Medieval English Music

On this CD:

1. Hic est dies, verus Dei, hymn for the Easter liturgy of Milan
Composed by Gregorian Chant
Performed by Hilliard Ensemble

2. Singularis Laudis Digna
Composed by Anonymous
Performed by Hilliard Ensemble

3. Doleo super te
Composed by Anonymous
Performed by Hilliard Ensemble

4. Thomas Gemma Cantuariae
Composed by Anonymous
Performed by Hilliard Ensemble

5. Civitas nusquam conditur
Composed by Anonymous
Performed by Hilliard Ensemble

6. Tu civium primas
Composed by Anonymous
Performed by Hilliard Ensemble

7. Mater Christi nobilis
Composed by Anonymous
Performed by Hilliard Ensemble

8. Ite missa est, dismissal
Composed by Gregorian Chant
Performed by Hilliard Ensemble

9. Alleluia
Composed by Gregorian Chant
Performed by Hilliard Ensemble

10. Anna Mater Matris Christi
Composed by John Plummer
Performed by Hilliard Ensemble

11. Ther Is No Ros' (English, Trinity Roll, 15th c.), carol
Composed by Christmas Traditional
Performed by Hilliard Ensemble

12. Tota pulchra es, motet for 4 voices, M. xxi (S. i/96)
Composed by Orlande de Lassus
Performed by Hilliard Ensemble

13. Marvel Not, Joseph
Composed by Christmas Traditional
Performed by Hilliard Ensemble

14. O potores exquisiti
Composed by John Plummer
Performed by Hilliard Ensemble

Medieval English Music, Music, English Anonymous, Gregorian Chant, Orlande de Lassus, John Plummer, Christmas Traditional, Hilliard Ensemble, Chamber Music & Recitals, Choral, Choral Music, Classical, Classical Artists, Miscellaneous, Miscellaneous Music, Renaissance Motet, Vocal, Vocal Music, Western European Chant

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

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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.

Medieval & Renaissance Minstrels, Songs & Dances

Average customer rating:

A very nice album for SCAdian ears
Recording is defective
adequate performances but totally inadequate information
A nice overview of very early music
Don't Be Affraid

Medieval & Renaissance Minstrels, Songs & Dances

Manufacturer: Legacy
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Music for a Medieval Banquet
Sinners & Saints: The Ultimate Medieval and Renaissance Music Collection
Medieval Dance Music
Courts, Kings, & Troubadours: Medieval & Renaissance Music
English Renaissance Music

ASIN: B000002NR5
Release Date: 1994-07-18

Tracks:

Renaissance Song & Dance
Dance Suite - Eramus Widmann - Collection Of1613
Three English Songs For Voices And Instruments
Instrumental Music Of The Early Barogue
Festive Sounds
Trouvere Tunes
The Cabinet Organ
Lauda And Motet
Minstrel Melodies
Medieval Dances

Customer Reviews:

A very nice album for SCAdian ears.......2007-04-25

This is a fun album. it's festive, playful, and a real joy to listen to. There is something for everyone in this album--including and especially SCAdians. In fact there's probably at least one piece on this album that every SCAdian dancer, musician, and/or bard will recognize. There's courtly songs, love songs, and get out of your chair dances, even formal pieces you associate with concert halls.

Whether you play in the SCA or just love great historical music, this is one of the better albums I've ever bought--on amazon or anywhere else!

Recording is defective.......2007-04-06

The first one I got had a lot of popping and crackling, and some digital defects that cause the CD player to skip. I liked the music so I bought another copy and it was the same. Both wound up in the trash. Don't waste your money on this disk.

adequate performances but totally inadequate information.......2005-04-27

It is perhaps unfair to judge the performances on this recording (presumably made in the late 1950s/early 60s? - we are not given a date) by modern standards of early music performance. Yes, there are moments when the experimental nature of the approach is all too apparent, both in terms of the [im]plausibility of the interpretations and in the [at times] excruciating intonation (a particularly pertinent example is the shawm playing in track 10). But what is in fact by far the most deplorable feature of this recording is the utter sparsity of information provided - about the performers, the instruments, the composers, the repertoire, etc. Worse still, what little that is provided is often hopelessly inaccurate: sometimes in the form of blatant spelling errors (eg the Coventry Carol becomes here 'Lully Lullary', etc), at other times factual blunders (the medieval 'Estampie' in track 10 is in fact a 16th cent [ie Renaissance] tourdion, 'Quand je bois du vin clairet', whilst John Dowland's 'Frogg Galliard', c.1597, is here given an anonymous attribution...etc, etc, etc).

