Splendid

Josquin Desprez: Motets & Chansons
Josquin Desprez , Paul Hillier , and The Hilliard Ensemble
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Requiems | Forms & Genres | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Chansons | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli, Missa Aeterna

Perotin / The Hilliard Ensemble

Machaut: Messe de Notre Dame / The Hilliard Ensemble

Josquin des Prés: Missa Pange Lingua; Missa La Sol Fa Re Mi

Guillaume de Machaut: Motets

ASIN: B000002SSH
Release Date: 1997-01-21

Tracks:

Ave Maria... Virgo serena (Motet a quatre voix)
Absalon fili mi (Motet a quatre voix)
Veni Sancte Spiritus (Motet a six voix)
De profundis clamavi (Motet a quatre voix)
Scaramella va alla guerra And Scaramella fa la galla
In te Domine speravi
El grillo
Milles regretz (chanson a quatre voix)
Petite camusette (chanson a six voix)
Je me complains (chanson a cinq voix)
En l'ombre d'ung buissonet (chanson a trois voix)
Je ne me puis tenir d'aimer (chanson a cinq voix)
La deploration de Jehan Ockeghem

Amazon.com essential recording

The Hilliard Ensemble bathes these vital vocal works by Josquin in a Mediterranean light: clear, warm, and brilliant. Josquin was a northerner who, like so many other composers of the Renaissance, descended to Italy to pursue his career. The singers bring to life the composer's marriage of the Flemish preoccupation with technique and the southern instinct toward lyricism. This is an extraordinary disc. --Joshua Cody

Customer Reviews:

A good reference disc.......2007-03-20

These performance are crystal claer, but seem to lack emotional investment.

Beautiful music........2007-01-05

I just wish there was more recorded Desprez out there. Enjoy this lovely CD.

Beneath the objective criticism often lies a subjective grandeur.......2006-07-14

3 1/2

Sacred choral works sung with the subtle graces of stained glass refracting light, still at times synonymous sentiment in tonality looses value in between a few more upbeat numbers. While focusing and authenticating to the vibration of what was undoubtedly a symbolic pillar of faith many centuries ago, one benefits more from a detached awareness from composition in favor of utter immersion into the sublime transitions throughout these hallowed vocals. Although hardly a definitive collection, this disc serves as a good introduction (& painful reminder) to the ancient, purist reception this stilling music once knew.

The Orlando Consort sings Desprez much better..........2005-03-28

This unexpensive and rather short cd offers a selection of Desprez's works, both sacred and profane in a 50/50 ratio.

While some people may find the contrast between the (extremely)slow, stately religious pieces and the quick, playful songs in French and Italian stimulating, I found it slightly disturbing. I definitely would have preferred a selection of pieces with a greater unity of mood and style.

While the performance is certainly first-rate, the recording seems to me to be below average: when you turn up the volume, an annoying hum is heard in the background. Is this problem due to the inferior quality of my hi-fi? It might be, but the fact is that this maddening defect has appeared only on very few of my cds (it is also very evident on recordings of the King's College Choir).

I recommend in addition to this cd Ockeghem's Mass "De plus en plus" by the Orlando Consort. Ockeghem's Great Lament for the death of Jean Binchois is in my opinion much more beautiful and moving than Desprez's own lament for Ockeghem on this cd.

I also warmly recommend "Desprez: Motets", also by the Orlando Consort, an imported October 2000 Deutsche Grammophon CD, for me one of the best, if not the best Renaissance sacred music recording. IMHO, The Orlando Consort sings and interprets Desprez infinitely better than the Hilliard Ensemble and even beats the Tallis Scholars.

The total duration of this recording is 50 minutes.

Splendid.......2005-02-23

Other reviewers have pretty much said it all-- all I can add is-- if you don't like James's voice, then don't listen to Hilliard. David James is to the Hilliard Ensemble what The Edge is to U2. ;)

Average customer rating:

Impeccable English Style
The Tallis Scholars do their namesake proud

The Tallis Scholars Sing Thomas Tallis

Manufacturer: Gimell UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Anthems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Magnificats | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Tallis Scholars sing Palestrina
The Essential Tallis Scholars
Christmas With the Tallis Scholars
The Tallis Scholars Sing Josquin
Tallis: Spem in Alium

ASIN: B00026W65E
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Tracks:

Spem In Alium
Sancte Deus
Salvator Mundi, Salva Nos I
Salvator Mundi, Salva Nos II
Gaude Gloriosa
Miserere Nostri
Loquebantur Variis Linguis
If Ye Love Me
Hear The Voice And Prayer
A New Commandment
O Lord, Give Thy Holy Spirit
Purge Me, O Lord
Verily, Verily I Say Unto You
Remember Not, O Lord God
Tunes For Archbishop Parker's Psalter
O Lord, In Thee Is All My Trust
Christ Rising Again
Blessed Are Those That Be Undefiled

Tracks:

Lamentations Of Jeremiah I
Lamentations Of Jeremiah II
Absterge Domine
O Sacrum Convivium
In Manus Tuas
Salve Intemerata
Magnificat For 4 Voices
Ave, Dei Patris Filia

Customer Reviews:

Impeccable English Style.......2007-07-13

If you favor blend, balance, pitch, and all the other parameters of the English traditional choral style, you'll be very impressed with the Tallis Scholars' refined presentation. the music speaks for itself.

The Tallis Scholars do their namesake proud.......2006-07-27

In the last couple of years, the Tallis Scholars have been compiling their sizeable recording output into attractive two-disc editions. Here, they've collected a large number of their interpretations of their namesake, Thomas Tallis. Tallis (c. 1505-1585) is, of course, one of the giants of Renaissance music, and he was certainly the greatest English composer of liturgical music between John Dunstable and William Byrd. I personally consider him the second-greatest Renaissance composer after Palestrina, but I'm not dogmatic about it. I love the music of Josquin, Victoria, and Byrd almost as much. Let's just say that, if you're interested in immersing yourself in the work of a single Renaissance composer, you can't do much better than Tallis.

