The Medieval Lady

Track Listings

1. A chantar m'er de so qu'ieu nos vouria (12th C.) (Beatriz, Countess of Dia)

2. Mout m'abelist quant je voi revenir (13th C.) (Maroie de Dregnau de Lille)

3. Amours, u trop tart me sui pris (Blanche, 1188-1252, Queen of France)

4. Trotto (instrumental, c.1400) (Anonymous)

5. Estampie (instrumental, 13th C.) (Anonymous)

6. In Evangelium (Hildegard of Bingen, 1098-1170)

7. O viridissima virga (Hildegard)

8. O Jerusalem, aurea civitas (Hildegard)

9. Saltarello (instrumental, c.1400) (Anonymous)

10. Saltarello (instrumental, c.1400) (Anonymous)

11. La Manfredina (instrumental, c.1400) (Anonymous)

12. O Deathe rock me asleepe (attributed to Anne Boleyn, 1507-1536)

13. Sweetest love I do not goe (17th C.) (Lady Killigrew)

14. Tower Hill (instrumental) (Giles Farnaby, c.1563-1640)

15. Green Sleeves (instrumental, 16th C.) (Anonymous)

16. When first I saw Fair Dorris' eyes (Mary Harvey, The Lady Dering, 1629-1704)

17. And is this all, what one poor kisse? (Mary Harvey)

18. In vain, fair Chloris, you design (Mary Harvey)

19. La Rosignoll (instrumental, 17th C.) (Anonymous)

20. Nobody's Gigge (Richard Farnaby, b.1594)

Editorial Reviews
Candace Magner, Journal of Singing, Sept/Oct. 1998
Nicely engineered CD. [Sandman, Crocker] are consummate musicians. [Folan's] light, yet warm soprano is beautifully suited to the works.

Parsons, American Record Guide, ca. June 1998
Folan is sweet-voiced, artfully capturing the mood… Sandman and Crocker are erudite, yet sensitive to the music.

Album Description
Medieval Songs, Dances, Chant & 16th & 17th Century Songs & Lute Duets performed by Elizabethan Conversation (Susan Sandman and Derwood Crocker, instrumentalists) with soprano Andrea Folan, guest artist. Total Time 64:21. Recorded at Alice Barler Recital Hall, Wells College, Aurora, New York, September, 1994. Recording producer/engineer, post production and graphic design: Marnie Hall. DDD.

This recording is made possible with public funds from The New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. Additional support provided by the Mitch Miller Foundation, Wells College, Dilly Patrick, and a Special Opportunity Stipend from the New York Foundation for the Arts and the Upper Catskill Community Council of the Arts, Inc. © Leonarda Productions, Inc., 1997. CDs made in the USA. All rights reserved.

Performing artist Susan Sandman writes: "In keeping with early practices in performance, we have added our own counter-melodies, ornamentation, and, where manuscripts are ambiguous, rhythmic interpretation. The later songs appear more complete in manuscripts. Single-line melodies are replaced with multipart compositions. We perform them in the English lute song style, with voice, lute and bass viola da gamba." Cover Photo and Graphic Design: "Angel with Symphonia," c. 1360, possibly Pisan. Samuel H. Kress Collection, ©1966, Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

The Medieval Lady

Tracks:

Air And Variations In E Major From Harpsicord Suite No. 5: The Harmonious Blacksmith
Keyboard Suite No. 11 In D Minor: Sarabande
Greensleeves (16th Century)
Lavolta
The Earl Of Salisbury: Pavan, The Earl Of Salisbury
Ut re mi fa sol la, In F
The King's Hunt
The Nightingale (17th Century)
For Two Virginals
The Prince Of Denmark's March
The 18th Order (3rd Book Of Pieces For Harpsicord): Le tic-toc-choc, No. 6
The 15th Order (3rd Book Of Pieces For Harpsicord): Musete de Choisi, No. 4
Le Tambourin
La poule
Le Coucou
Sonata In D Minor, 'Pastorale'
Sonata In E Major, 'Capriccio'
Sonata in D Major
Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Aria
The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV 846: Prelude and Fugue No. 1 In C Major
Italian Concerto In F Major, BWV 971: III. Presto
The Anna Magdalena Notebook: Minuet In G Major, BWV Anh. 114
Sonata No. 11 In A Major, K. 331: III. (Rondo) Alla Turca
Wo0 10, No. 2: Minuet in G Major
Trumpet Tune 'Martial Air'
Round O (Rondo)
The 6th Order (2nd Book Of Pieces For Harpsichord): Les baricades misterieuses, No. 5
The 15th Order (3rd Book Of Pieces For Harpsicord): Musete de Taverni, No. 5
Cuckoo Toccata

Customer Reviews:

"Best Harpsichord Recording".......2005-11-05

I have always loved the sound of the Harpsichord and for many years hearing poorly recorded or played Harpsichord this treasure is a must have. From the fine compositions to the good sound quality this CD is definately a keeper.
Plenty of music for a moderate price as well.

