Mixed Ensembles A Cappella Choral Recordings
Considered by some to be the finest recording of Christmas carols ever, these
original compositions were written by Alfred and primary lyricists Wihla Hutson
and Bates G. Burt (Alfred's father). In fact, the carols were initially sent
as Christmas messages to Burt family members and friends! Alfred died in 1954
at the age of thirty three, but his legacy has brought joy to untold myriads
of listeners ever since. Artists from Nat "King" Cole to the Boston Pops Orchestra
and Chorus have popularized what conductor John Williams described as "mini-masterpieces."
The sixteen voice a cappella choir directed by arranger Jimmy Joyce (who had
worked with Alfred in the Alvino Rey Orchestra) is sprightly and surefooted
in their performance, which was recorded in 1963. A sentimental and popular
favorite.
| 6896 CD $15.98 |
Invocation was inspired by the writings of the first Irish poet Amergin Gl?ngel,
particularly his two poems "Invocation of Ireland" and "Wind on Sea." He was
a pagan mystic who envisioned the land and sea with a divine spirit. Under the
directorship of Michael McGlynn the nineteen members of An?na weave a spell
uniquely Irish as they reconstruct all sorts of musical traditions from pagan
poet to poet monk, from fisherman to WB Yeats, from ancient Runic writings to
comparatively modern works of the 19th century. Though these new interpretations
are based around a wonderful collection of singers, instrumentation is used
where necessary to recreate the feeling of the eras from which each piece of
music was found. There is no more elegant way to be introduced to the breadth
of Irish vocal history than to have it renewed, refreshed, and preserved by
this group who presents that history wrapped in exquisite musical virtuosity.
| 6594 CD $15.98 |
The story of the Fisk Jubilee Singers is one of the most inspiring in all of
American Music. In 1872 a history of their struggle, triumph, and music finally
saw print. They sang the songs which were handed down to them by their slave
ancestors. The songs expressed profound religious beliefs, an unshakable faith,
relief from the suffering of slavery, and the optimism for a better world to
come. In truth they were a major contributing tributary to the musical stream
which diverged into gospel and blues. This beautiful recording recreates and
shares with us some of that body of work which is so important to American music.
It is meant to document and present to posterity some of the most powerful music
ever sung.
| 6576 CD $15.98 |
Continuing the first-ever CD edition of the music of Fayrfax, of which the
first release was the GRAMOPHONE AWARD WINNER 1995. This disc presents a superb,
mature example of the 'cyclic' mass form Fayrfax pioneered and mastered within
his Festal masses. The Missa O bone Ihesu is an exceptionally beautiful setting,
paired with an equally fine Magnificat. There are no other recordings available
of either piece, nor of the earlier Salve Regina setting from the Eton Choirbook.
Another side of Fayrfax's legacy is represented by three secular songs from
The Fayrfax Manuscript in the British Library, including his most popular song
Most Clere of Colour.
| 6502 CD $15.98 |
Audio magazine (USA) called this "an utterly delightful disc." Unusual melodies,
surprising harmonies, unexpected uses of word painting and other expressive
techniques, great craft and clarity of purpose distinguish these works, believed
to have been written during Josquin's mysterious early years. Includes several
world premiere recordings.
| 6574 CD $15.98 |
Early Music (UK) proclaimed, "This is a feast indeed." Ockeghem created music
of incomparable spiritual purity and technical perfection. These three masses
clearly identify one of the three greatest masters of the Flemish High Renaissance
| 6575 CD $15.98 |
The seventh recording from Cappella Nova, this disc of Scottish Medieval plainsong
celebrates Glasgow's 6th-century patron saint, Kentigern (or Mungo), in wonderful
music and poetry from the 13th-century Sprouston Breviary. This material was
clearly centuries old before the monks wrote it down in the 1200s, and it is
full of Celtic romance and colour. The most important part is the sequence of
nine lectiones which relate to the miracles of St Kentigern. Cappella Nova has
used singers, bells and clūrsach (Celtic harp) to weave a magical tapestry of
sound for the telling of these, literally, fabulous tales.