These recordings were made 1985-1998, and they all sound great. Included in this collection are most of Tallis best and best-known works: the two Lamentations of Jeremiah, O Sacrum Convivium, Gaude Gloriosa, Tunes for Archbishop Parker's Psalter (which contains the theme that inspired Ralph Vaughan Williams' famous Fantasia), and the incredible 40-part motet Spem In Alium (which is one of the supreme masterpieces of the 16th century). Unfortunately, there are some notable absences, such as the Tallis Scholars' own recording of O Nata Lux. The Mass for 4 Voices, certainly one of Tallis' major works, is also nowhere to be found. Of course, there's only so much music that will fit onto two CDs, but it's still a shame that they couldn't fit at least one of Tallis' masses. Nevertheless, the music that's here is beautiful and powerful.

The Tallis Scholars themselves need no introduction. They're one of the most famous groups specializing in Renaissance music. It needs to be said, however, that if you're looking for "authentic" recordings (that is, recordings that approximate what the music originally sounded like in the 16th century), you might want to look elsewhere. The Tallis Scholars use female singers instead of boys or (ahem!) castrati (though it's doubtful that Tallis would have used or written for castrati himself). And one could complain that these recordings use too many singers for some of the smaller pieces or that the sopranos overpower some of the larger ones (like Spem In Alium). I'm neither an enthusiast nor an opponent of the authentic-performance movement; since we're listening to recorded music anyway, these issues strike me as moot. The Tallis Scholars are experienced and accomplished singers, and they achieve their primary goal: to provide superlative-sounding recordings of important early choral compositions. If you're looking for a fine compilation of Tallis' music or an excellent introduction to Renaissance music, this is it.

Average customer rating:

Bursting with Visceral Life and Earthy Joy!
Unexpected delight
Would be Worth Buying at Three Times the Price
Here's my two cents
a window on another world

The Black Madonna

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

$6.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Codex Faenza: Instrumental Music of the Early 15th Century
On the Way to Bethlehem (Music of the Medieval Pilgrim)
Alfonso X "El Sabio": Cantigas de Santa Maria
Music Of The Crusades
Music of the Troubadours

ASIN: B000007N63
Release Date: 1998-05-26

Tracks:

Cuncti simus concanentes
Quant voi la flor novele
A Madre do que a bestia
Amours, ou trop tart me sui pris
Quant ay lomon consirat
Mariam, matrem Virginem
O Virgo splendens
Tanto son da groriosa
Comencerai a fere un lai
Cantiga de Santa Maria No.77-119
O Maria, maris stella
Los set gotxs

Customer Reviews:

Bursting with Visceral Life and Earthy Joy!.......2007-02-16

Hard to believe we can buy this precious gem for under $10 -- and what a gem it is! Easily my favourite medieval music CD. This isn't museum music, or a cerebral esoteric dip into European medieval cultures. This music leaps out and grabs you -- recalling images of everything from the still smile of a 13th-century Madonna to the chaos of Breugel and Bosch. Belinda Sykes' voice is alive with earth, grit, heat, and a transcendent beauty that needs to be experienced to be believed. The musicians are magicians: they'll have you dancing, singing, praying -- getting your bare feet soiled in the hot holy dust of a pilgrim's trail: enjoy!

Unexpected delight.......2006-08-29

Not sure what I was expecting, but this is a very refreshing collection. Hypnotic and robust at the same time. Two thumbs up -- 'at's all I got.

Would be Worth Buying at Three Times the Price.......2006-02-19

One of the hidden gems of the Naxos catalog are the series of recordings of Medieval music by the Ensemble Unicorn with Michael Posch. The music they choose to record here comes from the 14th century Llivre Vermell de Monstserrat preserved there in an codex of five parts. The book resulted from an attempt to set contemporary popular music to spiritual texts to help to reach out to a wider audience.

This CD is exemplary in every possible way. The liner notes written by Michael Posch himself are superb. Furthermore, the recorded sound quality is pretty much audiophile grade and runs rings around those produced by major record labels for the fraction of the price. The music making is beautiful, evocative and fascinating with all performances having the intensity and brilliance you can always count on from this superb ensemble.

Very highly recommended.

Here's my two cents.......2006-02-10

Let me add my two cents to the laudatory reviews already given. I bought this CD some time ago when I was developing an interest in early music. The title and the theme fascinated me. Also it was inexpensive, and I know from my experience that NAXOS, even though inexpensive, delivers quality goods. I was not the least disappointed. This is the music of an important era in history brilliantly performed by Unicorn Ensemble and Belinda Sykes. Belinda Sykes deserves to be better known than she is. She has a marvelous voice, and her delivery is without peer. When she sings, I am transported back to the days of those pilgrims whose songs she is singing. This music is not like other music. at times it may seem raucous. Just keep in mind the epoch from which these songs come. Open your mind. I assure you that you will be transformed.

a window on another world.......2005-12-05

I picked up this cd because of a family connection with the Black Madonna of Monserrat. She's an integral part of the religious life of my dad's hometown. I thought the cd would make a good present for my dad but I didn't really expect the music to be anything special. However, I was simply blown away upon listening to it. This is an incredible blend of voice, rhythm and percussion that conveys the earthiness and transcendence of peasant pilgrim experience. I'm not a fan of early music -- I don't dislike it, I just don't know that much about it. Most of the early music I have listened to, however, is nowhere near as textured and intricate as these songs. What's amazing to my ears is that arrangements manage to sound both ancient and startlingly contemporary at the same time. I'm betting that sooner or later, someone will be giving these songs a trance-music treatment -- if that hasn't already happened.