Great.......2005-08-09

This CD is very very good just what I was looking for. I highly recommend this CD if you are planning on purchasing a Harpsicord CD, this one is the best.

a must-have for harpsichord lovers.......2004-04-30

I love the sound of this most unusual instrument, the harpsichord. Especially the fast intricately melodic songs. Very enjoyable. This "Greatest Hits" includes many compositions perfectly suited to this wonderful old predecessor to the piano. There's even a little funny trivia thrown in: on the song sheet is written: Q:"what did the famous conductor Sir Thomas say that the harpsichord sounds like? A: "Like two skeletons screwing on a hot tin roof" :)

David Rehak
author of "Love and Madness"

keeno.......2001-01-08

This is a fun cd. BYRD, BULL, BACH ETC come through great Scarlatti bits sound like a flock of unhappy cows running of a field of burnt popcorn but those bits generally do unless played on the African Kalimba [or thumb piano] in Africa where I need not hear them.

This is a well engineered CD. Many featuring the harpsichord demand a level of equipment beyond that of any regular person with bills, which means this disk sounds just fine on a boom box. Everybody in the family will like some part of this disk `cept for the 13 year old whose lost to punk rock or hip hop.

The Most Superb Harpsichord Sampler.......2000-07-27

I can't imagine a better sampler of harpsichord 'hits' played by one of the great stereo-era masters. A full complement of emotions is displayed here, from the most delicate and sparing texture to the most rip-roaring martial roar. If you're wondering what the harpsichord is about, or if you're already a fan and want a great sampler to play for your own delight and amusement, you cannot go wrong with this recording.

Russian Medieval Chant: The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

Average customer rating:

A Paul Hillier desert island CD

Russian Medieval Chant: The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
Russian Orthodox Chant , Anatoly Grindenko , and Russian Patriachate Choir
Manufacturer: Opus 111
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Russian Medieval Chant
Russian Easter: The Canon of St. John Damascene
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Russian Divine Liturgy
The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church

ASIN: B0000260SL
Release Date: 1995-03-21

Tracks:

The Great Litany
The First Antiphon: Psalm 102
The Little Litany
The Second Antiphon: Psalm 145
Hymn
The Beatitudes
Troparion (Mode 7)
Troparion (Mode 8)
The Entrance With The Gospel
Troparion (Mode 4)
Troparion (Mode 7)
Troparion (Mode 1)
Kondakion (Mode 8)
Kondakion To Our Lady (Mode 6)
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Prokimenon (Mode 3)
Hymn Of The Cherubim
Litany
The Creed
Anaphore
Communion Chant
Hymn To Our Lady
Litany
Exclamation: The Lord's Prayer
Exclamation
I Shall Drink From The Chalice
Blessing: Hymn
Final Blessing

Customer Reviews:

A Paul Hillier desert island CD.......2005-06-06

Anatoly Grindenko is a man with a mission. A viola da gambists by training, in addition to having given the world premier performance of Sofia Gubaidulina's Sonata for double-bass, harp and percussion, he is most notable as a pioneer in the Russian early music field, exploring the lost world of Russian Orthodox music with its deep history that can be traced to origins of the Orthodox church in Russia. It was always going to be a matter of time before the early music movement caught up with the Slavonic early music world and unearthed forgotten gems in the libraries of the East that would inevitably sound astonishingly exotic - even revelatory - to naive Western ears. The discoveries here more than fulfill every expectation, for they are an extraordinarily exotic hybrid of influences, with Byzantine ones mixed with Slavonic ones, plus a dash of Gregorian chant for flavour, all of which gradually has blended together to form its own unique character over the centuries. The Russian Patriachate Choir that he formed is one of the finest choirs that you will ever hear. What contrasts them with the Tallis Scholars or the practice of Paul McCreesh is that he performs the works in liturgical context before going on to record them, often for up to 3 years in order for his interpretations to fully mature. The historical practices he revives are long forgotten and he works closely with a musicologist in bringing this ancient world with it mysterious cyptic notation to light.

The works recorded here represent examples of znammeny raspev, a style of Orthodox plain chant dating back to the eleventh century. The music here is taken from a manuscript compiled in the seventeen century that comes from the library of the Spiritual Academy of the St Sergei Holy Trinity. Excellent musicological background and details are provided in the liner notes by Anatoly Grindenko and Marie Bogomolova, including pictures of examples of the znamia notation system which the original manuscripts use.

Amongst the select few - often professional musicians - that have been fortunate to discover Grindenko's works, he has developed a devoted following. Anyone who has only ever heard Western early music will surely be amazed by the sounds that can be discovered here. Nothing you will have heard before will ever prepare you for the initial sheer impact of the sound that this choir makes. It has an almost overwhelming hypnotic energy and a visceral impact of great intensity, which contrasts markedly with the bright and squeaky clean polite sounds that have inexplicably come to dominate the Western early music movement.