| 6554 CD $15.98 |
Here is the climactic fourth release in the Ockeghem series of which two volumes
have been final Gramophone Award Nominations. The Requiem is specially released
to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Ockeghem's death. This extraordinarily
moving work is coupled with the first CD recording of the beautiful Missa Fors
Seulement, reflecting the fluid and diverse style of his late masterpieces.
| 6500 CD $15.98 |
Scotland's world-class consort sings a program of American contemporaries,
Samuel Barber and Aaron Copland. Barber's comfortable use of the traditional
and Copland's drive to create an original American music meet in the fact that
each composer used word settings of poetry and literature as the basis from
which to express their instinctive feel for the human voice. Copland's "In the
Beginning" and "Four Motets for a cappella" create a natural audio bracketing
of Barbers' "Reincarnations," "The Virgin Martyrs," and the 1936 setting of
Emily Dickinson's "Let Down the Bars, O Death." The singing is incomparable!
| 6537 CD $15.98 |
As directed by Paul Spicer, this English mixed ensemble has devoted themselves
to the promulgation of British choral works. The relatively obscure Gustav Holst
composed during the turn of the century, whereas Vaughan Williams began his
career slightly later, by collecting English folk songs, ultimately accumulating
over eight hundred! Later, Williams wrote various pieces for royal occasions
and the like, such as "The Souls Of The Righteous" to dedicate the Battle Of
Britain chapel. Sometimes dark and mournful ("Valiant For Truth"), hearty and
powerful ("Sing Me The Men"), eerie and captivating ("Full Fathom Five") or
gentle and pure ("O Lady, Leave That Silken Thread"), this collection is always
uncompromised in excellence.
Songlist
| 6472 CD $15.98 |
Britain's Finzi Singers, under the direction of Paul Spicer, specialize in
twentieth-century British choral music. This CD, the third in a series featuring
an all-Britten program, includes one of his earliest works, written while he
was at the Royal College of Music and experimenting with serial procedures:
"A Boy Was Born." One of his last compositions, "Sacred and Profane,"
written the year before his death in 1976, is a cyclic setting of verse from
the 12th and 14th centuries. Also included are "Five Flower Songs"
(1942) and "Advanced Democracy" (1938, reflecting the political unrest
in Europe). As is typical of contemporary classical, the sound can be tonally
ambigious, stylistically discordant and disturbing, though expertly realized.
Songlist
| 6471 CD $15.98 |
The Italian madrigals are some of the most exquisite vocal works ever written.
This is the music found in Giovan Tomaso LambertiniŠs first book of madrigals.
They are fifteen stanzas by Messer Bernado Tasso composed in 1544, during the
poets period of residence in northern Europe with the patronage of the prince
of Salerno. While other composers set some of the stanzas to music, Giovan adorned
all fifteen of them with music and completed the works in his first book with
six poetic works by the composer himself. It was published in 1560, the same
year as some of BernadoŠs most important works. Experience this beautiful music
for four voices created by various groupings of the Fortuna Ensemble, conducted
by Roberto Cascio.
| 6573 CD $15.98 |
This beautifully crafted CD is a joy. The group Pomerium was founded in 1972
by Alexander Blachly with the purpose of performing "virtuoso chapel choirs
of the Renaissance." The "Musical Book of Hours" is a concept
record-an accompaniment to the medieval religious texts of the 13th to 16th
centuries, and features works by Desprez, Ockeghem, and Du Fay. The fifteen-voice
mixed group sings these gentle and fluid melodies with a delicacy and grace
that caresses the ear, as well as the spirit. The detailed liner notes include
several exquisite reproductions of the artwork from the period.
Songlist
| 6479 CD $15.98 |
The three women and two men of this Dutch classical ensemble open this recording
with 6 sixteenth-century works by the Dutch composer Sweelinck (though written
in French, the courtly language of the time). Two "chanson" by Debussy
follow, and then selections by Poulenc and Britten, both twentieth-century composers;
as is characteristic of modern music, the harmonic progressions can be something
of a non-sequitur, depending on your point of view! For dessert, five close
harmony arrangements, including "Besame Mucho," "My Romance"
(as arranged by Puerling) and of course, "Ain't Misbehavin'". A rich
and satisfying tapestry of sound.