In short, for those not acquainted with pre-Baroque music, this is NOT a good place to start!!! Seasoned Early Music connoisseurs, on the other hand, may find a perverse pleasure in some atrocious moments, or perhaps take interest in its value as an example of historically informed performance style in the pioneering years - but you have been warned!!

For those interested, here are some alternative recommendations if you are new to this music: firstly, 2 wide-ranging compilations by 2 well-known ensembles -

1. Sinners and Saints - The New London Consort/Philip Pickett (Decca 48559)
2. Portrait ('Moyen Age et Renaissance') - Hesperion XX/Jordi Savall (Auvidis Fontalis 'Portrait' ES9904), or either of the 2 new compilations by Savall and his ensemble(s) on Alia Vox ('Harmonie Universelle', AV9810; 'Harmonie Universelle II', AV9839).

and a compilation (mostly of early music) featuring a number of different groups -

'Pastime with Good Company' (Alpha, A901) [includes groups like L'Arpegiatta, Le Poeme Harmonique, Diabolus in Musica...]

A nice overview of very early music.......2003-12-02

This was one of the first recordings of early music I ever bought. It's a broad survey of styles and periods, from the 12th to 17th centuries. I've become a more sohisticated listener since then, but I still get this one out fairly regularly. The recording is apparently old and the digital remastering was not done extraordinarily well, but those who are more interested in music than in audio equipment should be able to listen through the occasional (minor) vinyl surface noise. My major complaint (why I gave it 3 stars instead of 4) is the lack of documentation--there is no information about the musicians, and many of the composers are uncredited (some because they actually are anonymous, but sometimes out of apparent laziness). Still, at this price it's a bargain.

Don't Be Affraid.......2003-11-19

This cd is worth picking up. Yes the first couple of tracks have pops and crackles in it. And yes it sounds as if the music was transfered directly from a vinyl source. But the performances and selections on this cd are fabulous. And you get use to the flaws in the recordings. Which I find minor.

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.

The Lily and the Lamb: Chant and Polyphony from Medieval England

Average customer rating:

The Voices of Angels
Easter in Medieval England
Astonishing beauty
Unearthly Beauty
Stirring and profoundly spiritual

The Lily and the Lamb: Chant and Polyphony from Medieval England

Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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An English Ladymass: Medieval Chant and Polyphony
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Lammas Ladymass - 13th and 14th Century English Chant and Polyphony
1000: A Mass for the End of Time / Anonymous 4

ASIN: B0000007EH
Release Date: 1995-08-22

Tracks:

Processional Hymn: O gloriosa domina
Hymn: milde lomb isprad o rode
Conductus: Ave Maria gracia plena
Conductus: O Maria stella maris
Sequence: Stabat iuxta Christi crucem
Sequence: Stillat in stellam radium
Sequence: Salve virgo singularis
Sequence: Stond wel, moder, under roode
Sequence: O Maria virgo pia
Hymn: In te concipitur
Sequence: Jesu Cristes milde moder
Motet: Veni mater gracie - Dou way, Robin
Motet: O mors moreris - O vita vera - Mors
Conductus: Salve virgo tonantis solium
Sequence: Miserere miseris
Conductus: Ave Maria salus hominum
Conductus: Memor esto tuorum
Antiphon: Ave regina celorum

Amazon.com essential recording

The disc's title refers to Mary and her son, the Christ, which is the general theme of the medieval chant, polyphony, and poetry that forms this program. The selections are ordered around three 13th century "sequences" that describe Mary's experiences at the foot of the cross. You can get deep into the mechanics and musicological aspects of this fascinating music, or you can just listen. This is music that speaks to everyone, and the mere sound of these voices, whether in their incredibly pure and perfect unison or multi-colored polyphony, can touch places within that otherwise rarely resonate. There's also something reassuring about connecting in this way with struggling souls of the distant past whose cares and hopes were much like ours. They survived largely due to their faith and its proclamation through music such as this. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

