Gaudete

Track Listings

1. Angels We Have Heard on High, from Traditional French Carol

2. O Come, All Ye Faithful, Traditional English Carol

3. Gaudete / Rejoice

4. Sinfonia / In Dulci Jubilo

5. Lo, How a Rose Eer Blooming

6. Now the Word Becomes the Flesh

7. Gloria / Unto us a Child has Been Born Today (Paul Tranisi - Baritone solo),

8. Psallite / Lift Your Voice and Sing

9. Christ the Lord is Born Today

10. Let the Earth with Praise Resound

11. The Glory of the Father, Egil Hovland

12. Angelus ad Pastores Ait, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck

13. Ave Maria, Anton Bruckner

14. Salvation is Created, Paul Tschesnokoff

15. Ave Maria, from

16. Glory be to God

17. Jesu, Son Most Sweet and Dear, from Colin Brumby (Phyllis Noble - Alto solo; Jackson Berkey - Korg M1 Music Workstation)

18. How Still He Rests, Brent Pierce (Beth Asbjornson - Soprano solo; Bob Jenkins - Oboe; Jackson Berkey - Glass Windchimes)

Editorial Reviews
William H. Rayborn, The Church Music Report
I was sent this recording so I could hear "O' Come, All Ye Faithful" as mentioned elsewhere in this issue. I could hardly tear myself away from the rich choral sounds singing some new, some old, but always singing well. There were favorites such as "So, How a Rose E'er Blooming" and Tchenekoff's "Salvation is Created." Somewhere between the drums and synth Ineeded to be reminded how beautiful the human voice really is. These 19 selections helped me remember...and my day is richer for it.

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.

Tracks:

Here We Come A-Wassailing
It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
The Little Drummer Boy
I Wonder As I Wander
We Wish You A Merry Christmas
Es Ist Ein Ros' Entsprungen
Ding Dong! Merrily On High
Stille Nacht
O Little Town Of Bethlehem
A Little Christmas Music (Medley A La Mozart)
The Coventry Carol (Lully, Lulla)
The Boar's Head Carol
Gaudete
Joy To The World
Three Spanish Carols: Riu, Riu, Chiu
Three Spanish Carols: El Nino Querido
Three Spanish Carols: Villancico Catalan
Deck The Hall
The Wexford Carol
The Gift (Simple Gifts)
Patapan And Farandole

Customer Reviews:

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2006-11-29

The King's Singers come to us steeped in the 500 year old English tradition of choral singing; and that's fine with me.!!!There are 6 singers in this group (the personnel change from time to time)namely: Jeremy Jackman and Alastair Hume (countertenors)- Robert Chilcott (tenor)- Bruce Russell and Simon Carrington (baritones) and Stephen Connolly (bass). They are very capably accompanied by the City of London Sinfonia and Brass Quintet conducted by Richard Hickox. An added PLUS is the great Kiri Te Kanawa who sings an arrangement by Daryl Runswick entitled "A Little Christmas Music (Medley a la Mozart)". It's a hodge-podge of Mozart melodies sewn together in a rather haphazard manner, and meant to be humorous. I guess this type of composition does not appeal to me personally, and I'm sorry that Kiri's glorious voice was wasted. However, that's only MY opinion; I am certain others may disagree.
This album is really a mixture of Christmas tunes and that's partly what makes it interesting. And, of course it is masterfully sung by the King's singers;I enjoy all their discs; especially the recording of Gilbert and Sullivan tunes. Some of the arrangements on this disc are somewhat esoteric, and I'm not too fond of the very STRANGE arrangement (again by Daryl Runswick) of the Coventry Carol, but 'to each his own'. Their opening selection:"Here We Come a-wassailing" (arr. Robert Chilcott) is a great opening number and I must say that it's the best arrangement I have ever heard of this selection.
Let's face it:the KING'S SINGERS are perfection. But don't forget our American group:Chanticleer.

like all but one track.......2006-02-02

With the exception of track 11 (The Coventry Carol, Lully lulla) I really like this CD. I personally prefer the traditional renditions of The Coventry Carol. I do not like the "modern" harmonics and arrangement of it on this CD. Otherwise, it is very fine, indeed.