Songlist
| 7441 CD $15.98 |
The Dutch quintet presents the a cappella compositions of contemporary composers.
However, we hasten to add, the change in the compositions from a traditional
liturgical feeling into definite contemporary music with suspended, shimmering
dissonances and stark textures is so gradual that we find ourselves attending
the works with a beguiled fascination. The composers are four of the most notable
Dutch composers of this century, Ton de Leeuw, Robert Heppener, Daan Manneke
and Huub Kerstens. The liturgical tradition is represented by Ton de Leeuw's
"Missa Brevis" about which he says: "My purpose was to compose
a work close to the Roman Catholic liturgical tradition of plainchant and early
Renaissance polyphony, and whose music is a more collective spiritual experience
than the subjective expression of the individual." On the other end of
the spectrum we have music written specifically for the ensemble which is receiving
its world recording premiere. You must hear this recording for it has some of
the most original vocal work ever found to emerge from a western vocal sensibility.
Songlist
| 7442 CD $15.98 |
The Madrigal sprang from Italy in the early 16th Century, as the poetry of
Petrarch fused with secular polyphony. This enjoyable collection starts with
the much-imitated work of Cipriano de Rore from 1550, and follows madrigal evolution
through Giches de Wert, Claudio Monteverdi, Alessandro Scarlatti and finally
Alessandro Stradella. Beautifully sung, with ample liner notes.
Songlist
| 7445 CD $15.98 |
Towards the end of the 16th Century, Italian music permeated previously insular
England and created a fervid outpouring of madrigals. This recording includes
some of the "greatest hits" from this 40-year boom, organized by composer:
Morley ("Now is the month of Maying"), Pilington, Tomkins, Bateson,
Byrd, Farmer, Wilbye and Weekles. Quink is an accomplished mixed quintet, and
their interpretations with a single voice per part reflect the madrigal tradition
as chamber music.
Songlist
| 7444 CD $15.98 |
Folk music is difficult to define. Generally speaking, it is music which grew
in communities with enough tradition to have a need to link the past with the
present. Each generation, indeed, each performer will modify it slightly to
suit their own needs and times. Among other reasons for the continuation of
their memory and performance from generation to generation,they provide historical
recollection, cautionary tales, humorous and dramatic stories and an accompaniment
to dancing. Quink Vocal Ensemble (three women and two men) have applied their
five exquisitely trained voices to recording a selection of folk songs from
all over the world. Often they will end with lighter arrangements of folk tunes
after performances which include Renaissance, Baroque, Romantic, Impressionistic
and contemporary music. Songs from Israel, Scotland, England, Newfoundland,
U. S., U.S.S.R., Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Germany, France and Spain are included
in the twenty-five songs.
Songlist
| 7443 CD $15.98 |
A Dutch quintet, Quink performs both classical works and lighter, contemporary
material. The 26 carols featured here are, as the CD's title implies, indeed
culled from many Western traditions, though primarily English, French and German,
and include the contemporary, as well as the timeless. Charles Ives' "A Christmas
Carol" is a quietly lilting 3/4; Walton's "What Cheer" is a herald of joyous
news, a musical announcement. The Polish "Berceuse" has a rocking motion, derived
from its repeating major second interval. Favorites include "Deck The Hall,"
"In The Bleak Midwinter" and "The Cherry Tree Carol." Two delicate Bach works
round out this understated and soothing CD.
Songlist
| 7446 CD $15.98 |
Showcasing works from the preeminent composers of Western classical music,
such as Schubert, Vivaldi and Bach, this recording is a compilation drawn from
Robert Shaw's vast canon. Mr. Shaw, who recently died, was one of the most famous
and recognized choral directors of modern day, and his association with the
Atlanta Symphony and Chorus was a prolific one. These accompanied selections,
on sacred and religious themes, are grand, dramatic and ornate. One of the most
affecting is Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis: Gloria," which captures
the intense emotion that heralded the beginning of the Romantic era.