An English Ladymass: Medieval Chant and Polyphony

Average customer rating:

An English Ladymass: Medieval Chant and Polyphony
The Secret of Success
Other worldly bliss
Angelic Purity
Stunning and uplifting

An English Ladymass: Medieval Chant and Polyphony
Anonymous , Marsha Genensky , and Anonymous 4
Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

1000: A Mass for the End of Time / Anonymous 4
On Yoolis Night: Medieval Carols & Motets - Anonymous 4
The Lily and the Lamb: Chant and Polyphony from Medieval England
The Origin of Fire: Music and Visions of Hildegard von Bingen
La Bele Marie: Songs to the Virgin from 13th-Century France

ASIN: B0000007DL
Release Date: 1993-03-08

Tracks:

An English Ladymass: Prosa: Gaude virgo salutata (chant)
An English Ladymass: Polyphonic song: Edi beo thu hevene quene
An English Ladymass: Introit: Salve mater redemptoris Salve lux langentium Salve sine spina Salve sancta parens
An English Ladymass: Motet: Lux polis refulgens Lux et gloria
An English Ladymass: Kyrie: Kyria christifera
An English Ladymass: Gloria
An English Ladymass: Motet: Spiritus et alme Gaude virgo salutata
An English Ladymass: Song: Miro genere
An English Ladymass: Gradual: Benedicta et venerabilis
An English Ladymass: Alleluia: Alme iam ad gaudia - Alme matris dei - Alleluya per te dei
An English Ladymass: Sequence: Missus Gabriel del celis
An English Ladymass: Prosa: Gaude virgo gratiosa (chant)
An English Ladymass: Polyphonic song: Salve virgo virginum
An English Ladymass: Offertory: Felix namque (chant)
An English Ladymass: Sanctus & Benedictus
An English Ladymass: Sequence - Song: Jesu Cristes milde moder
An English Ladymass: Agnus dei: Virtute numinis
An English Ladymass: Communion: Beata viscera (chant & song)
An English Ladymass: Rondellus: Flos regalis
An English Ladymass: Chant Setting: Ite missa est
An English Ladymass: Hymn: Ave maris stella

Amazon.com essential recording

In the six years since this female quartet astonished the music world with its clear- voiced, impeccably sung renditions of medieval chant and polyphonic music, chant rose from the dark and dusty corners of classical music to enjoy a phenomenal run at center stage. New and reissued chant recordings achieved sales figures normally reserved for popular music. This is the recording that started it all (that Spanish monks disc came later), winning awards and earning near- permanent resident status on the national charts. Spiritually moving and vocally revelatory, this program re-creates a kind of mass sung in English churches during the 13th and 14th centuries. With their warm tone and perfect intonation, these four singers achieve an expressiveness that is rare among chant interpreters, most effective in the seductive, highly ornamented "Kyrie." The sound is exemplary--although a studio recording, it perfectly conveys the atmosphere of an English cathedral. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

An English Ladymass: Medieval Chant and Polyphony.......2007-06-14

Beautiful and lyrical and very satisfying to listen to while working or mediating. It's everything I hoped it would be!!

The Secret of Success.......2006-04-26

An English Ladymass. 13th and 14th Century Chant and Polyphony in Honor of the Virgin Mary. Performed by Anonymous 4 (Ruth Cunningham, Martha Genensky, Susan Hellauer and Johanna Rose).
Recorded in October, 1991, at Skywalker Sound, Nicasio, California.
Harmonia Mundi HMU 907080. Total time: 59’01”.

Musically, this is one of those rare, very special discs that not only sells well and then disappears into oblivion but that sells well and then stays relevant for many, many years. While re-listening to it, I asked myself again and again what the secret of its success was. A number of answers suggested themselves, none of them completely satisfactory, but all together providing something of a key. First, of course, there are the pure, vibrato-less soprano voices, combining in what some reviewers have, quite correctly I feel, termed “angelic” harmony. The booklet, unfortunately, does not give much information about the performers, but I seemed to hear here one very high soprano voice, what in English Renaissance music would be called a “mean”, plus two “normal” sopranos and an alto. The excitement of the high “mean” soprano and the narrow harmonies of the other voices can truly send shivers of delight down your spine. This is an effect that one usually only hears on discs of choral music (for example, on some of Harry Christophers’s recordings of the masses of John Taverner for Hyperion), and it is guaranteed to uplift the soul and impress with the beauty of the human voice. But added to this here are the medieval melodies, which, although often very strange to our ears, seem to reflect our common past and appear, in a certain way, to be familiar, perhaps as an echo of the joint human memory of those centuries of sacred music – or perhaps just as an individual memory of liturgical song heard in childhood. And of course, the music itself has an intensely “spiritual” flavour, with the excellent recording technique, the absolute stillness of the background and the ensemble’s decision to do without any instrumental accompaniment amounting to an invitation to meditation and devotion.

Perhaps it is indicative, however, of our post-modern age that none of my fellow Amazon reviewers appears to have reflected on the texts which Anonymous 4 have here put together (the result of painstaking musicological research, I should add). Despite all my enthusiasm for the sound and the music of this disc, I have to add that as an evangelical Christian (and as a child of the Enlightenment) I find the unabashed, sensuous Mariolatry of these medieval texts to be profoundly disturbing and, from a Protestant standpoint, utterly heretical. You don’t have to be a Catholic to enjoy the wonderful singing on this disc, but if you study the texts (which are printed in full with translations), you may, like me, become very grateful for what Martin Luther, John Calvin and their followers did for the Church.

As a footnote I should, perhaps, add that if you have enjoyed Anonymous 4's music-making, you might also like to try that of the Italian female ensemble La Reverdie, whose discs for the French label Arcana, although very different, also have some of the qualities that made Anonymous 4 so successful.