What more can I say when in an interview for Goldberg early music magazine, none other than Paul Hiller - arguably the leading choral director in the world today - included this CD in his list of 10 desert island CDs, saying:

"I buy every recording that Anatoly Grindenko and his Russian male choir make. For this list [of 10 desert island CDs] I choose Russian Medieval Chant-the Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom (Opus 111). (Their CD of 19th-century sacred music is also delicious.)"

Grindenko has made a number of recordings on Opus 111, and every one of them is a complete revelation. The quality of the choral singing is absolutely superb, and the sound quality of the Opus 111 engineered recordings is some of the finest of choral music that I have heard - at worst excellent, at best audiophile quality. For anyone who has ever even remotely enjoyed a recording of plain chant, Hildegard von Bingen, or who has even the slightest interest in early music this recording is an absolute must!!! This sort of issue disappears without notice so get it NOW while you can.

Extraordinary.

Average customer rating:

A delicately imaginative journey
From The Isles To The Courts
A Musical Feast

From The Isles To The Courts

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Come, Gentle Night: Music of Shakespeare's World
The Mystic & The Muse
Music In The Great Hall: Instrumental Music From The Ancient Celtic Lands
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ASIN: B0000584Y8
Release Date: 2001-01-23

Tracks:

Cantigas 7 And 338
Scollay's Reel/King Of The Fairies/Old Grey Cat/The Dance Goes On
Winter's Falling Light
Sinfonie And Musette From L'Isle De Delos
Callanish/Under The Full Moon
Anna's Garden
Home Fires/The Burning Of The Clavie/The Burning Of The Clavie Reel
Lake Skybelow
La Folia Variations
Sgt. Early's Dream/Tune For Kieran
Fanny Poer/Mary O'Neill's
Aisling
The Lady Of The Lake
Miss Maxwell/Bridget Cruise/O'Carolan's Welcome
The Fair Maid Of Barra/Dream Angus

Customer Reviews:

A delicately imaginative journey.......2002-11-29

Touching on the Celtic, the Renaissance and the Baroque, these six women interweave them into sumptuous improvisations. Ensemble Galilei consists of Liz Knowles on fiddle, Deborah Nuse on bagpipes and fiddle, Sarah Weiner on oboe, recorders and whistle, Sue Richards on harp, Carolyn Ann Surrick on gamba, and Jan Hagiwara on percussion. Their sound ranges from musing to celebratory and airy to earthy, but is characterized always by the easy elegance of musicians who have mastered their instruments. The musicians have this to say about themselves: "We are committed to making music fiercely. We find music that speaks deeply to us, and we honor the traditions and dialects of each musical language... We find the place where our personal history intersects the melody, bass, harmony or chords. Revealed in these musical conversations are the essential parts of our own humanity." This recording showcases feminine creativity in all its rousing and subtle beauty! Ensemble Galilei has two other recordings that I know of so far: "Come, Gentle Night: Music of Shakespeare's World" on the TELARC label, and "The Mystic and the Muse: Celebrating 600 Years of Women in Music" from Dorian.

From The Isles To The Courts.......2001-05-08

It's very exciting to follow a group of musicians on their journey together, especially when that journey is made with heart, with fire, and with honor to tradition. Original tunes make easy friends with the traditional on this must-have CD. Love the Scollay's medley, for example, with The Dance Goes On as the last tune. It all works really well! The high quality of the sound itself, the strength of the original compositions, the sparkling arrangements and attention paid to choice of material all make this in my opinion the best EG so far. As a whole, it's great, but there are individual jewels here-- the mysterious Anna's Garden, the tender Cantigas, Liz Knowle's masterful delivery on anything, for example. Sue Richard's Aisling is just the best Sue Richards composition I've gotten to know yet. This piece provides a sumptuous musical (and magical) adventure, full of ideas to play with. Her work gives an added dimension to the collection. If you don't think Ensemble Galilei's work is groundbreaking, ask for this CD in your favorite music department, and watch the guy run around trying to figure out how it's categorized for display! It's really fun. "Ensemble Galilei...That's baroque, right? No! Should be under Celtic...no... uh, folk? Classical? Ensembles? Well, international? Okay, here it is, 'New!' Try it out, it's on the wall." No wonder he has trouble finding it. Their work is unique. It wouldn't be the same if this group of women didn't span decades in age, and possess wide differences in musical background. The group lives up to its commitment of "making music fiercely." Get it just for the cover photos! They're gorgeous.