Heaven is here!.......2005-10-26

Xmas carols are always touching, but this cd is beyond all you have already heard. The King's Singers plus Kiri Te Kanawa is a combination of angelical adult voices, yes, adults can also have angelical voices. Buy this cd and check yourself if it is not true!

A Very Mixed Bag.......2003-08-15

I've often admired the King's Singers' performances, and of course they are a famous and accomplished ensemble, noted for the precision of their close-harmony singing, so I was looking forward to this CD. I regret to say that I find it a very mixed bag, on the whole disappointing. Unfortunately the reliable executant skills of the King's Singers are not matched here by their judgment and taste in choosing arrangements--perhaps there was too great a push for mixing it up, adding variety, "something different." The resulting arrangements are wildly uneven, some of them unattractive and tasteless in varying degrees from mild to dreadful. They range from the very good (bands 7 and 18: straightforward a cappella close-harmony, which is what these singers do best), to exotic (band 16), to schmaltzy (band 5), to busy (band 8), to campy (bands 11 and 19), to cutesy (bands 3 and 6), to terminally cutesy-poo (bands 4, 11, and 19). "Deck the halls," for example, is done in by its arch, cutesy-poo arrangement, as is "White Christmas," which even includes a bizarre, wholly gratuitous interpolation of a bit from Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kije, God knows why!

Band 12, "The Coventry Carol," the longest cut on the CD, demands special mention: it is downright awful. The annotator of this CD writes cosily, "And of course there are the old traditional English Christmas songs, all mulled wine and mince pies." Nothing could be less descriptive of what we get here, where the misguided, pretentious, weird, grotesquely ugly, far-out dissonant-modern arrangement does its utmost to pervert and spoil this lovely old English carol, twisting and distorting it into something almost unrecognizable; this cut is a real horror. (Sir David Willcocks, the famed King's College choirmaster under whom the King's Singers trained and sang as youths, would be appalled. The man responsible for this travesty, one Daryl Runswick, also arranged two other selections; his consistently tasteless arrangements comprise three of the four worst on the CD.)

The performing forces vary from the a cappella singers to accompaniments with brass ensemble or orchestra. The variable but undistinguished engineering (EMI's Abbey Road studios, 1989)--over-processed, over-bright, hard-edged, and occasionally canned-sounding--is an additional drawback. If you like traditional Christmas music (as I do) you might want to think twice before buying this CD. At least try to listen to it first. Caveat emptor.

Among My Top 10 Christmas Recordings.......2002-12-26

King's Singers maintains the highest standard for all those who aspire to create spine-tingling a cappella harmony. Somewhat akin to the small number of their peers worldwide, no style seems off limits to their abilities. But certain aspects set the King's Singers apart. Perhaps it is their early and consistent training in the English choral discipline, or the many, years of touring together in one combination or other. Their most remarkable quality is their quintessentially English sound -- the pipe-like tone produced especially in the mid- to upper registers -- that is at once remarkably free of vibrato, but still alive with overtones. If one listens closely to the solo parts, it becomes evident: the sound isn't produced merely by excellent group intervallic intonation, but by individual voices capable of producing overtones. Thus, it's the sound you can't hear that takes your breath away.

Because the recording is so excellent on the whole, one disappointment stands out: I wish that Coventry Carol had been saved for another recording. The dissonances conjure up distressing images at odds with the overall effect they seem to have been trying to accomplish with the recording, and I can certainly imagine that in another context, I might have been interested and emotionally moved, rather than unsettled and annoyed.

Tracks:

Antiphona Post Evangelium - In Dulci Jubilo
Versus Alleluiatici: Adorabo - Nova Schola Gregoriana
Ordo Virtutum: Procession - Oxford Camerata
Viderunt Omnes - Tonus Peregrinus
Fines Terre Salutare Dei Nostri Jubilate Deo Omnis Terra (Plainchant) - Tonus Peregrinus
Notum Fecit - Tonus Peregrinus
Dominus - Tonus Peregrinus
Salutare Suum Ante Conspectum Gentium Revelavit - Tonus Peregrinus
Justitiam Suam (Plainchant) - Tonus Peregrinus
Gaudete Christus Est Natus - Oxford Camerata
Cantiga De Santa Maria - Michael Posch
Exiit Diluculo - Unicorn Ensemble
Humils Forfaitz - Michael Posch
Adieu Ces Bons Vins De Lannoys - Michael Posch
Non Avra Ma'Pieta Questa Mia Donna - Michael Posch
Non Ara May Pieta Questa Mia Dona - Michael Posch
Veni Creator - Tonus Peregrinus
D'Ung Aultre Amer - Capilla Flamenca
Alleluya - Capilla Flamenca
El Grillo - Shirley Rumsey
El Grillo - Capilla Flamenca
Missa 'La Sol Fa Re Mi': Kyrie - Capilla Flamenca
Le Chant Des Oiseaux - The Scholars Of London
Passe & Medio/Den Iersten Gaillarde - Capilla Flamenca
Den III Ronde, Den VI Ronde-Les Quatre Branles - Convivium Musicum Gothenburgense
Gaillarde I, II, III - Convivium Musicum Gothenburgense

Tracks:

In Nomine - Rose Consort Of Viols
In Nomine No.20 - Rose Consort Of Viols
Spem In Alium - Oxford Camerata
Sanctus - Oxford Camerata
Du Fond De Ma Pensee - Christine Morel
The King Of Denmark's Galiard - Rose Consort Of Viols
Flow, My Tears - Dorothy Linell
Greiner Zancker - Ensemble Villanella
Stat ('Tsaat) Ein Meskin - Ensemble Villanella
Tiento - Shirley Rumsey
Tribulationem Et Dolorem - Oxford Camerata
Lagrime Di San Pietro: 'Il Magnanimo Pietro' - Bo Holten
Missa 'Susanne Un Jour': Kyrie - Oxford Camerata
Beau Le Crystal - The Scholars Of London
Missa 'O Magnum Mysterium': O Magnum Mysterium - Oxford Camerata
Missa 'Papae Marcelli': Kyrie - Oxford Camerata

Customer Reviews:

another winner from Naxos.......2007-02-21

This is another winning compilation from Naxos. My only comment is to provide a heads-up regarding the track list in the booklet. CD 1 puts the Leonin "Viderunt Omnes" on six tracks, while the booklet leaves room for only one. Thus, add five to booklet tracks five through 21 for CD1 to get them to match. (I.e., where the booklet says tracks 15 and 16 are two versions of Josquin's "El Grillo," your CD player will show them to be tracks 20 and 21.) With luck this will be corrected in later printings.

Also, I would have liked the booklet to include the words, but perhaps that is an inducement to get particular CDs from Naxos.

As for the music itself--breadth of selection, musicianship, sound quality, all are excellent. A great collection!

awesome value -- 5+ stars.......2006-07-15

I'm really enthusiastic about these CDs and booklet. I've had it for a few weeks now, in which I've explored Medieval and Renaissance music much more deeply than this little book and CD set. Yet I'm very glad I started with these.

The selection of composers gives an excellent, broad sweep across several centuries.

But the booklet contains one of the most informative essays I've found about early music, and I've spent a few dozen dollars buying books. If the booklet were separated from the CDs, it alone would be worth more than $10.

In short, if you're interested in exploring early music, this really is one of the best places to start; the best place that I know of. I'm sure, at any rate, that you can't beat the value.

Average customer rating:

Andrea and Giovanni
This CD won several awards
Venetian Coronation CD
Wow! This is the best I've heard Gabrieli
5 stars doesn't do this recording justice

A Venetian Coronation 1595

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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

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

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Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Gabrieli · Monteverdi · Vivaldi - Venetian Church Music / Taverner Consort, Choir & Players · Andrew Parrott
Giovanni Gabrieli: Music For San Rocco
Gabrieli: The Canzonas and Sonatas from Sacrae Symphoniae 1597
Mass for Christmas Morning
Venetian Music for Double Choir

ASIN: B00000DNTZ
Release Date: 2002-12-23

Tracks:

Bells
Intonazione Ottavo Tono
Canzona
Introit
Son 333
Toccata 1
Intonazione Primo Tono
Kyrie
Christe
Kyrie
Gloria
Collect
Intonazione Terzo
Epistle
Canzona
Gospel
Intonazione Settimo Tono
Offertory: Deus Qui Beatum Marcum
Preface
Sanctus & Benedictus
Fanfare Sarasinetta
Son
Pater Noster
Canzona
Intonzione Quinto Tono
Communion: O Sacrum Convivium
Postcommunion
Benedictus Dominus Deus Sabaoth
Motet: Omnes Gentes

Customer Reviews:

Andrea and Giovanni.......2007-05-10

I can only say "ditto" to all the previous reviews. This recording has to be the best one of Andrea's works, which are all too rarely performed. Love the strong, low-register, at-times-blasting brass! Surely this is how the Gabrieli's intended the music. It makes the hair stand up on the back of one's neck! McCreesh's dynamic's instincts are spot-on and are a dramatic departure from his previous efforts. I cannot praise this CD enough.....

This CD won several awards .......2007-03-24

The other reviews here are spot on and i agree! This is a very special disc.
May i also add that it was awarded Record of the Year 1990 by ABC-FM Stereo
here in Australia and Gramophone (UK) 1990 Early Music Award.
I also suggest looking at abcshop dot com dot au for a superb selection of High quality classical music most of which is produced in Oz and not seen in huge quantities overseas. Amazon does have a few also. Type in ABC Classics
and browse through the selection.

Venetian Coronation CD.......2007-01-09

The item arrived in a good time and was well packed and in excellent condition. It was less than ordering it elsewhere. I learned of the music on PBS radio and was enchanted by it. Having a copy is a joy.

Wow! This is the best I've heard Gabrieli.......2005-01-19

The performance of Giovanni and Andrea Gabrieli is quite amazing. The acoustical effects of brass, organ and voices bouncing of the walls in natural stereophonic sound is really beyond description. A good mix of brass ensemble, vocals, organ and gregorian chant. I had not listened much to Andrea Gabrieli before I bought this CD and I have to admit that his contributions to this CD are very powerful.

The "omnes" at the end of the cd has extraordinary musical power. It builds to an amazing climax that has caused many a chill to go up my spine. On a personal note, I listened to this song on my way to see my alzheimer's stricken mother who had died just moments earlier. The finale to this CD represents the finale to my mother's life to me and will always be an important piece of music to my soul. I truly love this cd.

5 stars doesn't do this recording justice.......2004-12-28

There is little to say about this superlative recording that hasn't been said before. It represents the high point of the recording career of Paul McCreesh and his Gabrieli Consort and Players. This recording happens to be one of the best recordings of the music of Giovanni and Andrea Gabrieli available.

If you only ever buy one recording of Gabrieli's music, make it this one. There are a few good recordings of Gabrieli's music but none are better that 'A Venetian Coronation'. The recording 'Venetian Church Music', by the Taverner Consort & Players, is similar in quality to 'A Venetian Coronation', only Andrew Parrott did not choose to present the music as a recreation of an event.

The cornetts, Baroque violins, Baroque trombones and organs are all played with great style and panache in this recording. The choir features men's voices - from soprano to bass, and the sound blends beautifully with the cornetts and sackbuts.

Listen to 'Deus qui beatum Marcum' and you'll buy this recording.

This recording was a miracle and a wonder in its time and it is still the most impressive recording of its kind.

Average customer rating:

Precise performances of festive music

Medieval Carols

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Holiday Music | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

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$7 - $10 | Today's Deals | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music

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ASIN: B0000013XQ
Release Date: 1994-02-15

Tracks:

Ave Maria - Debroah Mackay/Philip Cave/Jeremy Summerly
What tidlings bringest thou? - Debroah Mackay/Philip Cave
O viridissima virga - Rebecca Outram
Alma redemptoris matter - Debroah Mackay/Philip Cave/Jeremy Summerly
Deo gracias Angila - Jeremy Summerly/Debroah Mackay/Philip Cave/Rebecca Outram
Be merry be merry - Debroah Mackay/Jeremy Summerly/Philip Cave
Riu riu chiu - Jeremy Summerly/Debroah Mackay/Philip Cave/Rebecca Outram
There is no rose - Debroah Mackay/Philip Cave
Planctus Guillelmus - Jeremy Summerly
Eya mater Stephane - Jeremy Summerly/Debroah Mackay/Philip Cave/Rebecca Outram
Gaudete Christus est natus - Jeremy Summerly/Debroah Mackay/Philip Cave/Rebecca Outram
Hail Mary full of grace - Debroah Mackay/Philip Cave/Rebecca Outram
Now may we singen - Philip Cave/Rebecca Outram/Jeremy Summerly
Nowell sing we - Jeremy Summerly/Debroah Mackay/Philip Cave
Planctus David - Philip Cave

Customer Reviews:

Precise performances of festive music.......2006-08-11

This anthology of early Christmas music provides a refreshing alternative to traditional seasonal releases, introducing the newcomer to these works with a representative and well contrasted programme. The performances - by a much reduced Oxford Camerata - are carefully executed and well-balanced, if perhaps not authoritative, and a bargain at this price.

From a musicological viewpoint, there are, however, a few points worthy of mention. Firstly, it must be admitted that there is a certain degree of artistic licence with the title "Medieval Carols" given the inclusion of 2 Renaissance works in the programme - 'Riu, riu, chiu' (from 'Villancicos de diversos autores' [1556] but here craftily attributed to "traditional") and 'Gaudete!' (correctly indicated as of 15th century origin, but in fact here performed as in the extant version from 'Piae Cantiones', 1582). In addition, whilst the 'Agincourt' carol may draw attention to the varying functions served by the Medieval carol, it is textually at odds with the rest of the programme (commemorating Henry V's famous 1415 victory there). Lastly, it seems a shame that here - as on so many other recordings of pre-Baroque Christmas music - texts and pronunciation are modernised, a fact exacerbated by some peculiar word-underlay in some of the editions.

Still, the CD is well worth owning for the music alone (particularly at this price) and goes some way to reminding us that Christmas is more than merely a secular family occasion.

Puer natus in Bethlehem, Alleluia! / Elmer Iseler Singers (CBC)

Average customer rating:

Puer natus in Bethlehem, Alleluia! / Elmer Iseler Singers (CBC)

Manufacturer: CBC
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Album Description

This new Christmas CD Puer natus in Bethlehem, Alleluia! on CBC Records features not only a fascinating array of Christmas choral music but is also the premiere recording of the Elmer Iseler Singers under their new artistic director, Lydia Adams. Taking the ancient Piae Cantiones plainsong melodies of medieval origin as the inspiration for this CD, the Elmer Iseler Singers have fashioned new and fresh arrangements by many of Canada's finest composers. Puer natus in Bethlehem, Alleluia! takes the listener into a sound world of both quiet contemplation and sparkling energy, combining through glorious choral music the spiritual connection and joyous celebration of this most important holiday season.

Average customer rating:

all Christmas,all the Time
Title makes a big claim, but it absolutely delivers...
Its time to be seasonal

The Best Carols in the World...Ever!

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00002438U
Release Date: 2005-10-04

Tracks:

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/Angels We Have Heard Ye On High - Sir David Willcocks
I Saw Three Ships - Sir David Willcocks
The First Nowell - Philip Ledger
God Rest You Merry Gentlemen - Sir David Willcocks
While Shepherds Watched - Sir David Willcocks
A Virgin Unspotted - Andrew Parrott
Once In A Royal David's City - John Rutter
In The Bleak Midwinter - Sir David Willcocks
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear - David Bell
In Dulci Jubilo - John Rutter
O Little Town Of Bethlehem - Philip Ledger
Past Three O'Clock - Sir David Willcocks
The Coventry Carol - Mediaeval Baebes
Away In A Manger - Sir George Thalben-Ball
Nativity Carol - John Rutter
Unto Us Is Born A Son - David Bell
Silent Night - Sir David Willcocks
Ding Dong Merrily On High - Sir David Willcocks
We Wish You A Merry Christmas - Sir David Willcocks
The Lord At First Did Adam Make - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Up! Good Christen Folk And Listen - Sir David Willcocks
Infant Holy, Infant Lowly - John Rutter
O Little One Sweet - Sir David Willcocks
O Come, O Come Emmanuel - David Bell
The Twelve Days Of Christmas - John Rutter

Tracks:

Good King Wenceslas - David Bell
Cherry Tree Carol - Sir David Willcocks
Joy To The World - David Bell
Here We Come A-Wassailing - John Rutter
See Amid The Winter's Snow - Sir David Willcocks
Gaudete - Mediaeval Baebes
The Holly And The Ivy - Sir David Willcocks
We've Been A While A-Wandering - Sir David Willcocks
We Three Kings Of Orient Are - David Bell
Shepherd's Pipe Carol - John Rutter
Masters In This Hall - Sir David Willcocks
The Babe Of Bethlehem - Andrew Parrott
A Spotless Rose - Philip Ledger
Angel Tidings - John Rutter
When An Angel Host Entuned - Sir David Willcocks
As With Gladness Men Of Old - David Bell
Adam Lay Ibounden - Mediaeval Baebes
The Coming Of Our King - John Rutter
Christ Was Born On Christmas Day - Sir George Thalben-Ball
A Christmas Carol - Sir David Willcocks
Sans Day Carol - John Rutter
Gabriel's Message - Sir David Willcocks
The Chester Carol - Robert Tear
Rocking - Sir David Willcocks
Methinks I See An Heav'nly Host - Andrew Parrott
Angels From The Realms Of Glory - David Bell
O Come, All Ye Faithful - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge

Customer Reviews:

all Christmas,all the Time.......2007-01-10

This two cd offering has almost all my favorites.the classics, not the Rudolph ones. Can't recommend enough.Listen and read Dickens...That's enough Christmas for anyone.

Title makes a big claim, but it absolutely delivers..........2006-12-02

This album provides 2.5 hours of excellent carols, from excellent choirs and soloists, and with great sound. I was worried that a compilation this large, and with such an extravagent title, would be B-side offerings, but that's not the case at all.

This isn't an album if you are looking for something "fresh and new." The arrangements are traditional, and even newer carols are done in a fairly conservative style. But that said, some of the pieces provide the best orchestration and voice arrangement I have ever heard. This is like the pinnacle of the classic English Christmas carol; clean, precise, glorious and celebratory.

Its time to be seasonal.......2005-12-16

This album contains traditional carols performed in a traditional way at the best quality. It is an excellent album to ensure the spirit of christmas is present and to bring the true meaning of christmas back. The double CD selection has all the golden favourites as well as not so wellknown carols to complete a very good christmas album. Merry Christmas to you all!

Average customer rating:

Ambrosian Liturgical Chants

Manufacturer: Hungaroton
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Opera & Vocal | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music

Opera & Vocal | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music
Similar Items:

Chant Mozarabe - Cathedrale de Tolede (15th century) /Ensemble Organum * Peres
Ambrosian Chant

ASIN: B00000306U
Release Date: 1999-09-15

Tracks:

Hallelujah: Venite, exsultemus
Ingressa: Rorate caeli
Responsorium in baptisterio: Gaudete, filiae
Responsorium subdiaconale: Portam hanc
(A) Antiphonae: O, Radix Jesse, (B) Antiphonae: O, Emmanuel, (C) Antiphonae: O, Sapientia, (D) Antiphonae: O, Adonai, (E) Antiphona et Psallenda: O, Virgo virginum
Psalmellus: Prope est portas
Responsorium: Tollite portas
Ingressa: Videsne Elisabeth
Hymnus: Intende, qui regis Israel
Responsorium archidiaconale: Praesepe jam fulget
Responsorium: Lux lucis
Antiphonae cum psalmis: A summo caelo - Dominus dixit - Notum fecit - Laetare nunc - Descendit sicut pluvia - Tu es via
Lectio I. Isaiae prophetae - Responsorium: In principio
Lectio II. De homilia sancti Maximi episcopi - Responsorium cum infantibus: Congratulamini mihi
Ingressa: Lux fulgebit
Gloria - Kyrie
Psalmellus: Tecum principium
Contractorium: Magnum et salutare
Transitorium: Te laudamus
Responsorium breve: Sancta Dei Genitrix

Christmas at Loretto: 20th Century Choral Music

Average customer rating:

Beautiful arrangements

Christmas at Loretto: 20th Century Choral Music
Franz Biebl , Norman Dello Joio , Gerald Finzi , Henryk Gorecki , William Hawley , Gustav Holst , Morten Lauridsen , Joel Martinson , William Mathias , J. David Moore , Daniel Pinkham , Ned Rorem , Jonathan Willcocks , Robert H. Young , South Bend Chamber Singers , Nancy Menk , and David Eicher
Manufacturer: Pro Organo CD 7079
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Opera & Vocal | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music

Opera & Vocal | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music
Similar Items:

A Robert Shaw Christmas - Angels on High

ASIN: B00005RGJR
Release Date: 2006-01-25

Tracks:

Regina Caeli by Jonathan Willcocks
Sweet Was the Song by Robert H. Young
A Babe Is Born by William Mathias
The Holy Infant's Lullaby by Norman Dello Joio
Totus Tuus by Henryk Gorecki
O Magnum Mysterium by William Hawley
Magnificat by Gerald Finzi
In the Bleak Midwinter by Gustav Holst
There Is no Rose by Joel Martinson
Gaudete by J. David Moore
Ave Maria by Franz Biebl
The Kings and the Shepherds by Daniel Pinkham
Shout the Glad Tidings by Ned Rorem
O Magnum Mysterium by Morten Lauridsen
Nativity Carol by William Mathias

Product Description

A wonderful Christmas disc by the award-winning South Bend Chamber Singers, recorded in the beautiful acoustic of the Church of Our Lady of Loretto on the Saint Mary's College campus in Notre Dame, Indiana.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful arrangements.......2007-02-12

I was disappointed that Franz Biebl was not listed in Amazon's composer list.
This album contains beautiful music. My favorite is Ave Maria. I like the idea that Biebl uses both women and men in his Ave Maria arrangement.

Average customer rating:

Gregorian Chants for All Seasons

Manufacturer: Vox (Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Lost in Meditation: Meditative Gregorian Chants, Vol. 1
Chant
Gregorian Chants: The Best of the Benedictine Monks of St. Michael's
Gregorian Christmas: Chants & Motets
Lost in Meditation: Meditative Gregorian Chants

ASIN: B000001K22
Release Date: 1992-11-04

Tracks:

Introit For The 1st Sunday In Advent (Mode 8)
Introit For The 4th Sunday In Advent (Mode 4)
Communion 3rd Sunday In Advent (Mode 7)
Introit For The 3rd Sunday In Advent (Mode 1)
Offertory For The 4th Sunday In Advent (Mode 8)
Hymn For Christmas Vespers (Mode 1)
Introit For The 3rd Christmas Mass (Mode 7)
Alleluia Of The 3rd Christmas Mass (Mode 8)
Communion For The Feast Of The Holy Confessor (Mode 8)
Gradual For The Feast Of The Holy Confessor (Mode 2)
Offertory For The 2nd Sunday After Epiphany (Mode 6)
Communion For The 2nd Sunday After Epiphany (Mode 6)
Introit For Sexagesima Sunday (Mode 1)
Tract Of Sexagesima Sunday (Mode 8)
Communion For The 2nd Sunday In Lent (Mode 5)
Offertory For Palm Sunday (Mode 8)
Gradual For Maundy Thursday (Mode 5)
Offertory For Maundy Thursday (Mode 2)

Tracks:

Introit For Easter Sunday (Mode 4)
Gradual For Easter Sunday (Mode 2)
Alleleuia For Easter Sunday (Mode 7)
Sequence For Easter Sunday (Mode 1)
Offertory For Easter Sunday (Mode 4)
Communion For Easter Sunday (Mode 6)
Antiphon For Easter Sunday In Praise Of Mary (Mode 6)
Introit For Ascension (Mode 7)
Offertory For Ascension (Mode 1)
Introit For Pentecost Sunday (Mode 8)
Sequence For Pentecost Sunday (Mode 1)
Communion For Corpus Christi Day (Mode 7)
Introit For The Feast Of The Immaculate Conception (Mode 3)
Introit For The Feast Of Christ The King (Mode 3)
Communion For The Feast Of Christ The King (Mode 6)
Introit For All Saints Day (Mode 1)
Offertory For All Saints Day (Mode 1)
Communion For All Saints Day (Mode 1)
Introit For All Souls Day (Mode 6)
Antiphon For Burial Service (Mode 7)

Music Review:

Music Review

music review

Music Review

Best of Mrs. Mills [Import]

Il Mare Calmo Della Sera (Musicrama)

Debussy: Études; Suite bergamasque

All They Had to Do Was Dream

Formentera De Noche

Eternity: A Romantic Collection

Eagle Song: Powwows of the Native American Indians

Gratitude [Enhanced]

Fragments & Fractions [Import]

Echoes: The Einaudi Collection [Import]

I Hide My Face Like This...

Bueno y Qué...?

DJ Latin Mix 2000

Vieuxtemps: Violin Concertos Nos. 2 and 3

Portrait of Erroll Garner

1. Angels We Have Heard on High, from Traditional French Carol
2. O Come, All Ye Faithful, Traditional English Carol
3. Gaudete / Rejoice
4. Sinfonia / In Dulci Jubilo
5. Lo, How a Rose Eer Blooming
6. Now the Word Becomes the Flesh
7. Gloria / Unto us a Child has Been Born Today (Paul Tranisi - Baritone solo),
8. Psallite / Lift Your Voice and Sing
9. Christ the Lord is Born Today
10. Let the Earth with Praise Resound
11. The Glory of the Father, Egil Hovland
12. Angelus ad Pastores Ait, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck
13. Ave Maria, Anton Bruckner
14. Salvation is Created, Paul Tschesnokoff
15. Ave Maria, from
16. Glory be to God
17. Jesu, Son Most Sweet and Dear, from Colin Brumby (Phyllis Noble - Alto solo; Jackson Berkey - Korg M1 Music Workstation)
18. How Still He Rests, Brent Pierce (Beth Asbjornson - Soprano solo; Bob Jenkins - Oboe; Jackson Berkey - Glass Windchimes)