[Jararvellir] Music Suggestions

[jennifer-friedman at sbcglobal.net]

Hi Siglen and list members,

I'm not so much into tribal percussion (at least not enough to have a bunch of good CDs of it), but here are my recommendations for good medieval (& some Renaissance) music CDs for people who are looking for lively, fun recordings and are more-or-less at the beginning of their medival/renaissance music journey:

Kalenda Maya: songs and dances from 1200 to 1550 / Kalenda Maya
This is a Norwegian group, folksy but well-researched.  Music from all over Europe.  Everyone I've lent this CD to has been reluctant to give it back.  The songs take up residence in your head.

The Way of the Pilgrim: medieval songs of travel / The Toronto Consort
A good selection of pieces from all over Europe, incl. music from two important collections, the Carmina Burana and the Cantigas de Santa Maria.  Travel music is fun.

Spanish Music of Travel and Discovery / The Waverly Consort
A 2-CD set with lots more travel music specifically from Spain, including the complete Llibre Vermell.  This group is pretty reliable.

A lot of the stuff by Hesperion XX or XXI (they added the I when the century turned) is very fun/energetic, but they cover a large period of time in their recordings, from medieval to Baroque (Baroque is approx. 1600's-1700's).  Unfortunately a lot of them are out-of-print in the U.S. but Amazon offers import editions for many of them.  My favorites by them are two oriented around the reigns of kings/queens:
Isabel I: Reina de Castilla (1451-1504 Spanish music)
Carlos V: Mille Regretz, Cancion del Emperador (1500's Spanish music)

The World of Early Music: from the Middle Ages to the Dawn of the Enlightenment
This is a Naxos 2-CD set with performances by lots of different ensembles.  I mostly listen to the first disc but the second is fine too, just doesn't fall within SCA period.  What's nice about this collection is that it demonstrates the changes in style from chant all the way to Baroque music (the first CD goes from chant to just-post-Renaissance) and there's a lot of choral music, which I adore!

Llibre Vermell / Sarband & Osnabrucker Jugend Chor
The Llibre Vermell is a small collection of pilgrim songs from the road to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.  (You might have heard the Jararvellir or Northshield Choir do "Stella Splendens"; that's from the Llibre Vermell.)  They are fabulous pieces and I think everyone in the SCA should have a recording of them.  This version is very spirited.  Lots of instrumental accompaniment/interludes.

Specific types of music--bear in mind this is my breakdown based on what I like; that doesn't mean that other categories don't exist!
Sephardic (music from communities descended from the exiled Jews of Spain/Portugal):
    Anything by La Rondinella
    "Mudejar" by Begona Olavide--Begona plays the plucked psaltery, which sounds a bit like a harp
    Anything by Voice of the Turtle
Spanish:
    A Royal Songbook: Spanish music from the time of Columbus / Musica Antiqua of London
English:
    Miri it is: Songs & instrumental music from Medieval England / Dufay Collective
        (I like anything by the Dufay Collective actually)
Choral music (mostly just voices):
    Anything by The Rose Ensemble
    Anything by The Voices of Ascension, esp. "From Chant to Renaissance" which has all the best Renaissance motets
    Anything by Lionheart
    Anything by Anonymous 4

I am not much into harp music specifically, but have to point out a CD by a recently deceased member of the Boston Camerata, John Fleagle, called "World's Bliss" where he plays the gothic wire-strung harp and sings a variety of period and "traditional" English/French/Appalachian folksongs, some with their traditional tunes and some with tunes he has written or paired with them.  He has this wonderful voice; it's hard to describe, like a wandering minstrel has come by to entertain you. It's apparently out-of-print but his family/friends have made it available via Magnatune (http://magnatune.com/artists/fleagle ) and Shazam (http://www.shazam.com/music/portal/page/album/productid/52497/john+fleagle/world's+bliss.html ).

I could go on...and on...and on...and I haven't even touched specifically instrumental music, because I don't buy much of it!  The group "Piffaro" is an instrumental ensemble worth checking out.

Once you become familiar with the time periods/places/ensembles/types of music you like, there is a LOT of medieval and Renaissance music out there, even at your local Borders or Barnes & Noble (Best Buy is not known for carrying this stuff).  It is generally lumped into the classical music section.  I don't think most people realize how much good early music has been recorded, much of it by professional musicians who do their research and strive for authenticity while keeping their performances interesting and accessible.  You do NOT have to listen only to modern Celtic music (very little of which has any pre-1600 content) to get yourself in the mood for an SCA event.

Happy buying (or interlibrary-loan-ing)!

Eliane

p.s.--Give yourself a treat and buy a concert pass for the Madison Early Music Festival concerts.  You'll miss the first couple if you go to WW, but the rest are well worth the $65 for the concert pass, and the pre-concert lectures are free.  http://www.dcs.wisc.edu/LSA/memf/concerts.htm
 
THL Eliane Halevy
Barony of Jararvellir, Kingdom of Northshield
Jennifer Friedman, 2010 Allen Blvd. #1, Middleton, WI 53562
(608) 238-7627, jennifer-friedman at sbcglobal.net, www.gflower.org


----- Original Message ----
From: Kelly Olmstead <kolmstead at tds.net>
To: Jararvellir_List <jararvellir at minstrel.com>
Sent: Friday, May 25, 2007 10:22:31 PM
Subject: [Jararvellir] Music Suggestions


I am wondering if anyone can recommend some CDs.  I am looking for good tribal drum music, and also for good medieval music.  I’m particularly fond of harp, recorder, hammered dulcimer, and cittern.  I love the Medieval Baebes but I have all their stuff already, and a lot of The King’s Singers as well.
 
Thanks much!
Siglen of Jararvellir
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