A Musical Feast.......2001-03-10

The recordings of this talented group of women musicians just keep getting better and better. This CD is a rich blend of original and traditional Celtic material, from across the globe. The CD is like a multi-course banquet, with delicate harp solos by Sue Richards, spicy fiddling from Liz Knowles, savory and haunting Viola De Gamba licks from Carolyn Anderson Surrick. Whether I'm driving, cooking, or filing bills, I play "From the Isles to the Courts" and my work is easier, my journey more worthwhile. I've been a fan of Ensemble Galilei since I first heard them perform a few years ago, but they've outdone themselves this time. "From the Isles to the Courts" is truly a musical feast.

Average customer rating:

Very Nice
Who says Anonymous wasn't a woman?

The Medieval Lady
Anonymous , Italian Anonymous , Jane Pickeringe's Lute Book Anonymous , Blanche of Castile , Anne Boleyn , Beatriz de Dia , Maroie de Dregnau de Lille , Giles Farnaby , Richard Farnaby , Hildegard of Bingen , Lady Killigrew , the Lady Dering Mary Harvey , English Traditional , and Elizabethan Conversation
Manufacturer: Leonarda Productions
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000004AF3
Release Date: 1997-11-25

Tracks:

A chantar m'er de so qu'ieu nos vouria (12th C.) (Beatriz, Countess of Dia)
Mout m'abelist quant je voi revenir (13th C.) (Maroie de Dregnau de Lille)
Amours, u trop tart me sui pris (Blanche, 1188-1252, Queen of France)
Trotto (instrumental, c.1400) (Anonymous)
Estampie (instrumental, 13th C.) (Anonymous)
In Evangelium (Hildegard of Bingen, 1098-1170)
O viridissima virga (Hildegard)
O Jerusalem, aurea civitas (Hildegard)
Saltarello (instrumental, c.1400) (Anonymous)
Saltarello (instrumental, c.1400) (Anonymous)
La Manfredina (instrumental, c.1400) (Anonymous)
O Deathe rock me asleepe (attributed to Anne Boleyn, 1507-1536)
Sweetest love I do not goe (17th C.) (Lady Killigrew)
Tower Hill (instrumental) (Giles Farnaby, c.1563-1640)
Green Sleeves (instrumental, 16th C.) (Anonymous)
When first I saw Fair Dorris' eyes (Mary Harvey, The Lady Dering, 1629-1704)
And is this all, what one poor kisse? (Mary Harvey)
In vain, fair Chloris, you design (Mary Harvey)
La Rosignoll (instrumental, 17th C.) (Anonymous)
Nobody's Gigge (Richard Farnaby, b.1594)

Album Description

Medieval Songs, Dances, Chant & 16th & 17th Century Songs & Lute Duets performed by Elizabethan Conversation (Susan Sandman and Derwood Crocker, instrumentalists) with soprano Andrea Folan, guest artist. Total Time 64:21. Recorded at Alice Barler Recital Hall, Wells College, Aurora, New York, September, 1994. Recording producer/engineer, post production and graphic design: Marnie Hall. DDD.

Customer Reviews:

Very Nice.......2005-08-15

Having studied under both Ms. Sandman and Mr. Crocker in the past, I am not at all surprised by the lovliness of this recording. Their expertise is clearly audible.

Who says Anonymous wasn't a woman?.......2002-09-01

I confess, I purchased this CD to listen to one tune only. I have often run across references to "O Deathe, Rock Me Asleep", in my Renaissance readings, and thought I should finally hear a version of it. The song is attributed to Anne Boleyn, probably written in the Tower in mid May 1536, while awaiting her execution. It is not clear whether George Boleyn, Anne's brother, beheaded two days before his sister, helped with the composition. The two had often worked together on other entertainment in a happier vein.

I have read that the song in both words and composition is not really of an artistic quality, and was tempted to agree on first hearing this very doleful ditty. Despite the heartbreakingly lovely quality of the soprano singing the lyrics and the well played lute and bass accompanying the singer, the song at first hearing can seem to be quite wretched. However, I listened to it again and again, and really must disagree with those who would seek to sever all artistic merit as concerns the composition and wording of the piece.

A sense of impending doom is clearly conveyed in the mournful march of the bass. The wording, well, this is a song about Death and Dying, so the subject rather determines the word choices. (I must add that `misery', `destiny' and `remedy' are all pronounced so as to rhyme with die... die... die... die)

The beautiful soprano voice r-rolls most of the r's, giving a r-rich r-r-regal construction to the song. It was customary never to say aught but good things about the monarch who had sentenced you to death while you were on the scaffold, and this song generally follows that edict. However, a few well placed digs are evident in such phrases as, "my guiltless ghost", and "that I should taste this misery". Altogether a most interesting work.

Good antidotes for this tune can be found in the light "Tower Hill", (if one does not dwell on what often took place on the Tower grounds), and the delightful musical selection "Trotto" would please those who cut their medieval musical teeth on the New World Renaissance Band. The album insert offers thumbnail biographical sketches of all the female composers. That prolific artist, "Anonymous", naturally, does not have a bio. But, Anonymous does contribute to the album, in particularly a very different baroque rendition of "Greensleeves".