The Voices of Angels.......2007-03-29

Its not often in this busy life that you can settle back and listen to the voices of angels weave a peaceful tapestry around you while earthly cares fade and vanish in the ether. The Anonymous 4 are weavers of wonder and peace. No matter that your spiritual persuasion might not be Roman Catholic - or any other established Old World Church. If this music doesn't calm your savage soul and lead you to offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the purest qualities of the human voice, nothing will. Stick with your Heavy Metal. "The Lily and the Lamb" isn't for you.

If you are someone who appreciates classical, Baroque, and/or Renaissance music, do not hesitate to enjoy this CD. The liner notes are also interesting and informative. Every CD from this group is of the highest quality. They also make much appreciated gifts for those you care about.

Easter in Medieval England.......2006-05-07

The Lily and the Lamb. Chant and Polyphony from Medieval England. Performed by Anonymous 4 (Ruth Cunningham, Marsha Genensky, Susan Hellauer, Johanna Rose).
Recorded in September and October, 1994, at the Priory Church, Boxgrove, Chichester, England.
Harmonia Mundi HMU 907125. Total time: 66’45”.

This was, I believe, the fifth recording made by the “anonymous” ladies, and it has a great deal to recommend it: they are in absolute top form vocally, the recording venue, an old English priory church, was ideal for this repertoire, and the Harmonia Mundi engineers seem determined to outdo even their own brilliant prior efforts, capturing the sound with a clarity and purity that just about exhausts the capacity of normal CD sound. The repertoire here recorded consists of Latin hymns, sequences and conductus, complemented by three early English monophonic pieces each lasting over eight minutes – something that the ensemble itself obviously found to be too much of a good thing without some kind of alteration, so they added the vocal equivalent of a reed drone to the later voices of one of these hymns. The texts concern themselves with what happened at Easter, regarding the sacrifice of Christ and the suffering of the cross mostly through the eyes of Christ’s mother, Mary (in the same Catholic tradition as the well-known “Stabat mater” text). This content leads, despite some delightful polyphonic outbreaks, to a certain austerity which is inherent in the pieces themselves, and I would agree with the reviewer who thinks that newcomers to Anonymous 4 would possibly do better to go back to their first two recordings (“An English Ladymass” and “On Yoolis Night”, the second of these with some heavenly Christmas rejoicing) before coming to this excellent but musically perhaps slightly less rewarding disc. Incidentally, Susan Hellauer points out in her fine introductory notes that “by the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries Mary had been transformed into a goddess-like figure”. How appropriately phrased! If, like me, you are a Protestant or evangelical Christian, you may find yourself wincing at the texts, which I would personally want to describe as pseudo-Christian. It is probably best, therefore, to ignore the booklet and just listen to the glorious sound of these delightful voices and to thank God both for them and for the fact that the monolithic medieval culture of Europe has been changed for ever by the Reformation and the Enlightenment.

Astonishing beauty.......2005-10-12

Like several other of the Anonymous 4 CDs, this one entitled 'The Lily & the Lamb' is a collection of chant and polyphony from medieval England. 'The Lily' is a reference to the Blessed Virgin Mary; the Lamb, of course, is the Christ. Mary was a very popular subject in medieval Britain - perhaps two-thirds of all the music that survives from this period is dedicated to her, or involves her as a subject.

Included in this piece is a processional hymn and other pieces (conductus, sequences, hymns, motets and a concluding antiphon). The sequence is a liturgical form that are often monophonic. The conductus, on the other hand, has many voices, but usually declaiming the same text. Hymns are strophic, with verses repeating to the same music. The motets here involve somewhat strange pairings of chant and songs overlaid on each other.

This is a disc from the midpoint of the career of Anonymous 4, and their voices are in perfect sync with each other.

According to the American Record Guide, 'The singing is absolutely gorgeous. Not only do the 4 sound like angels; they phrase and inflect seraphically as well. You need go no further than the 'O Gloriosa Domina' Processional that starts the program to hear their clear, handsome, seemingly effortless unanimity in action.' The beginning with the processional is significant, for in live performances the Anonymous 4 often incorporated this to echo a liturgical feel to the music.