Songlist
| 6480 CD $15.98 |
| 6446 CD $15.98 |
Inspired by a Millenium pilgrimage made by this British ensemble, through English
Cathedrals "from York to Cantebury," the works collected here are drawn from
the canon of sixteenth century English composers of the Tudor period. Recorded
at the cathedrals themselves, such as St JudeŠs in Hampstead, the sound of the
Sixteen can be distinguished both by its exceptional clarity and brilliance,
and by itŠs fullness. Arrangements are flush with contrapuntal phrases, and
suffused with a graceful tranquility, such as TavernerŠs "O Splendor Gloriae."
Though each of these tracks was previously released on one the 70 (seventy!)
CDŠs produced by this mixed choir since their formation over twenty years ago,
their grouping here adds to the loveliness of each, as a bouquet complements
the beauty of each flower.
| 6451 CD $15.98 |
Everyone has heard the story of the Trapp Family, as dramatized in the beloved
musical, "The Sound of Music." After their discovery by German opera singer
Lotte Lehmann in 1936, they became a sensation in their native Austria. Hitler's
invasion in 1938 caused them to accept the offer of an American tour, and they
became exiles from their native land. The recordings preserved on this CD were
made upon their arrival in New York, continuing into 1941. The Trapp family
repetoire consisted of folk songs, madrigals, motets and classical chorales.
Later, they began a tradition of annual Christmas concerts, and several of those
carols are included in this collection. The recorder is a featured instrument
on "Intrade, Sarabande and Gigue," a series of lively dances from the baroque
era, and "Two Old Netherland Dances." The remaining twenty selections are a
cappella and show that the Trapp Family was no novelty act. With the aid of
their conductor and arranger Dr. Franz Wasner, their technique became consummately
professional, their intonation and blend first-rate, and their performances
confident and assured. Incomparable.
Songlist
| 6503 CD $15.98 |
Who doesnŠt know the dramatic and true story of the Von Trapp Family, who escaped
from their Austrian homeland under the Nazi occupation? This singing family
relocated to America, where they performed and recorded for many years. No novelty
act, the ensemble, under the direction of conductor Dr. F. Wasner, sings first-rate
a cappella arrangements (with the exception of "Ihr Kinderlein Kommet") of European
carols, such as the Italian "La Canzone Di Natale," the Tyrolean "Es Hat Sich
Heut Eroffnet" and the Polish "Shepherds Come A-Running." Some of these melodies
will be familiar to American audiences, but some will not, which is part of
their charm. This 1950Šs era mono recording is clean, present, and immediate;
the vocal blend of the group is so natural and perfectly pitched, it requires
nothing to complete it.
Songlist
| 6427 CD $15.98 |
Directed by ethnomusicologist and Professor Paul Hilliard, the Theatre of Voices,
a fourteen-member mixed ensemble, performs twenty-four delightful carols. Most
are of either English/American or German origin, with many traditionals, such
as "The Yorkshire Wassail Song"; as the liner notes so aptly remind us, the
practice of caroling was frequently rewarded by food or ale! The 20th century
American composer, Charles Ives' "A Christmas Carol" and the Romantic Finnish
composer, Jean Sibelius' "En Etsi Valtaa, Loistoa" are a bit of spice. The Theatre
of Voices has a distinctively stable and rich sound, without the excessive artifice
or harsh shrillness that can mar some classical groups.
| 6134 CD $15.98 |
As directed by Derric Johnson, his Vocal Orchestra sings twenty-five hymns,
from the classic ("Amazing Grace," "The Lord's Prayer"), the traditional ("Ezekiel
Saw The Wheel," "Go Tell It On The Mountain," "Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho")
to the lesser-known ("I Just Feel Like Something Good Is About To Happen" and
"Ivory Palaces"). Each inspirational rendering is beautifully and sensitively
performed by this mixed ensemble. The vocal quality and tonal purity is ideal,
and the group also knows when to dramatize a reading, as they do on "Shadrach,"
in a dazzling exhibition of showmanship. The arrangements are multi-textured
and bold, but not pretentious or excessive. The group appears regularly as "Voices
Of Liberty" at Disney World, and their professionalism is apparent.