Tracks:

In A Garden So Grene
The Frog Galliard
All In A Garden Grene
A Toye
Grein Greus Ye Rasses-A Daunce
What Mightie Motion
Passymeasures/The Lady Greensleeves
Fortune Of My Foe
Lyke As The Lark
Crimson Velvet
Our Father Which In Heaven Art
Turkeyloney-Lyke As The Dumb Solsequiem
Kypascie
I Smile To See How you Devise
Merry Cuckolds
Tom O'Bedlam
A Ground
Our Father Which In Heaven Art
Our Father Which In Heaven Art
Jam Lucis Orto Sidere
Taladh Chriosta (Gaelic Lullaby)
Lancashire Pipes
Quarter Braules
Maid Will You Marrie?

Average customer rating:

Music of Tudor and Jacobean England

Manufacturer: Musica Omnia
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00005NHJY
Release Date: 2001-08-15

Tracks:

Passamezzo Pavan - Peter Watchorn
Passamezzo Galliard - Peter Watchorn
Johnson's Medley - Peter Watchorn
Dowland's Lachrymae - Peter Watchorn
Galliard: Can She Excuse? - Peter Watchorn
La Volta - Peter Watchorn
In Nomine XII - Peter Watchorn
Chi Passa - Peter Watchorn
Amarilli Di Julio Romano - Peter Watchorn
The Third Pavane - Peter Watchorn
The Third Galliard - Peter Watchorn
Tregian's Pavane - Peter Watchorn
Tregian's Galliard - Peter Watchorn
Variations On The Romanesca - Peter Watchorn
My Lady Carey's Dompe - Peter Watchorn

Tracks:

Pavan in G - Peter Watchorn
Dr. Bull's My Selfe - Peter Watchorn
Pavan in A - Peter Watchorn
Vaulting Galliard - Peter Watchorn
Pavan in D - Peter Watchorn
Galliard in D - Peter Watchorn
The Italian Ground - Peter Watchorn
Robin - Peter Watchorn
Pavana - Peter Watchorn
Lord Willobies Welcome Home - Peter Watchorn
Mrs. Katherin Tregian's Paven - Peter Watchorn
The Tenth Pavian: Mr. W. Peter - Peter Watchorn
Galliard - Peter Watchorn

Tracks:

The Virginalists: An English Phenomenon - Howard Schott
The Virginalists: An English Phenomenon - Howard Schott
The Virginalists: An English Phenomenon - Howard Schott
The Virginalists: An English Phenomenon - Howard Schott
The Virginalists: An English Phenomenon - Howard Schott
The Virginalists: An English Phenomenon - Howard Schott
The Virginalists: An English Phenomenon - Howard Schott
The Virginalists: An English Phenomenon - Howard Schott
The Virginalists: An English Phenomenon - Howard Schott
The Virginalists: An English Phenomenon - Howard Schott
The Virginalists: An English Phenomenon - Howard Schott
The Virginalists: An English Phenomenon - Howard Schott
The Virginalists: An English Phenomenon - Howard Schott

Product Description

A distinguished harpsichordist showcases two of the finest modern harpsichords in this varied program of music from England's Golden Age .

Andreas Scholl - English Folksongs & Lute Songs (17th Century)

Average customer rating:

Andreas Scholl - English Folksongs & Lute Songs (17th Century)
English perfection from the great German singer
FIRST RATE!
bravo!!!
A voice so perfect that it is boring

Andreas Scholl - English Folksongs & Lute Songs (17th Century)
John Dowland , Thomas Campion , Traditional , Anonymous , Scottish Traditional , Andreas Scholl , and Andreas Martin
Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000007B8
Release Date: 1996-08-13

Tracks:

Behold A Wonder Here
Me, Me And None But Me
All Ye, Whom Love Or Fortune Hath Betray'd
The Lady Russell's Pavan (For Lute)
The Three Ravens
Waly, Waly
King Henry
Kemp's Jigg (For Lute)
My Sweetest Lesbia
I Care Not For These Ladies
My Love Hath Vow'd
I Saw My Lady Weep
Flow, My Tears
Sorrow, Stay
Say, Love, If Ever Thou Didst Find
Can She Excuse My Wrongs?
Go From My Window
Go From My Window (For Lute)
I Will Give My Love An Apple
Barbara Allen
Lord Rendall

Customer Reviews:

Andreas Scholl - English Folksongs & Lute Songs (17th Century).......2005-10-12

I love it ... very relaxing pace throughout. It's definitely a keeper I'll play it over and over.

English perfection from the great German singer.......2000-10-09

The CD starts with Behold a Wonder Here (Dowland) and for people familiar with Emma Kirby's rendering, it's a bit of a surprise. Nothing namby-pamby about this: it suits Andreas's range perfectly and he lets go with plenty of oomph.