-- 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 original language 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.

Unearthly Beauty.......2000-07-11

As a lover of music - though I prefer Blues to opera - I found this CD a classic to rank with the best of chant (my second favorite vocal genre). The voices are sublime, both in themselves and in their unison. This is absolute proof that the human voice is a beautiful instrument.

The recording is live and present, very real. The music is eternal and transcendent.

Can't say what spiritual connection there is for me - I belong to an older faith - but there is a spiritual grandeur in this music, just as in Gregorian or Byzantine chant, in Bach, or in any music that speaks from a depth.

If you need music to remind you that there is much in the cosmos that is greater than the daily trudge, that there is beauty that endures, this is a good choice.

Stirring and profoundly spiritual.......1999-09-08

As a lover of classical music and opera in particulaur I heartily recommend this album. The voices are unearthly in their beauty, and the subject matter of the songs demands thought if you are one who thinks of yourself as Christian. While religous it is also intimate and human, a quality often lacking in "chant" albums. The soft voices of these delightful sopranos feels like a blanket wrapping you up in the love of God. How's that for an endoresement?

On the Way to Bethlehem (Music of the Medieval Pilgrim)

Average customer rating:

MUSIC OF THE MEDIEVAL PILGRIM
Exotic, exciting and fun!
Exotic jams
I WANT MORE!
Too cool to be considered classical and definitely not Xmas.

On the Way to Bethlehem (Music of the Medieval Pilgrim)

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Black Madonna
Codex Faenza: Instrumental Music of the Early 15th Century
Music Of The Crusades
Music of the Troubadours
Sinners & Saints: The Ultimate Medieval and Renaissance Music Collection

ASIN: B00000144X
Release Date: 1996-03-26

Tracks:

Dinaresade
Edi be thu, Heven-Queene
Nevestinko oro
Beata progenies
Mari stanko
Sei willekommen Herre Christ
Bog se rodi va Betleme
Koleda na Bozic
Kod Betlehema
Koleda na Bozic
Angelus ad virginem
D
Quinte Estampie real
Urbs Beata Ierusalem
Mevl

Customer Reviews:

MUSIC OF THE MEDIEVAL PILGRIM.......2007-06-11

I love this cd--all the tracks are great, especially "On the way to Bethlehem"!

Exotic, exciting and fun!.......2002-11-29

If Ensemble Unicorn is great, Unicorn combined with the Middle-Eastern-inspired Ensemble Oni Wytars is even better! Actually, the two groups seem to share many of the same members, along with Ensemble Accentus (which focuses on Spanish and Sephardic music), but with different directors for each: Michael Posch for Unicorn, Marcos Ambrosini for Oni Wytars, and Thomas Wimmer for Accentus. This CD brings the musicians together to offer a stimulating combination of western and eastern-influenced music that might have been heard or played by medieval Pilgrims making the journey eastward. The European tunes focus on the Christmas season, while the Balkan and Near Eastern selections are traditional, handed down orally through the centuries and interpreted here with a zeal that should be as appealing to belly dancers as to early music enthusiasts (and I know many people who fall into both categories!). Instruments used include chalumeau, cheremia, cornemuse bechonnet, darbukka, davul, def, gayda, gittern, kaval, nyckelharpa, sackpipa, tamburello, tombak, vihuela d'arco, and a number of others that you actually might have heard of before--bagpipe, rebec, recorder, rebec, shawm, ud and the like. Ellen Santaniello also contributes vocals. I was surprised and delighted when I played this CD for the first time, and I continue to be each time I hear it again. If you like this recording, be sure to check out the other collaboration between Ensemble Unicorn and Ensemble Oni Wytars, "Music of the Troubadours", also from Naxos.

Exotic jams.......2001-02-27

Yes, fortunately, this record does not contain anything you'd recognise as depressing Xmas kitsch.

Instead, the record wishes to envisage a journey of mediæval pilgrims, beginning in Western Europe, and moving through the Balkans towards the Holy Land. As such, the disk contains a mixture of Western European, Balkan, and Islamic melodies.