Other worldly bliss.......2006-03-25

The American Angels fly again from their permanent perch in heaven, inviting us all to accept this bliss. And they did this

recording many years ago. Timeless perfection and beauty.

Kim Thomas Hartman

Angelic Purity.......2006-01-20

It seems pointless to add another 5-star review to the list, but I have to. This CD is simply one of the most beautiful recordings ever made, and it touches your soul with every listening. If you are content, it will bolster and reinforce your tranquil mind. If you are sad or depressed, it will force tears from your eyes and rip sobs from your breast, setting you on the healing path. If you are happy, it will make you prance about your flat like a gleeful child.
It is wonderful as background music, and yet engaging enough for attentive listening. If you don't own this CD, you should buy it today.

Stunning and uplifting.......2005-10-11

The Ladymass is a special votive mass dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary - most major cathedrals would have a daily mass in the Lady chapel (a smaller worship space within the cathedral), and some churches would have special masses in honour of the Virgin on Saturdays. According to Hellauer, 'Of the English polyphony preserved from this time, almost all of which is sacred, roughly two-thirds is in honour of the Virgin.' The work here does not occur in one set piece as it might have back in the medieval times, for no complete records of this sort have survived. The Anonymous 4 have pieced together elements including chants, motets, and other mass elements to complete the task.

The voices of the Anonymous 4 are markedly different from men-and-boys choirs or monks that are typically the recording artists of this kind of music. It is often forgotten that such music was sung by women and monastic communities of nuns in the medieval time, too. One critic remarked, 'There is a captivating simplicity and directness about their performance, which naturally avoids many of the pitfalls of an overstretched attempt at reconstruction.' This is certainly true in this recording, which is wonderful in tone.

There is a spirit to the music. It is remarkable that a group with three sopranos and an alto could give such breadth and depth to the music, but it certainly is true of their performances. This particular recording is the first of theirs done for Harmonia Mundi.

-- Liner Notes --
This text accompaniment to this disc is very full, so much so that the booklet is not contained within the jewel case, but rather within a slipcover in which both the CD/jewel case and the booklet reside. The liner notes include a description of the work, a brief piece about the quartet, and the lyrics of the songs both in Latin and in translation - all repeated in English, German, and French sections.

-- Anonymous 4 --
Contrary to the implication of their name, the Anonymous 4 are not anonymous. This is a vocal quartet made up of Ruth Cunningham, Marsha Genensky, Susan Hellauer, and Johanna Rose at the time of this recording (Ruth Cunningham will later go on to a solo career early, and another member will join - Jacqueline Horner). They came together as a formal group in 1986, and have been ensemble-in-residence at St. Michael's Church in New York City, giving concert series in New York as well as throughout North America. They have been featured a number of times on national media in North America as well as Germany. They then went on to yet more success, eventually performing more that 1000 concerts worldwide.

Their specialty is working with chant, monophonic and polyphonic music, and working with medieval texts. According to one source, 'The group takes its name from an anonymous music theorist of the late 13th century, Anonymous IV, who is the principal source on the two famous composers of the Notre Dame school, Léonin and Pérotin.'

The group ended a touring career of nearly two decades in 2004.

Chanticleer: Magnificat (A Capella Works by Josquin, Palestrina, Titov, Victoria, and Others)

Average customer rating:

Beautiful with excellent sound engineering and singing
Beautiful performances and some nice surprises
Heavenly
Marvelous sound
Gorgeous choral voices surrounding you

Chanticleer: Magnificat (A Capella Works by Josquin, Palestrina, Titov, Victoria, and Others)
Chanticleer , William Cornysh , John Taverner , Claudio Monteverdi , Vasily Polikarpovich Titov , Tomas Luis de Victoria , Vassili Polikarpovich Titov , Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina , Josquin Desprez , and Marianne Kach
Manufacturer: Teldec
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Magnificats | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Partsongs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Mysteria
Sing We Christmas
Chanticleer: A Portrait
Our American Journey
Wondrous Love: A World Folk Song Collection

ASIN: B00004SDN3
Release Date: 2000-07-11

Tracks:

Ave Maria
Ave Maria, Mater Dei
Magnificat
Stabat Virgo Maria
Maria, Quid Ploras
The Angel Cried Out
Regina Caeli Laetare
Alma Redemptoris Mater
Ave Maris Stella
O Thou Joy Of All The Sorrowful
Ave Regina Caelorum A 8
Ave Maria A 4
Salve Regina A 5

Amazon.com

In the wake of its previous, Grammy-winning disc of contemporary madrigals (Colors of Love), the all-male a cappella ensemble that calls itself Chanticleer--in homage to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales --comes home to roost in this theme album of early music. After all, this is the territory that Chanticleer first staked out when the group banded together in 1978, and the return is most welcome. Magnificat offers manifold rewards, from the sensitive, imaginative culling of its program to the warmth and lithe interweaving of vocal layers in its execution (vividly recorded in splendid 20/24-bit process at the Skywalker Ranch)--not to mention the capsule music history that it traces. Like depictions of the Annunciation in medieval and Renaissance paintings, musical settings of texts that are centered on Mary abound during this period. Chanticleer's anthology includes familiar gems (the hymn "Ave Maris Stella"), but the group is delightfully unpredictable in many of its choices: examples of the polychoral sacred music of Russian Vasily Titov, contrafactum reworkings of two Monteverdi madrigals to Marian texts, and a full Magnificat setting by Tudor master John Taverner. The latter gives a microcosm of Chanticleer's vocal versatility, presenting stern, unadorned plainsong side-by-side with melodies that blossom like tendrils. Or listen to the ensemble's dynamic control, from the exultant climaxes of the Titov choral concerto to the achingly beautiful, held diminuendo on the second Monteverdi piece. Most impressive of all is that Chanticleer manages to avoid the bane of a cappella groups--a bland, homogenized sameness of sound--through its subtle variations in color and thoughtful musicality. A real treasure. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful with excellent sound engineering and singing.......2007-06-27