The unaccompanied King Henry is a showcase for his purity of tone. I doubt that other countertenors could pull this song off so well, of those one thinks of at the present time.

His expression in My Love Hath Vow'd (Campion) is very varied and playful, but it is so very much a woman's song that I found it hard to take from Andreas Scholl, albeit sung so so well. I had to imagine the composer singing with his own lute, and remind myself over and over again that the singer is quoting the woman in the song ...

The preoccupation with sorrow and death of the English composers of the period seems to amuse Andreas somewhat, when he is asked about it, but you would never know it from listening to him sing these sad songs. His steady, pure voice is like a rope drawing you right into the pain. The highlights IMHO are All Ye Whom Love or Fortune Has Betrayed and I Saw My Lady Weep. Heartbreaking.

Andreas Scholl describes himself as a singer in the English tradition - despite what others say of him and his German/Swiss musical background. In these archetypal English songs, he proves his point. It is a beautiful, beautful collection.

FIRST RATE!.......1999-07-10

I am not a fan of the sound of a counter-tenor. I would prefer to hear much of the same repertory sung by a mezzo, say Marilyn Horne or Rise Stevens. That said, Andreas Scholl continues to surprise me. His is not the whiny, nasal sound I associate with a counter-tenor. He has a bright, expressive voice of great passion. And this album does not disappoint. Most of the songs were new to me although I'd heard a few of them in modern arrangements for voice and guitar on other albums such as the superb "Elizabethan Lute Songs" on RCA Gold Seal sung by Sir Peter Pears accompanied by Julian Bream. Also it must be noted that Scholl's command of English is absolute. One would never imagine that English were not his first language.

bravo!!!.......1999-06-11

this is one of the best renaissance cds that ive ever had. it captures in the performance all the great characteristics of the renaissance art.

must pieces are simple in structure as most folk renaissance music. but the elegance, clear and total control of the interpretation of andrea scholl takes the music to another dimetion.

must of the songs are short melodies that are repited. but each repetition by scholl is made with and incredible perfection and musical conscience.

the pieces for lute solo are wanderfull and well perform.

bravo andrea

A voice so perfect that it is boring.......1999-04-26

This is a collection of incredibly beatuful English medieval songs, which Andreas Scholl sings with serenity so perfect that it sounds mechanical. Scholl has a vocal timbre of remarkable consistency and clarity; his voice is angelic in tone, yet somehow it fails to satisfy when more earthly emotions are called for. I couldn't help thinking that I liked these songs better when sung by others. For example, Deller and Chance recorded some of this repertory, and even though their voices are more tremulous than Scholl's, the overall expressiveness of their singing (and their more transparent masculinity) seemed far superior to Scholl's genderless and immaculate singing. Likewise, I relished much more the singing of this repertory by Paul Agnew, whose spectacular high tenor is so conducive to the exposition of the subsurface emotiveness of English early music. Perhaps, I just like the English vocal tradition better. Scholl is a Rene Jacobs pupil, so I shouldn't be surprised that he sounds a lot like his teacher: effeminate, mannered, angelic and ultimately boring.

Average customer rating:

Delightful and exciting.

Renaissance Music for Guitar

Manufacturer: ADG
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Renaissance Favorites for Guitar
Weiss: Sonatas for Lute, Volume 5
Baroque Guitar
English Renaissance Music

ASIN: B00000FDGH
Release Date: 1998-11-24

Tracks:

Dance of the Washerwoman - Hans Neusidler
I Lie Alone - Anonymous
Ballet - Michael Praetorius
Robinson's May - Thomas Robinson
Packington's Pound
Canaries I - Anonymous
Medieval Dance - Anonymous
Kemp's Jig - Anonymous
Kathrine Bardi - Anonymous
Greensleeves I - Anonymous
Greensleeves II - Anonymous
La Volta - Michael Praetorius
Duo - Miguel de Fuenllana
Courante - Michael Praetorius
Christ Has Risen - Hans Judenkunig
Bransle charlotte - Thomas Arbeau
Bransle - Anonymous
O Venus Bant - Alexander Agricola
,Daphne - Anonymous
Canaries II - Anonymous
Fayne Would I wed - Richard Farnaby
Haulberrys - Pierre Attaingnant
Fantasia - Anonymous
Mr. Dowland's Midnight - John Dowland
Alman - Robert Johnson -
Der Judentanz - Hans Judenkunig
Ronde I - Tielman Susato
Ronde II - Tielman Susato
Lute dance - Allan Alexander
Ricercare - Francesco da Milano
Merry Ronde - Allan Alexander
Fantasia - Alonso Mudarra
Two Bransle - Jean Baptiste Besard
Lady Gay's Alman - Allan Alexander (Performed on the Lute)
Finale - Albert Dlugoraj (Performed on the Lute)
Dance of the Washerwoman (Performed on the Lute - compare to cut 1 where it is performed on the guitar)
Ronde I - Tielman Susato (Performed on the Lute - compare to cut 27 where it is performed on the guitar)
Der Judentanz - Hans Judenkunig (Performed on the Lute - compare to cut 26 where it is performed on the guitar)

Album Description

Renaissance Music For Guitar by Allan Alexander contains 38 pieces for solo guitar or lute including three pieces composed by Allan.