The strength of Ensemble Unicorn and Oni Wytars is their ability to use early music as the basis for extended jam sessions. This recording is framed by two such jams, each more than twelve minutes in length, the opening -Dinaresade- and the closing -Mevlana-. Based on Middle Eastern themes, these are excellent performances, rich in atmosphere. Fans of contemporary groups who make use of similar material, from Loreena McKennitt to Dead can Dance, may find this record interesting, and well worth the Naxos price.

FWIW, Ensemble Unicorn and Oni Wytars also collaborate on the -Black Madonna- recording, another Naxos release I can highly recommend.

I WANT MORE!.......1999-06-08

Great melodies, better instrumentation....INCREDIBLE MUSIC!!! I find western-europe music by ensemble Unicorn great, but the oriental part by Oni Wytars is simply amazing, both the balkanic and oriental songs. My only regret is that I loved the ensemble too much to bear the fact that no other record by them is anywhere to be found...

Too cool to be considered classical and definitely not Xmas........1999-01-12

Despite the title this album has nothing to do with Christmas music. The sounds range from Celtic to Middle Eastern. While they date from the days of the Crusades, they sound great to my ears in the nineties. The last track makes you want to belly dance!

Mistletoe and Wine: A Seasonal Collection

Average customer rating:

buy this one first
Great introduction to Mediaeval Baebes
Great choral versions of ancient songs
A pleasing tone
A "best of", not really a Christmas record

Mistletoe and Wine: A Seasonal Collection

Manufacturer: Nettwerk Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Mirabilis
The Rose
Worldes Blysse
Undrentide
Salva Nos (Save Us)

ASIN: B0000AM6O4
Release Date: 2003-11-04

Tracks:

The Holly & The Ivy
Gaudete
L'Amour De Moi
Salva Nos
Glass Window
There Is No Rose of Swych Vertu
Kinderly
In Dulce Jubilo
Love Me Broughte
I Am Eve
Quan Vey La Lauzeta
The Coventry Carol
Undrentide
Ecce Mundi Gaudium
Blow Northern Wind

Customer Reviews:

buy this one first.......2006-06-29

This is not really a Christmas, or even a seasonal, album, more of a best of the Babes. yYs, they lead off with "The Holly and the Ivy" (and do it beautifully) but do not buy this as a "holiday music album"... or do... you won't regret buying it whatever your reasons!
This was my introduction to this band and I was absolutely floored. It lived in my car CD player for 2 months straight, and still is in the first section of my CD storage unit.... a rare honor for *any* Cd. It is also responsible for causing me to go out and try to buy every other CD the band has out, and I have not been disapointed in any of the ones I have gotten so far.
Speaking as a former music major, religious student, and medieval re-creationist, I know I can be pretty nit picky when it comes to "medieval" music; all too often it is neither medieval, nor (in my opinion) music! This is one of those rare exceptions that can manage to get you out of a chair to dance, while singing at the top of your lungs in Olde Englishe, Latin, or whatever. There isnt a bad voice in the lot (although some of the harmonies can be a bit odd if you arent used to medieval music) and the instrumental backings are pure gold.

Great introduction to Mediaeval Baebes.......2006-02-27

This CD has many songs from previous albums and a few new songs. It is a great introduction to Mediaeval Baebes music and serves as "best of" type of collection. It is billed as a "holiday" collection but I listen to it year round and quite often. The Mediaeval Baebes have a very unique and wonderful sound.

Great choral versions of ancient songs.......2005-11-19

I first heard the Mediaeval Baebes on a UK double CD (Best carols in the world ever) featuring three of their trackss (Guadete, Coventry carol, Adam lay ibounden), all of which can also be found on their debut album, but my curiosity only became aroused when that UK double CD was updated and repackaged with a different title (Best Christmas carols ever) and all the Mediaeval Baebes tracks were omitted with other choirs replacing them. My research showed that they have become an established group (albeit with line-up changes) and are now very successful in their chosen style, which some may regard as classical but (since they sing with their natural voices rather than operatic voices) seems more like traditional folk music to me.

This is not a Christmas album in the true sense of the word although there are some recognizable Christmas carols here - rather it is a compilation of music taken from their earlier albums together with a couple of re-recordings and two completely new recordings. I would have liked some liner notes giving some detailed information about the songs but very little information is actually provided. Apparently, much more information can found in the booklets provided with the original album releases. Still, it's the music that counts and, when it comes to choral music, this is as good as it gets.