I got what I wanted ---some absolutely beautiful compositions with exquiste voices.
Should be a grammy nominee

Beautiful performances and some nice surprises.......2005-06-17

This is a nice anthology of Renaissance music encompassing key composers of both the Prima and Seconda Prattica, including one or two less known names. The uniting theme is that of they are all in praise of the Virgin Mary. Most of these works are old war horses such as the Josquin Ave Maria which is beautifully performed. Their tempo for the Josquin is similar to that of the spacious approach of the Hilliard Ensemble, and unless you like this music performed at breakneck speed you will likely find this performance perfectly satisfying. If you are interested in an anthology of Renaissance music then this is a great choice, however for those of us with a strong interest in music of this period what really makes this essential listening is the two extraordinary pieces by Vasily Titov.

Titov composed at the time of Tsar Peter the Great's modernisation drive in Russia. He brought in composers from the West and Titov's music represents a marriage of the Italian compositional styles of the Seconda Prattica with the traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church. Like the grand architecture of St Petersburgs, and the Hermitage this is an fascinating mixture of Western influences with distinctly Russian ones. The twelve part polychoral writings have some of the dark solemnity of Russian Orthodox music while clearly being heavily influenced by the likes of Monteverdi, Gabrielli, Lassus and Palestrina. Perhaps a more authentically Russian approach to this music would have given far more prominence to the basses, but this still has trumendous impact. It makes it strange that there is so much interest in composers such as Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Moussorsky, Shostakovich and the like but the Early Music movement have yet to catch up with Eastern Europe - Titov is very easily their equal and I would welcome more substantial recordings devoted to exploring this neglected composer.

This is a great recording recommended both to a general audience as well as to lovers of Renaissance music alike. The recorded sound is natural and full bodied. You can pick out individual voices in the chorus without them being drowned into an amorphous porridge of sound - a sign of a good recording. Still, I have heard wider sound staging and a wider dynamic range, so for all its virtues this is almost - but not quite - audiophile quality. Clearly a SACD format DSD recording would have been preferable.

Heavenly.......2003-01-04

This is one of my first two DVD-audio discs. Some tracks are recorded from the audience perspective, with the choir across the front and cathedral ambience all around, and those are beautiful, but I gotta say I love the, "choir-around the room" recordings a little more. Track 3 in particular has the choir "doubled" with parts recorded seperately with the choir at the rear of the cathedral, a then they moved 'em all down front, and stuck the tracks together through the magic of digital editing. I don't have a DVD-audio player yet so I'm just listening to the compressed Dolby 5.1 tracks. Can't imagine it sounding any better, though. Get this disc. Seriously, do it so you can go to heaven!

Marvelous sound.......2002-03-08

This recording wraps you up in a gorgeous sonority, and I'm only listening in stereo. I can't wait to hear it when I fill out my speaker ensemble.

Gorgeous choral voices surrounding you.......2002-02-03

I hesitated to buy this disc until a friend told me he knew one of the members of Chanticleer; then again I also had nothing like it in my collection. The sound is rich and resonant. You should know it is recorded realistically, in a variety of soundfields, i.e. sometimes there is a processional from front to rear, sometimes choruses on upper left/right, or from all around you, depending on the material. If that sounds disconcerting be assured it isn't. This is a beautiful and soothing disc with a nice variety to it, and the sound is wonderful.

Average customer rating:

Pure Christmas
Christmas magic
a voice teacher and early music fan
Simply beautiful
It's that time of year...for Chanticleer!

Sing We Christmas
Chanticleer
Manufacturer: Teldec
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Christmas with Chanticleer (Featuring Dawn Upshaw)
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Chanticleer: A Portrait

ASIN: B000000SNL
Release Date: 1995-09-19

Tracks:

Es ist ein Ros entsprungen
O magnum mysterium
In dulci iubilo
O virgo virginum
O Jesulein s Jesulein mild
Hodie Christus natus est
Marabile mysterium
Verbum caro factum est: Y la Virgen le dezia
A un nilorando
Here Is The Little Door
Noel canon
Quelle est cette odeur agrle
El Noi de la Mare
A Christmas Carol
A virgin unspotted
In the bleak mid-winter
Glory to the newborn King
Stille nacht - Douce nuit - Silent night

Amazon.com

Christmas is the season for whipping out those holiday-specific standard recordings. This splendid gift by Chanticleer should top the list, for one will never tire of this a cappella choir's interpretations. With selections spanning the last five centuries of Latin, German, English, Spanish, and French festive fare, this recording exemplifies the sacrifice of the ego to the higher form of choral sound. Jacob Handl's "Mirabile Mysterium" takes you on a trip into the chromatic wonderlands, where you temporarily lose tonal balance. Victoria's eerie and dissonant "O Magnum Mysterium" treats us to rich voices swelling out of one organic whole. The phenomenal blend and perfect intonation elevate this recording above others in its category. --Barbara Eisner Bayer

Customer Reviews:

Pure Christmas.......2007-01-16

If you are looking for traditional madrigal sounding holiday music, this CD is for you. I have purchased this CD several times because I just keep giving them away. Everyone I've ever introduced it to has loved it. This finely polished group has a pure sound matched by no other. If you weren't looking at the CD notes you would never know this is only a group of 12 men.

Christmas magic.......2007-01-10

A CD evocative of Christmas past and present. Beautiful harmonies both wistful and ringing with joy. Buy it for next Christmas!