Customer Reviews:

Delightful and exciting........1999-04-04

This is Renaissance music to listen to over and over again. I find myself humming the tunes for days. The arrangements and original compositions are rhythmic and pulsating. I hope Mr. Alexander continues to compose and play for a long time.

Close Encounters in Early Music: Le Temps des Legendes: Medieval and Renaissance Music from Byzantium, Spain, Italy, France, Flanders, Russia

Average customer rating:

Mistaken
Strike a chord in your heart

Close Encounters in Early Music: Le Temps des Legendes: Medieval and Renaissance Music from Byzantium, Spain, Italy, France, Flanders, Russia

Manufacturer: Opus 111
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music

$9.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

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

Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Le Manuscrit Du Puy - Les Premieres Polyphonies Francaises
Ambrosian Chant
Music Of The Crusades
Codex Faenza: Instrumental Music of the Early 15th Century

ASIN: B000005W2I
Release Date: 1996-04-10

Customer Reviews:

Mistaken.......2005-10-03

When I first saw this disc, i thought the label was opus 3 (scandinavian audiophile label) since it appears in Amazon as Opus III. But, it ends to be Opus 111 (french label). Has quality, but not as much as Opus 3 usually has. A terrible mistake.

Strike a chord in your heart.......2001-01-03

This assemblage of early music includes acapella pieces as well as instrumental. It is the ultimate beginner (and expert) CD to Middle Age music. The CD features such wonderful groups as Micrologus and the Greek bizantine Choir. Opus 111 has a great selection of Bizantine music, so look for their other CDs.

Brian Asawa - The Dark Is My Delight And Other 16th Century Lute Songs / Tayler

Average customer rating:

Too Rushed, Low on Feeling
Beyond mediocre
Pretty voice sings pretty songs, but it's pretty mediocre...
HEAVEN!!!
HEAVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brian Asawa - The Dark Is My Delight And Other 16th Century Lute Songs / Tayler

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Brian Asawa - more than a day ~ music of Ned Rorem
Brian Asawa - Vocalise / Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields

ASIN: B000003G9X
Release Date: 1997-10-14

Tracks:

Come Again, Sweet Love Doth Now Invite
His Golden Locks Time Hath To Silver Turn'd
Flow My Tears
It Was A Time When Silly Bees Could Speak
Sorrow, Stay!
Can She Excuse My Wrongs
A Shepherd In A Shade His Plaining Made
Time Stands Still
Go, Crystal Tears
I Saw My Lady Weep
Away With These Self-Loving Lads
Now Hath Flora Robb'd Her Bow'rs
Author Of Light, Revive My Dying Sprite
Come Let Us Sound With Melody The Praises
Oft Have I Sigh'd For Him That Hears Me Not
Turn Back, You Wanton Flyer
This Merry Pleasant Spring
There Were Three Ravens
The Dark Is My Delight
Willow Song
Miserere My Maker
Where The Bee Sucks
O Death, Rock Me Asleep

Amazon.com

As one of the leaders of an exciting new generation of countertenors, Brian Asawa benefits not only from his distinctive voice, but also from his record label's publicity machine, which has made his name and his first two recordings strongly recognized by critics and listeners. Asawa's success at the Metropolitan Opera Auditions in 1991 and his many opera performances in the United States and abroad certainly haven't hurt his career. The voice we hear is unquestionably pretty and technically refined, but its throaty, dark timbre sounds more like the efforts of a man trying to sound like a woman. He just doesn't have that uniquely male countertenor quality exemplified by three of Asawa's more engaging colleagues--Andreas Scholl, David Daniels, and Daniel Taylor. That's not to say that these performances of some of the 16th century's loveliest songs are not eminently listenable and occasionally sublime. Asawa's agile voice projects a strong character coupled with an effortless delivery that will appeal to many listeners. He has an annoying habit, however, of singing slightly behind the beat and gradually leaning into longer-held notes. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

Too Rushed, Low on Feeling.......2006-03-04

I've really tried to like Brian Osawa but when I hear this CD, it sounds to me like he's faking his way through the songs, though I doubt he in fact is. It's passionless.Thankfully I bought this CD used for only $9.99 CDN. Regretably, I will likely be selling it back to the used CD store from which it came. Daniel Taylor and James Bowman's Love Bade me Welcome would be a much better selection, i bought it new and its worth every cent!