The set opens with The holly and the ivy, set to the tune that everybody is familiar with. I seem to remember reading somewhere that this tune, although old, is not the original tune written for the song. This is where liner notes would be useful - and as this is one of the new recordings, their original albums won't help. Given that the Mediaeval Baebes aim to re-record very old songs, it would have been nice to hear them sing it to its original tune if it really was different from the current one. I suppose it doesn't matter since they sing the song superbly anyway.

Other Christmas carols that you are likely to recognize are Gaudete (revived most famously by folk-rockers Steeleye Span), In dulce jubilo (a new recording for this album, it was recorded in the seventies by Mike Oldfield, who had a UK hit with his instrumental version) and The Coventry carol. The other songs are unfamiliar to me but the group perform them all brilliantly. The other song of theirs on that UK carols compilation (Adam lay ibounded) is not included, but there's plenty else to make up for that omission.

The instruments used to back the group (mostly played by members of the group) are interesting. They include a zither, a hurdygurdy, a citern, a glockenspiel, an astrowheel and three different types of recorder - not the kind of instruments to be heard regularly on pop and rock albums. I was particularly pleased to find the recorders here. Like many Brits of my generation, I was forced to learn to play the recorder at school (I did so very badly) and so the recorder has never had a great reputation, but when played well and in the right setting (as here), it sounds wonderful.

This is a fine compilation in many ways but it may be that one of the original albums (which apparently have detailed liner notes) will provide an even better introduction to the music of the Mediaeval Baebes. Despite my reservations, this is still (easily) a five-star album and I'll certainly listen to more of their music eventually.

A pleasing tone.......2004-12-02

This is probably one of my new favorite Christmas albums. It is an absolute gem. It isn't an over-powering album with new or different things but they have recorded a few lesser known Latin Carols that are not given much attention anymore. Gaudete was one that stood out. The arrangement is rather simple and beautiful and the song itself is melodic in an unusual way. I have found that this CD has appealed to a fairly wide spectrum of people and would make a great album to play in the background during the Holidays. I think this would be the perfect thing to put on in the late afternoon in December while curling up with a good book or wrapping presents.

A "best of", not really a Christmas record.......2004-03-27

Potential purchasers should bear that in mind. As with the Medieval Baebes debut album it contains a small proportion of `holiday season' material, but most of it can be listened to without embarrassment at any time of the year. (In my experience, all of it can - even on a warm spring afternoon I can't bring myself to program out `In Dulci Jubilo', `The Holly...' etc).

Another thing potential purchasers should bear in mind - this compilation winds up being a better "best of" than the album of that name.

It's more representative - career-spanning and able to demonstrate the increasing ambition and complexity of the arrangements, and of Katharine Blake's compositions. (Of course, some of their experiments with modern instrumentation on the `Undrentide' album didn't work, but they don't appear here).

It's also more enjoyable on a basic musical level - there are no over-repetitive pieces, no odd song-fragments...nothing that drags. Or maybe there are a couple of weak spots - "I Am Eve" which goes on a little too long, and Audrey Evans's rendition of "L'amour de moi" which is suprisingly weak, and no substitute for the original featuring the much-missed Dorothy Carter - but these are easily forgiven.

Even if you can't understand what's being said, even if you understand it well enough to spot the mispronunciations here and there, it will be hard to resist the ethereal beauty the Baebes' voices, and of songs like `Quan Vey La Lauzeta', `There Is No Rose of Swych Vertu' or `Blow Northern Wind'.