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2006-12-02

Chanticleer, the U.S. equivalent of the British King's Singers, is a full-time classical vocal ensemble named for the rooster in Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales'. It was founded in 1978 by Louis Botto, a tenor, and for a while was its artistic director. They have achieved critical acclaim all over the world and their repertoire is very extensive and varied. Just commenting on a few of the selections on this disc:
'Es ist ein Ros entsprungen' is a hymn that originated in western Germany around 1500, and is best known in the harmonization by Michael Praetorious published around 1609. The poem used biblical imagery that pictures the newborn Christ growing forth from the "stem of Jesse'(the father of King David), as foretold in Isiah 11. The metaphorical writings of the Middle Ages depict the patriarchal figure of Jesse as a rose bush.
'O Magnum mysterium',Victoria's most famous motet, uses a subline text from the Christmas Vespers. This is incredibly beautiful with its interweaving polyphony which leads to a hushed choral declamation at the words "O beata Virgo"(O Blessed Virgin) ending with a Alleulia Section.
'Here is the Little Door' is from a set of three "carol anthems", dating from 1918-1920. Herbert Howells was revered as one of the 20th century's most distinguished Choral composers, and I recently discovered him thru the album " by the Corydon Singers conducted by Matthew Best. It includes Howells Requiem in addition to the Vaughan Williams Mass in G Minor. It is the most heavenly somewhat exotic choral music I think I have heard in many years of listening; I highly recommend it.
'Glory to the newborn King'. Joseph Jennings, Georgia native and present musical director of Chanticleer, has often drawn upon his roots to create special gospel and spiritual arrangements of familiar songs. 'Glory to the newborn King' features four traditional songs combined to showcase Chanticleer's unique choral virtuosity!
This is an excellent group of carols,and it is always refreshing to hear 'new' melodies, arrangements; a joy for the ear!!!!

Simply beautiful.......2006-02-20

The title and artist' name says it all - Christmas with clear (pure) singing. Glorious in all respects.

It's that time of year...for Chanticleer!.......2005-12-20

Walking the busy malls to the multichannel Muzak of every old Christmas song interpreted in hiphop, jazz, idiosyncratic 'rethinkings' by famous soloists as well as replays of Gene Autry, Bing Crosby etc., it is a relief to return home (or if fortunate, to the concert hall) and hear the more uplifting music of the season through the ages. And despite reliance on some old favorite Messiah recordings, and carols by Kings College Choir, the one CD that seems to reign supreme is this Chanticleer release SING WE CHRISTMAS from 1995!

These twelve male voices create an ambience that can only be labeled 'spiritual', so resonant and exquisitely performed are each of the generous works on this recording. The moods pass through Praetorius, Victoria, Bach and traditional carols of unknown authorship to works by Ives, Billings, Holst, Guerrero, Howells and Sametz. The repertoire is both familiar and rarely heard and the result of combining all these forms is the truest form of Christmas spirit on record: this is music to cleanse the Muzak blitz! Highly recommended. Grady Harp, December 05

Average customer rating:

Ethereal Album
Great Music, Fine Performances
Music for Inner Peace Indeed!
Too much choral can tire, but it's still good.
Very relaxing!

Renaissance: Music for Inner Peace
The Sixteen
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Voices of Angels
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Ikon

ASIN: B00076SJE6
Release Date: 2005-04-12

Tracks:

Miserere
Agnus Dei Opus 11
Crucifixus (8-Part)
The Lamb
Christe adoramus te
Kyrie
If Ye Love Me
Totus Tuus, Op.60
Locus Iste
When David heard - (Anthem)
Iustorum animae, 5vv
Salvator mundi (Cantiones sacrae 1575)
Agnus Dei
Ave Maria - (4vv)
Salve Regina
Libera nos, salva nos 1 - antiphon:7vv

Amazon.com

This new release is somewhat mistitled: while most of the pieces are, in fact, from the Renaissance (or early Baroque), there are works here also by Samuel Barber, Poulenc, John Tavener, Bruckne,r and Gorecki. What they all have in common is their beauty and serenity. Perhaps the CDs subtitle, "Music for Inner Peace," also refers to a type of renaissance, i.e., spiritual re-birth: in which case, they're right on the money. The Sixteen, led by Harry Christophers, is one of the greatest proponents of this sort of choral music in the world, and they don't disappoint here: The Allegri "Miserere," with its wickedly beautiful ascent to high C by soprano soloist, is ravishing; Barber's own arrangement of his "Adagio for strings" for chorus (1967) is polyphony at its most "renaissance" without actually being so, and Gorecki's "Totos Tuus" is otherworldly in it mysticism. The selections by Byrd, Tomkins, et al., are, like the others, impeccably performed. Even an early piece by contemporary composer John Tavener, normally the master of excruciatingly pretentiousness, is lovely. This recording is a gem. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Ethereal Album.......2005-11-09

I heard this album played on my local PBS station one morning and was in immediate love. It's worth every cent you'll pay for it.

Great Music, Fine Performances.......2005-11-02

First off, the title of this album is misleading. Only one of the tracks stems from the high Renaisance. The rest span from the Reformation period to contemporary. All of them are liturgical, all of a certain calm and meditative style--which could be inferred from the subtitle: "Music for Inner Peace."

But those are quibbles. The voices are excellent. The direction impeccable. The recording technique outstanding. And the program--given its self-immposed limitations of peaceful liturgical pieces--is very good. It was a stroke of programming genius to put the "miserere" of Gregorio Allegri (1582-1652) back to back with the "agnus dei" of Samuel Barber (1910-1981). The untrained ear might think the two pieces contemporary, even from the same composer, but for one trained in this genre of music, the differences of nuance are delightful and exhilirating.