| 4187 CD $15.98 |
A beautiful disc of (mostly) World Premiere recordings, this first-ever CD
to be devoted solely to the choral music of Edmund Rubbra. The earliest are
the Five Motets of 1934, settings of 16th century metaphysical poems. It was
madrigalist Thomas Campion whose poems provided the basis for two delightful
sets of Madrigals, and charming too are the group of four simple Carols. It
is for his liturgical music that Rubbra is perhaps best known today, and the
four substantial works included here demonstrate why. There is his largest a
cappella piece, Lauda Sion, a magnificent Aquinas setting, plus his second setting
of The Beatitudes. Two settings of the mass are featured, his third, written
in medieval style, and his fifth. This is the focal point of the whole collection,
the Mass in Honour of St Teresa of Avila of 1981 which was Rubbra's last major
choral work, and summarises the composer's mature harmonic language.
| 6551 CD $15.98 |
The members of Western Wind, four men and two women, share an incredible depth
of experience and scholarship. Combine that a musical sensitivity that embraces
almost any genre, and the result is a "musical history tour." Beginning with
the medieval, the group includes Rennaissance polyphony, African-American spirituals
and Duke Ellington swing on their journey. "Dolcissimo Uscignolo" and "L'Amfiparnaso"
border on the operatic. Philip Glass' "Vessels" takes as a central concept a
repetitive series of intervals, minor second, major second, minor third, though
not in that order, juxtaposed against an arpeggiated scale or repeated tone,
conveying a marvelous sense of energy, upward movement and growth. Fifties doo-wop
takes a turn with "Sh'boom, Life Could Be A Dream," though the vocal style is
much too refined to resemble the original version(s). Four tracks have minimal
accompaniment.
| 2238 CD $14.98 |
Seventeen popular carols presented by the six-member Western Wind Ensemble,
who perform music drawn from an astonishing variety of idioms, and have graced
stages as noteworthy as those of the Lincoln and Kennedy Centers. In keeping
with the theme of an old-fashioned Christmas, some of these arrangements were
published as far back as 1871 (though the melodies and/or texts may have existed
much earlier in oral form). Many originated in England, France and Germany ("God
Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen," "The Holly And The Ivy," "Angels We Have Heard On
High" and of course, "Silent Night"). Carols were also composed anew in 19th
century America: "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear," "O Little Town Of Bethlehem"
and many more. Western Wind's interpretations (inflections, phrasing, tone quality)
do indeed sound authentically "period," far removed from today's holiday hyperbole.
| 6704 CD $15.98 |
Twenty-five tracks narrated by Theodore Bikel, who explains and describes much
of the tradition associated with each composition, this frequently and beautifully
accompanied CD reflects the "diverse and multi-national nature of the Jewish
experience." The detailed liner notes further elaborate on Jewish history and
the CD's content, which encompasses Sephardic songs, folk melodies, European
nineteenth-century classical, and more. "Maoz Tzur" (Rock Of Ages in English),
is a German synagogue melody with an arrangement from 1720 by the Italian, Marcello.
The Western Wind, a mixed sextet, has a refined and cultured tone, and each
piece is performed with a quiet dignity.
| 2240 CD $14.98 |
Expand your African a cappella horizons with two a cappella choirs on one CD.
The Masibuyele Kujehova Choir is six member female choir who sing in the male
traditional 'mbube' style. Their unique singing has earned them a huge following
and their first album went gold in 1994! Along with these unique women are a
presented an all male Sotho group, Laduma. The eight singers met and began singing
to entertain their fellow miners. Larger audiences and recording soon followed
leading to an exceptional popularity in the Sotho music scene. Talk about vocal
pyrotechnics! These are two of South Africa's most popular groups.
| 6517 CD $15.98 |
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