Lammas Ladymass - 13th and 14th Century English Chant and Polyphony
Average customer rating:

A special mass for Mary

English Ladymass at its best

Medieval chants in honour of Our Lady

Sounds Good but all in all it lacks points of interest

Simply beautiful

Lammas Ladymass - 13th and 14th Century English Chant and Polyphony
Plainchant , English Anonymous , Sarum Chant , and Anonymous 4
Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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1000: A Mass for the End of Time / Anonymous 4

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The Origin of Fire: Music and Visions of Hildegard von Bingen

La Bele Marie: Songs to the Virgin from 13th-Century France

ASIN: B00000C29Z
Release Date: 1998-09-01

Tracks:

Antiphon: Que est ista
Hymn: O quam glorica
Conductus: Ave tuos benedic
Motet: In odore
Conductus: Salve mater salvatoris
Introit: Salve sancta parens
Kyrie
Gloria
Gradual: Benedicta et venerabilis
Conductus: Ave gloriosa mater
Alleluia: Virga ferax aaron
Sequence: O Maria stella maris
Sequence: O ceteris preamabilis
Motet: O quam glorifica - O quam felix feminal
Offertory: Recordare virgo mater
Sanctus
Agnus Dei
Communion: Alma dei genitrix
Conductus: Salve mater salvatoris
Conductus: Paradisi porta
Dismissal: Ite missa est
Sequence: Pangat melos grex devotus

Amazon.com essential recording

The huge success of Anonymous 4--four women who sing nothing but chant and polyphony from the Middle Ages--is one of the remarkable musical phenomena of the '90s. What this ensemble has proved is that, when it comes to music, time is insignificant and arbitrary. Art, and certainly that which is spiritual, is timeless and transcendent. Humans relate to the elemental forces of music the same today as they did last year or last millenium. This latest release is a return to the musical sources featured on the group's first, sensational recording, An English Ladymass. Here are chants and polyphonic pieces from 13th- and 14th-century England, selected and arranged to "create a Ladymass for the summer portion of the church year, as it might have been sung around the feast of Mary's Assumption in August." It's beautiful; it's sublime; it's otherworldly; and it's timeless. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

A special mass for Mary.......2005-10-30

'a Lammas Ladymass' performed by Anonymous 4 is a special mass celebrating the ascencion of the Virgin Mary, typically celebrated, especially in medieval England, in early August.

This recording has all the usual sections of the Mass such as the Kyria, the Gloria, the Sanctus, and the Agnus dei, plus eighteen other parts I am less familiar with.

I am a very big fan of this group and I can listen to this for hours on end, and often do, but I suspect this particular recording is best bought if you are especially fond of the medieval mass, as it is just a bit less interesting than their works on secular motets and carols.

Nonetheless, this is a great recording, up to all the standards I hear in all their other recordings.

English Ladymass at its best.......2005-10-14

The music on this disc comes from the tradition of special masses done in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a very popular figure in medieval Europe - in some languages, more than half the music that survives from this period was written dedicated to her. The Ladymass was often performed weekly, and in larger communities and cathedrals, daily, in the Lady Chapels.

The Anonymous 4 have arranged this disc around a mass sequence, using a Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus and Agnus dei. They have also incorporated other pieces - motets, an Alleluia setting, and other pieces such as the conductus (several voices declaiming the same text together), are incorporated to fill out the programme. These would not have been performed in this kind of sequence and number in a proper worship service, but most would have been appropriate in worship settings during a Ladymass.

For this disc, these pieces of polyphony and chant come from the English tradition. Thus, many things that on the continent might have been in polyphonic setting, the Anonymous 4 have simplified and set in conductus style, which was often the case in English churches.

The music here is beautiful, in full flower of the spirit of the composition, the subject, and the power of the Anonymous 4 to bring such music to life.

-- 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 original language and in translation - all repeated in English, German, and French sections. The cover art comes from 'Coronation of the Virgin' from a Book of Hours, from France and Belgium, circa 1480. There are other details from this book and from other manuscripts found in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, throughout this booklet.

-- 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.

Medieval chants in honour of Our Lady.......2001-04-07

This compilation of english chants from the 13th and 14th centuries in honour of Our Lady is really sublime, depicting an hipotethical Mass similar to those that could be sung in praise of God's Mother, in the afore-mentioned period.

Anonymous 4 sing beautifully, and where the male medieval chant is determined, decided, firm and strong in the affirmation of religious faith, the female chant, like this one I am reviewing now, is subtle, kind, sweet and tender, almost angelical, but without lose any efectiveness in the expression of that same religious faith.

It is an enormous pleasure to listen such a record, an authentic rest to the soul, and I obviously must recommend it.