Beyond mediocre.......1999-08-26

Sorry, but this self-involved, primping prissy, gen-x "amerrican" version of lute song is a far cry from what I would have hoped to have heard from this supposed "promising" artist. The only promise we can hope for is that he stops inflicting this pap on us. If this is the future of opera, get me outta here.

Pretty voice sings pretty songs, but it's pretty mediocre..........1999-07-04

This album of 16th century songs was VERY highly recommended to me by a store clerk at my local music retailer. I did not preview the album before buying it, but was intrigued by the seeming popular nature of the albums production and promotion. As a 20th centuruy composer and performer, I have dealt extensively with the human voice, in all it's many guises and forms. Asawa's voice has a sweet and fairly clean alto character, but the desired strenth and passion of the counter tenor labeling is obviously lacking. I do not doubt that future albums, perhaps featuring a more complex instrumentation and format will show that Mr. Asawa's voice can be something more than a young alto with an overindulgent rubato complex. The album is not the worst I have heard utilizing "non-traditional" male voices, but the clarity of line and sensitivity needed to convey emotion in these songs is something that perhaps is better left to a more tenured voice. I am ooking forward to seeing what the future brings us from Mr. Asawa, but I do hope he will be braver with the timbres and colors in his voice. It is truly a shame not to let the emotive quality of the counter tenor voice lead the way over "technical" purity.

HEAVEN!!!.......1998-10-01

When you start the CD and sit back you will literally think you have died and gone to heaven! Brian Asawa is heaven on Earth!

If you have not heard anything from Brian, you are in for an extraordinary treat. Brian's voice is an incredible gift that every person should be exposed to. "The Dark is My Delight" is a wonderful display of Brian's range and vocal gifts. A collection of mostly 14th Century lute songs, it is a perfect subject for Brian's unique voice. "Come Again, Sweet Love" is a perfect opening song as it gives you his full range and style. In the beginning you cannot believe that this sweet, melodious voice can be coming from a human, muchless a male. You'll be thinking that throughout this wonderful CD.

There are few CDs that are so extraordinary but then again this is Brian's first CD. EVERYONE should listen and expose themselves to Brian Asawa's talents. He can only be looked upon as a rising countertenor star soon to be at the same level as the "great tenors!" I am not exaggerating. FIVE STARS and TWO THUMBS UP!!! There is nothing more I can say!

HEAVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......1998-09-30

Brian Asawa is simply heaven on Earth! Nothing else can describe that wonderous voice of his. You literally feel like you have died and are hearing the angels welcome you to their kingdom. When you listen to the CD you'll understand!

The compilation of songs here are an excellent line-up for Brian. It allows him to, in a sense, tell you stories with excellent lute accompaniment. "Come Again, Sweet Love" was an excellent choice to lead off the CD as it showcases the extraordinary abilities of Brian. His sweet and melodic voice almost transports you back to the late 1500s when this song was written. In fact, you will probably get that feeling with every song on this CD but it is to Brian's abilities that we credit this.

There are very few CDs that I can/do recommend so highly. Brian Asawa is a rising star of countertenors to the same level as the "great tenors." I do not exaggerate when I say this. He has a vocal gift that must be shared with the world and the more people that hear him the better THEY are for it. FIVE STARS and TWO THUMBS UP!!! What more can I say!!!

Music Review:

Music Review

music review

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Dragon Tales

1. A chantar m'er de so qu'ieu nos vouria (12th C.) (Beatriz, Countess of Dia)
2. Mout m'abelist quant je voi revenir (13th C.) (Maroie de Dregnau de Lille)
3. Amours, u trop tart me sui pris (Blanche, 1188-1252, Queen of France)
4. Trotto (instrumental, c.1400) (Anonymous)
5. Estampie (instrumental, 13th C.) (Anonymous)
6. In Evangelium (Hildegard of Bingen, 1098-1170)
7. O viridissima virga (Hildegard)
8. O Jerusalem, aurea civitas (Hildegard)
9. Saltarello (instrumental, c.1400) (Anonymous)
10. Saltarello (instrumental, c.1400) (Anonymous)
11. La Manfredina (instrumental, c.1400) (Anonymous)
12. O Deathe rock me asleepe (attributed to Anne Boleyn, 1507-1536)
13. Sweetest love I do not goe (17th C.) (Lady Killigrew)
14. Tower Hill (instrumental) (Giles Farnaby, c.1563-1640)
15. Green Sleeves (instrumental, 16th C.) (Anonymous)
16. When first I saw Fair Dorris' eyes (Mary Harvey, The Lady Dering, 1629-1704)
17. And is this all, what one poor kisse? (Mary Harvey)
18. In vain, fair Chloris, you design (Mary Harvey)
19. La Rosignoll (instrumental, 17th C.) (Anonymous)
20. Nobody's Gigge (Richard Farnaby, b.1594)