Early music recs wanted

[ellid]

I'm particularly interested in pilgrimage songs, but any good early music collection will do. I just picked up a CD by the New London Consort and am craving more.

:D

Comments

[cathouse-mary.livejournal.com]

http://www.gimell.com/

A garden of delights. :)

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

How early are we talking here? I have the almost everything by the Mediaeval Baebes, who do a lot of 13th and 14th century stuff, Bartholmew Faire's "The Red Book", a good bit of Malicorne, a few pieces from Ensemble Microlagus, and the Dead Can Dance's version of Saltarello.

And some Hildegarde von Bingen by Anonymous 4 someplace around here -- I don't particularly like it, since it's very breathy for me, but it can be useful background music if I'm writing.

[semyaza.livejournal.com]

This one. (http://www.amazon.com/Way-Bethlehem-Music-Medieval-Pilgrim/dp/B00000144X) Cheap and wonderful. More generally -- anything by Anne Azema, although my favourite, The Unicorn (http://www.amazon.com/Unicorn-Trouveres/dp/B000005ECL/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1245726880&sr=1-1) has been discontinued.

[ellid.livejournal.com]

Oh, I remember these guys! Thanks! :D

[ellid.livejournal.com]

Anything from 1600 on back. I always liked Malicorne but I've never actually heard the Medieval Baebes even though a lot of people rave about them. I'll have to check them out.

[ellid.livejournal.com]

I almost bought that one yesterday, believe it or not. I have Ensemble Unicorn's wonderful Black Madonna album - have you checked it out?

Anne Azema looks like a Renaissance angel. Sings like one, too. *sighs nostalgically and remembers having season tickets to the Boston Camerata*

[semyaza.livejournal.com]

It marries so many of my favourite kinds of music -- medieval, Balkan, Middle Eastern, Turkish... No, I haven't heard the Black Madonna album although I should give it a listen as it crosses over with some things I have on vinyl

I remember thinking, when I first heard Anne Azema -- and I bought The Unicorn when it came out on the off chance that it might be good -- this is the voice I've been waiting for.

[tree_and_leaf]

If you want liturgical music, there's a lovely CD called "Ther Geese Book" of music from Nuremberg available on Naxos (by the Schola Hungarica).

However, my strongest recommendation is that you check out the "Early Music Show" on BBC Radio 3, which goes out on weekends, but which you can listen to up to a week after transmission on line. Very educational, in the best possible sense, and will expose you to a lot of different genres and artists.

I also have undying love for Tallis, Gibbons, and Palestrina, but I'm not sure if you'd still count them as early. (I would, but it's clearly not the same as the high or late mediaeval stuff).

Just My $0.02

[shalmestere.livejournal.com]

I've never actually heard the Medieval Baebes even though a lot of people rave about them.

Meh. I have some of their albums, but they don't do much for me (and their Middle English pronunciation bugs me :-P).

If you specifically want pilgrim songs, I believe that Alla Francesca did a recording of Llibre Vermeill. So did Hesperion XX/XXI (Jordi Savall's group). Sequentia didn't (IIRC), but most of their recordings of medieval Spanish songs should scratch that itch; ditto Altramar and Ensemble Alcatraz.

Re: Just My $0.02

[ellid.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the list! These sound terrific.

Question: do you have any recs for John Dowland? I'm not crazy about Emma Kirkby and Sting's version drove me nuts....

[ellid.livejournal.com]

I've sung some Palestrina and some Tallis, but alas! Unless I'm in exactly the right mood they're too gentle for me to listen to while driving or writing. I'll have to see about listening to the BBC on line - that sounds like a good show.

[shalmestere.livejournal.com]

...the Mediaeval Baebes...do a lot of 13th and 14th century stuff....

Well...yes and no. They do a lot of 13th- and 14th-century lyrics, but most of the melodies are original (composed by one of the members of the group).

I can provide recs for recordings of medieval secular monody, if anyone's interested....

Re: Just My $0.02

[shalmestere.livejournal.com]

do you have any recs for John Dowland?

I tend to sing Dowland more than listen to him :-) so I don't have any recs off the top of my head--I can check after I get home tonight. Is it just Kirkby, or do you not like British vocal style generally?

Re: Just My $0.02

[ellid.livejournal.com]

Kirkby. I've never cared for her voice. OTOH, I'll take an English oratorio tenor over just about anyone except the late, great Fritz Wunderlich.

[ellid.livejournal.com]

Sure.

TOYOTA

[shalmestere.livejournal.com]

"I can provide recs for recordings of medieval secular monody, if anyone's interested...."

"Sure."

OK.

We should probably update these (I have some newer discs to add), but this or this should get you started :-)

[owlfish]

Chanticleer
https://www.chanticleerrecords.com/Store//index.php?_a=viewCat&catId=22

(I don't have any of these particular albums, but like the others of theirs I have heard before.)