I tend to prefer complete works, and listening through this album I sometimes wished for some livelier moments, but those quibbles aside, I am happy to assign a full five stars to this excellent recording. One of the advantages of a potpourri album such as this is that one gets to hear works from composers who might otherwise escape notice.

Music for Inner Peace Indeed!.......2005-08-29

Though there is somewhat of a sameness to the mood of this beautifully performed and recorded album of choral works that span centuries, that uniformity of message is the creative force for this survey of music by various and varied composers. The works were selected to provide a parcel of time away from the noise outside the spirit, a place for meditation and solace so desperately needed today.

Harry Christophers conducts the inordinately talented Sixteen singers with support where indicated from early instruments ensemble, The Symphony of Harmony And Invention, in an organic, crystalline, seamless range of songs from the Renaissance to the present. Works include Monteverdi, Tallis, Byrd, Palestrina, Allegri and travel through time to Bruckner, Poulenc, Taverner, Gorecki, and Barber. Each work is lovingly rendered in perfect intonation and control, setting aside the 'individual' for the sonorous, anonymous, other-worldly sound only found in the great choral works through the ages. Christophers' tempi tend toward the languorous - the 'Agnus Dei' Samuel Barber set to his famous 'Adagio for Strings' has to be the slowest on record! - but this tendency further creates a sense of spaciousness found in the great old cathedrals of Europe.

For quality of sound and polish of performance this recording has already won awards. For the food for the soul that it provides there can be no greater 'award' than successfully fulfilling its promise as being Music for Inner Peace. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, August 05

Too much choral can tire, but it's still good........2005-05-05

If you enjoy choral music this offering of 16 choral arrangements, conducted by Harry Christophers for DECCA won't offend. Indeed, you might find it rather enjoyable. The selections from various composers capture the essence of the Renaissance-Baroque sound as well as any recording I have head. However, it can, like any steady diet of choral, overwhelm and drag one down as much as inspire. That's not a comment on the quality or selection of songs of this CD as much as an observation about the genre itself. So, this CD has its positives and negatives. One minus is the orchestral accompaniment. When used, "The Symphony of Harmony and Invention" tends to be weaker than I would have preferred when listening to this style of music. Sometimes a nice contrast can actually elevate the tone and texture of the human voice -- and when it's missing, its absence is noticed. You will note for example in Monteverdi's "Christie, Adoramus Te" the orchestration is underplayed - subtle, almost not perceptible. This becomes problematic throughout the recording. Some listeners will like it, some won't. One of the features of this CD that I did enjoy was the synopsis of each song that explains its origin and focus. The notations are brief and to the point, but helpful in guiding the listener along from selection to selection. As for mood, well it's hard to pinpoint exactly: these are hymnals meant for a specific place - not necessarily one's automobile or living room, and hence, a listener may find it difficult finding a place or right time in one's home. If, however, you are in the mood for choral music, and you close your eyes and let your senses flow freely while listening, you might just get carried to that proper place and find "Music for Inner Peace" your cup of tea. The selections are thematic and even in moodiness. I recommend it with the reminder that it is a steady diet of solemn choral. It can be both tedious as elevating.

Very relaxing!.......2005-04-27

I downloaded this album from iTunes, and I'm very glad I did. I was looking for some soothing music to play in the background while I try to grade papers, and this one did the trick. My favorite tracks are #2 and #5 -- both are beautiful songs.

If you like vocal music, particularly chamber-type music, then this CD is for you.

Hildegard von Bingen: Voice of the Blood

Average customer rating:

Highest Quality Hildegard
Absolutely divine.

Hildegard von Bingen: Voice of the Blood

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000001TZ1
Release Date: 1995-12-05

Tracks:

O rubor sanguinis
Favus distillans
Laus Trinitati
In Maututnis Laudbus
O Ecclesia
Instrumental Piece
O Aeterne Deus
O dulcissme amator
Rex nostoer promptus est
O Cruor Sanguinis
Cum Vox Sanguinis
Instrumental Piece
O Virgo Ecclesia Instrumental Piece
Nunc Guadeant Materna
O Orzchis Ecclesia

Customer Reviews:

Highest Quality Hildegard.......2005-09-28

Sequentia's entire series of Hildegard recordings is inspired, but there is a rather inarticulable quality to this cd that somehow soars even higher. It is apparently a result of the centrality of the Ursula stories, here musically illustrated, to Hildegard's entire conception of herself as a pledged virgin and artisan, and the freedom she found within that role to allow her gifts to fly as high as they could for the glory of God. Nor, in our terms, was it any sort of solo act: Hildegard stood quite consciously at the pinnacle of a vast supporting structure of devotion, prayer, sacred order and art.

Absolutely divine........1999-10-26

"My husband and I first encountered this CD in our local library. It's one of those encounters that transformed our life. Listening to it almost daily, while we're getting ready for the day, while we're working on our computers, or while doing the dishes, has helped us have an experience of the divine no matter where we are or what we're doing. Ever since we were introduced to the work of St. Hildegard of Bingen, we have read quite a bit about her and her works and are truly grateful to this great soul for what she has given our world. This CD is a great introduction to the world of Hildegard, together with another fine CD, Feather on the Breath of God."

Officium - Jan Gabarek & The Hilliard Ensemble

Average customer rating:

Original, Brilliant, but Flawed
Great vocals but saxophone has to go!
I Wish I Could be More Positive, but...
((saxophonist) + (chant + polyphony + motets)) = Officium
Absolutely Gorgeous!

Officium - Jan Gabarek & The Hilliard Ensemble
Cristobal de Morales , Pierre de LaRue , Perotin , Guillaume Dufay , Gregorian Chant , Jan Garbarek , Rogers Covey-Crump , David James , Gordon Jones , and John Potter
Manufacturer: ECM Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Mnemosyne / Garbarek, Hilliard Ensemble
Twelve Moons
Officium
In Praise of Dreams
Witchi-Tai-To

ASIN: B0000031YD
Release Date: 1994-09-13

Tracks:

Parce mihi domine
Primo tempore
Sanctus
Regnantem sempiterna
O salutaris hostia
Procedentem sponsum
Pulcherrima rosa
Parce mihi domine
Beata viscera
De spineto nata rosa
Credo
Ave maris stella
Virgo flagellatur
Oratio Ieremiae
Parce mihi domine

Amazon.com essential recording

"What is this music?" Fundamentally, it's an exploration of what happens when an improvisatory instrumental voice (saxophone) is placed into the world of early vocal music, which has elements of both improvisation and formal structure. In reality, it's an adventure in which the four male voices of the Hilliard Ensemble travel the 14th- and 15th-century territory of Morales and Dufay, visit the 12th century of Perotin, and roam even earlier ages of plainchant, accompanied by the always sensitive and tasteful, often astonishing, saxophone improvisations of jazz master Jan Garbarek. Sometimes, these new melodies simply accompany; sometimes they transform the common--a routine minor chord, for instance--into a sublime, indescribable moment. The answer to the above question is easy, but it's different for each listener. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

Original, Brilliant, but Flawed.......2007-03-24

I'm a big fan both of Garbarek and of "early music", so I bought this album with enthusiasm when it first came out a decade ago. I wasn't disappointed, but I do find it uneven. Garbarek was experimenting throughout the process of recording this work, and some of his ideas are better than others. I understand completely those who complain about the soprano sax not blending well with the vocals - there are tracks where it's just too up-front and edgy to fit into the mix. But the tracks where the sax is recorded from further away, particularly those where a tenor sax is used, are absolutely sublime. For those moments, it deserves more than 4 stars. For the moments where the soprano sax is too shrill, I'd take off a fraction of a point if I could, but if I've got to call it a "4" or a "5", I'd give it a 5.

Great vocals but saxophone has to go!.......2007-03-19

This cd has extremely beautiful vocals and chants that conjure up sublime images of baronial castles, knights in armore and ornately decorated fireplaces of old. This is until Jan's 20-21st century saxophone weaves its way into this otherwise heavenly image. The sound quietly fades in out of nowhere and eventually drowns out the vocals. It then seems to meander in and out thoughout the rest of the song. If you like John Dowland meets Kenny G., this is for you. Otherwise, if you're looking for "pure" early music, you might want to stick with other Hilliard Ensemble music sans Mr. Garbarek.

I Wish I Could be More Positive, but..........2007-01-06

...but I really hate the soprano sax played over these beautiful pieces. The singing is superb and the repertoire is rare (only one other recording of the Morales, for instance, and that is done quite differently, anent the sax).

I think I would have liked it better if Garbarak had played a lower horn, like an alto or tenor sax. These pieces are about something, and I don't feel that Gabarak really knew what the texts were about and what the composers were responding to in the texts.

I keep it for the exquisite "Parce mihi Domine" sung withoug the screeching sax.

((saxophonist) + (chant + polyphony + motets)) = Officium.......2004-04-22

I bought this album on a whim shortly after its release several years ago after never having listened to any of its tracks, and was completely surprised when I heard it being played as I entered the stave church model located in the Norway region of Disney's Epcot Center during my first visit to the park earlier this year, because I have never at any time heard any of its tracks played anywhere outside my home. The stave church is a strange place to play this secular work, but perhaps the layperson might discover the reasons for this if the liner notes included English translations of the Latin. In my opinion, this album is comprised of some of the best blends of music styles I have ever heard. Essentially, the blends consist of Latin lyrics from the pre-12th through 16th centuries set to jazz. According to the liner notes, the vocal quartet produces "chant, reaching back to its pre-literate forms; early polyphony, where the number of parts was a matter of experiment and the same piece could exist in many different versions; and Renaissance motets that were conceived chordally, and might provide structures over which a saxophone could improvise". The unity of these music forms were united in light of the fact that just as jazz had no name at the beginning of the 20th century, polyphony did not have a name when it began 1000 years ago. As the liner notes explain, "these two nameless historical moments were points of departure for two of the most fundamental ideas in Western music: improvisation and composition".

Absolutely Gorgeous!.......2002-01-10

This is one of the most innovative and sublime CDs in my expansive collection. I'll stay away from trying to explain what centuries the pieces were written in, blah, blah, blah. Bottom line: they were all written before the saxophone was invented. Therefore, Garbarek's "intrusions" should seem as such, interrupting the Hilliard Ensemble's vocalizing. Quite the contrary, though. Garbarek's first notes, although somewhat unexpected, seem quite appropriate and fitted. His "improvisations" around the traditional structure of the vocals are sometimes subtle, sometimes more upfront, but always in keeping with the spirit of the original pieces. He winds and weaves his way around and through the vocal arrangements like a fifth vocalist--no restraints or boundaries but with a keen ear for what will sound good where.

This CD is on my very short list of classical "desert island" discs and ranks right up there with Bobby McFerrin and Yo-Yo Ma's HUSH for improvisational yet traditional music, with ingenious wrinkles thrown in. It's hard to call it straight classical, but it isn't exactly jazz, either. The styles are merged beautifully. The best metaphor I can think of would be a braid: separate entities intertwined and working together for a common goal and a common effect.

Anyone who claims to be a fan of good music--jazz, classical, or whatever--should check out this CD. It is a bit on the mellow side, so don't expect a Keith Jarrett improvisational explosion or a thunderous symphonic event. In the vein of the works of Anonymous 4, another spectacular classical vocal group, this CD is a meditative, almost spiritual experience. It will not disappoint!!

Music:

Music

music

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Drunk Again Live N Yippin A [Live]

Górecki: O Domina Nostra; Satie; Milhaud; Bryars

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