Finally, a last word to eulogize the visual presentation of the record made by Harmonia Mundi: the booklet, as usual on that label, is wonderfully illustrated.

Sounds Good but all in all it lacks points of interest.......2000-05-08

This CD is pretty good, I don't understand a single word of the language it is being sung in and I still like the sound of it quite a bit. But it just starts to wear on me after awhile there's nothing all that stirring or powerful at any point in it. The Voices of Light album that was done for the Passion of Joan of Arc video seems to have a lot more power and emotion in it. Still I have to admire any group that can awaken such a renewed look at such old music and can truly make people realize how good this music was. The album definitely is excellent at times it just seems to get old quickly.

Simply beautiful.......1999-04-19

I don't understand a word of the lyrics but then music is so universal and this is no exception. I just love listening to it especially in the evening after a hard day's work and need to unwind. Very relaxing and with a good sound system puts you in another dimension.

Average customer rating:

Medieval Songs & Dances

Manufacturer: Asv Living Era
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Music from the Time of the Crusades
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Sinners & Saints: The Ultimate Medieval and Renaissance Music Collection
Medieval Dance Music

ASIN: B000A39FKS
Release Date: 2006-05-23

Tracks:

Saltarello (I)
Flos Florum/Ach, Du Getruys Blut
Der May/Winder Wie Ist Nu Dein Kraft?
Douce Dame Jolie
Lidove Tance
Bryd One Brere
Sumer Is Icumen In
Dance Tune
Anni Novi Novitas
Saltarello (II)
St. Thomas Honour We
Ghaetta (An Istampita)
Danse Royale (I)
Jezis, Nas Spasitel
Questa Fanciulla
La Sexte Estampie Real
Se Je Souspir
Gabriel Fram Evene King Sewnt
Gram Piant' Agli Occhi
Danse Royale (II)
A La Fontenella
Robin Hood & The Tanner
Folk Song
Janoshka (Recruiting Song & Czardas)
Drmes
Polorum Regina (Pilgrim Song)

Robin is to the Greenwood Gone: Elizabethan Lute Music

Average customer rating:

Wonderful!

Robin is to the Greenwood Gone: Elizabethan Lute Music

Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Portrait
Royal Lewters: Music of Henry VIII & Elizabeth I's
Anthony Holborne: The teares of the Muses
John Johnson: Lute Music

ASIN: B000005IXQ
Release Date: 1992-05-28

Tracks:

Mounsier's Almaine
Ballad Tunes
Early Elizabethan Music
Scottish Music
Music of Anthony Holborne
Fantasie
Music of Thomas Robinson

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful!.......2007-04-14

After watching the Sting debacle, we needed a Lute Fix. If you own only one lute album, this is the one to own. Paul Odette is a Lute player only, and does a better job of it than some otherwise fine guitar players. His style moves from sensitive to forceful, as the music dictates.

Sumer is icumen in: Medieval English Songs

Average customer rating:

another solid, interesting Hilliard performance

Sumer is icumen in: Medieval English Songs

Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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The Black Madonna

ASIN: B0000634XY
Release Date: 2002-05-14

Customer Reviews:

another solid, interesting Hilliard performance.......2002-09-10

The Hilliard Ensemble reliably provides a high quality performance; this album is no exception. This collection provides a variety of styles belonging to a rather narrow timeframe. Highlights include:

"Sumer is icumen in" is well known both as music and as poetry. The version from about 1240 is a round - four voices for the round, two as drones. An absolutely delightful, boisterous number.

"Valde mane diluculo" is a 14th century motet, according to the liner notes a specifically English motet that features multiple voices on the same word(s).

"Edi be thu" is a duet from the late 13th century with heavy use of thirds - this harmony creates a sound very familar to our ears.

The three songs of St. Godric (died 1170) were given to him in dreams - not unlike the origin of many Shaker tunes. The first was given him by the Blessed Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene, the second by two angels and the last he sang with St. Nicholas (aka Santa Claus).

"Stond wel moder" is a 13th century crucifix lament, a sequence. This is not a chant, rather the music is written to the syllabic structure of the text. This album introduced me to the genre - one I know wish to explore.

The remaining tracks are as varied. For a historical overview of English music of this period this cd is without equal.

Music Track: