Acantus

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
In our age of widespread literacy, it's easy to forget that the vast majority of music that survives from the Middle Ages was, merely by virtue of being written down, the dominion of an elite minority. On their debut CD, the Italian ensemble Acantus (the first group other than the Tallis Scholars to record for the Gimell label) approaches medieval Italian devotional song from the angle of common Italian folk music rather than of the erudite plainchant and polyphony preserved in most medieval sources. The pieces selected include several examples of chant-based "simple polyphony" that seem clearly derived from improvisatory practices--in Acantus's convincing performances, the effect is something like the equivalent of the spontaneous harmonizations Americans might sing around a campfire. These musicians use medieval instruments in about half of the pieces--and that sparingly--but the effect is always well-considered and natural: even when, in a hymn praising the crucified Christ and the Holy Cross, they use bagpipes and tambourine, the effect is fervent and exciting, without the faint whiff of condescension that often appears when "classical" early-music groups use those instruments. It's probably a measure of Acantus's success at aiming to recapture the musical spirit of ordinary folk in medieval Italy that the one piece they include that survives today in the oral tradition (a hymn from Liguria) fits right in with the rest of the record. --Matthew Westphal

Tracks:

Adoramus te Christe
Vergene madre pia
Quasi cedrus
Verzene benedeta
O Virgineta bella
Sicut pratum
Salve, sancte pater Salve sponsa Dei
Salve Virgo rubens rosa
Credo apostolorum
Sanctus & Benedictus
Qui nos fecit ex nichilo
Gaude flore
Alleluia
De profundis
Cum autem venissem
O crux fructus
Adoramus te Domine

Amazon.com

In our age of widespread literacy, it's easy to forget that the vast majority of music that survives from the Middle Ages was, merely by virtue of being written down, the dominion of an elite minority. On their debut CD, the Italian ensemble Acantus (the first group other than the Tallis Scholars to record for the Gimell label) approaches medieval Italian devotional song from the angle of common Italian folk music rather than of the erudite plainchant and polyphony preserved in most medieval sources. The pieces selected include several examples of chant-based "simple polyphony" that seem clearly derived from improvisatory practices--in Acantus's convincing performances, the effect is something like the equivalent of the spontaneous harmonizations Americans might sing around a campfire. These musicians use medieval instruments in about half of the pieces--and that sparingly--but the effect is always well-considered and natural: even when, in a hymn praising the crucified Christ and the Holy Cross, they use bagpipes and tambourine, the effect is fervent and exciting, without the faint whiff of condescension that often appears when "classical" early-music groups use those instruments. It's probably a measure of Acantus's success at aiming to recapture the musical spirit of ordinary folk in medieval Italy that the one piece they include that survives today in the oral tradition (a hymn from Liguria) fits right in with the rest of the record. --Matthew Westphal

Average customer rating:

Fresh sounds from Medieval polyphony
Very Good

Acantus: Sacred Songs of Medieval Italy

Manufacturer: Gimell UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000059GLX
Release Date: 2001-04-10

Tracks:

Adoramus Te Christe
Vergene Madre Pia
Quasi Cedrus
Verzene Benedeta
O Virgineta Bella
Sicut Pratum
Salve, Sancte Pater/Salve Sponsa Dei
Salve Virgo Rubens Rosa
Credo Apostolorum
Sanctus & Benedictus
Qui Nos Fecit Ex Nichilo
Gaude Flore
Alleluia
De Profundis
Cum Autem Venissem
O Crux Fructus
Adoramus Te Domine

Amazon.com

In our age of widespread literacy, it's easy to forget that the vast majority of music that survives from the Middle Ages was, merely by virtue of being written down, the dominion of an elite minority. On their debut CD, the Italian ensemble Acantus (the first group other than the Tallis Scholars to record for the Gimell label) approaches medieval Italian devotional song from the angle of common Italian folk music rather than of the erudite plainchant and polyphony preserved in most medieval sources. The pieces selected include several examples of chant-based "simple polyphony" that seem clearly derived from improvisatory practices--in Acantus's convincing performances, the effect is like that of the spontaneous harmonizations Americans might sing around a campfire. These musicians use medieval instruments in about half the pieces--and use them sparingly in those--but the effect is always well considered and natural. Even when, in a hymn praising the crucified Christ and the Holy Cross, they use bagpipes and tambourine, the effect is fervent and exciting, without the faint whiff of condescension that often appears when "classical" early-music groups use those instruments. It's probably a measure of Acantus's success at recapturing the musical spirit of ordinary folk in medieval Italy that the one piece they include that survives today in the oral tradition (a hymn from Liguria) fits right in with the rest of the record. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

Fresh sounds from Medieval polyphony.......2005-11-18

'Acantus', the album and group name presents Italian medieval liturgical music with a distinct sound which sets it apart from most other medieval music I have heard.

I am not an expert on music, let alone medieval polyphony, although I listen to a lot of old music and there is a tendency for it to all run together and sound the same.

On this recording, there is a distinctly Mediterranean tenor to the vocals. I will not go so far as to say I would immediately recognize this music as originating in Italy, but I would identify it to being from either Italy or Spain rather than from France, Germany, or England.

Some pieces also have an unusual and primative form of percussion I have heard no where else.

If you like early music, this album is a very pleasant change.

Very Good.......2002-01-04

The primary singers here are two women who use a vibrato-free, strong, chesty tone that works well for this music. They are joined on occasion by one of the male instrumentalists, and I think there might have been a little use (just a little) of the multi-track recording device to cause the female vocalists to sprout a twin sister at strategic points here and there. This recording departs from other early religious music recordings in that this is "peasant" music rather than "high church" music. Consequently, the form of the music is simple when compared to its high church counterpart. If you are looking for one of those recordings of masterful motets, this isn't it. Even though the simplicity of the music presents the risk of a boring recording, the performers do a good job of keeping boredom at bay. I must admit, toward the end of the recording, it wouldn't have hurt to have a complex piece or two to spice things up, but that would have been at odds with the theme of this recording. Given the quality of the recording, it's a shame this is the only recording by the group (that I can find). I think fans of early music should consider this an essential recording to have, but I would probably restrict my recommendation to those fans only. By the way, if I recall correctly, I believe Grammophone magazine (or was it Fanfare?) gave this a high rating too; that's what drew my attention to it.

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