Psallite!-Renaissance Christmas

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Chanticleer, North America's only full-time, professional, all-male choir, prides itself on its widely varied repertoire, and here the group presents an ambitious program of Renaissance works, several of which are available on an earlier release, Chanticleer in Concert. Among the 20 selections are works by Josquin, Mouton, Lassus, Byrd, Perotin, Praetorius, and Taverner. Anonymous works include the ever-popular Spanish song "Riu, riu, chiu" and its frequent companion "E la don don." Most of these pieces are very difficult to sing, and Chanticleer manages the technical difficulties quite well. Stylistically, however, the performances lack distinction--while very pretty and respectful of the music's integrity, the ensemble's predominant trademark sound overrides everything else, giving this music the same character as works of later periods and performance styles. --David Vernier

Tracks:

Renaissance Song & Dance
Dance Suite - Eramus Widmann - Collection Of1613
Three English Songs For Voices And Instruments
Instrumental Music Of The Early Barogue
Festive Sounds
Trouvere Tunes
The Cabinet Organ
Lauda And Motet
Minstrel Melodies
Medieval Dances

Customer Reviews:

A very nice album for SCAdian ears.......2007-04-25

This is a fun album. it's festive, playful, and a real joy to listen to. There is something for everyone in this album--including and especially SCAdians. In fact there's probably at least one piece on this album that every SCAdian dancer, musician, and/or bard will recognize. There's courtly songs, love songs, and get out of your chair dances, even formal pieces you associate with concert halls.

Whether you play in the SCA or just love great historical music, this is one of the better albums I've ever bought--on amazon or anywhere else!

Recording is defective.......2007-04-06

The first one I got had a lot of popping and crackling, and some digital defects that cause the CD player to skip. I liked the music so I bought another copy and it was the same. Both wound up in the trash. Don't waste your money on this disk.

adequate performances but totally inadequate information.......2005-04-27

It is perhaps unfair to judge the performances on this recording (presumably made in the late 1950s/early 60s? - we are not given a date) by modern standards of early music performance. Yes, there are moments when the experimental nature of the approach is all too apparent, both in terms of the [im]plausibility of the interpretations and in the [at times] excruciating intonation (a particularly pertinent example is the shawm playing in track 10). But what is in fact by far the most deplorable feature of this recording is the utter sparsity of information provided - about the performers, the instruments, the composers, the repertoire, etc. Worse still, what little that is provided is often hopelessly inaccurate: sometimes in the form of blatant spelling errors (eg the Coventry Carol becomes here 'Lully Lullary', etc), at other times factual blunders (the medieval 'Estampie' in track 10 is in fact a 16th cent [ie Renaissance] tourdion, 'Quand je bois du vin clairet', whilst John Dowland's 'Frogg Galliard', c.1597, is here given an anonymous attribution...etc, etc, etc).

In short, for those not acquainted with pre-Baroque music, this is NOT a good place to start!!! Seasoned Early Music connoisseurs, on the other hand, may find a perverse pleasure in some atrocious moments, or perhaps take interest in its value as an example of historically informed performance style in the pioneering years - but you have been warned!!

For those interested, here are some alternative recommendations if you are new to this music: firstly, 2 wide-ranging compilations by 2 well-known ensembles -

1. Sinners and Saints - The New London Consort/Philip Pickett (Decca 48559)
2. Portrait ('Moyen Age et Renaissance') - Hesperion XX/Jordi Savall (Auvidis Fontalis 'Portrait' ES9904), or either of the 2 new compilations by Savall and his ensemble(s) on Alia Vox ('Harmonie Universelle', AV9810; 'Harmonie Universelle II', AV9839).

and a compilation (mostly of early music) featuring a number of different groups -

'Pastime with Good Company' (Alpha, A901) [includes groups like L'Arpegiatta, Le Poeme Harmonique, Diabolus in Musica...]

A nice overview of very early music.......2003-12-02

This was one of the first recordings of early music I ever bought. It's a broad survey of styles and periods, from the 12th to 17th centuries. I've become a more sohisticated listener since then, but I still get this one out fairly regularly. The recording is apparently old and the digital remastering was not done extraordinarily well, but those who are more interested in music than in audio equipment should be able to listen through the occasional (minor) vinyl surface noise. My major complaint (why I gave it 3 stars instead of 4) is the lack of documentation--there is no information about the musicians, and many of the composers are uncredited (some because they actually are anonymous, but sometimes out of apparent laziness). Still, at this price it's a bargain.

Don't Be Affraid.......2003-11-19

This cd is worth picking up. Yes the first couple of tracks have pops and crackles in it. And yes it sounds as if the music was transfered directly from a vinyl source. But the performances and selections on this cd are fabulous. And you get use to the flaws in the recordings. Which I find minor.

Tracks:

Prologue: Gloria in excelsis Deo (Robert Cowper)
The Annunciation: Ave Maria, gratia plena (Plainsong)
The Annunciation: Angelus ad Virginem (English Carol, 13th Century)
The Annunciation: Alma Redemptoris Mater (Pierluigi da Palestrina)
The Annunciation: Gabriel's message (arr. Edgar Pettman)
The Appearance of the Angles To The Shepherds: Hodie Christus natus est (Giovanni Bassano)
The Appearance of the Angles To The Shepherds: Jolly Shepherd (English Anonymous Round)
The Appearance of the Angles To The Shepherds: Hodie Christus natus est (Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck)
The Appearance of the Angles To The Shepherds: Past three a clock (arr. Charles Wood)
The Birth: Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen (Praetorius/Vulpius)
The Birth: There is no rose of such virtu (English Carol, 15th Century)
The Birth: Ave maris stella (Lajos Bardos)
The Birth: A spotless Rose (Herbert Howells)
The Birth: O magnum mysterium (William Byrd)
The Birth: Ach Herr, Du Schr (Heinrich Sch
The Angels Greet The New - Born Child: This endris night (arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams)
The Angels Greet The New - Born Child: Entre le boeuf (French Carol, 13th century)
Arrival Of The Shepherds At Bethlehem: Guillran ton tamborin (arr. Louis-Gaston Soublette)
Arrival Of The Shepherds At Bethlehem: Psallite (Michael Praetorius)
Arrival Of The Shepherds At Bethlehem: Quem vidistes pastores? (Richard Dering)
The Rocking Of The Cradle: The cradle (harm. Martin Shaw)
The Rocking Of The Cradle: Lullaby (William Byrd)
The Rocking Of The Cradle: El Rorro (Mexican traditional carol)
The Rocking Of The Cradle: Once as I remember (arr. R. Hammond)
The Rocking Of The Cradle: The Lamb (John Tavener)
The Rocking Of The Cradle: Joseph lieber, Joseph mein (Johannes Walther)
The Adoration Of The Magi: Entry of the Three Kings (John Gardner)
The Adoration Of The Magi: The King of all Kings (collected by Cecil Sharp)
The Adoration Of The Magi: Ring out ye crystal spheres (Robert Armstrong)
The Adoration Of The Magi: Gloria in excelsis deo (Thomas Weelkes)

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful CD, cheaper elsewhere.......2005-12-05

I first heard of this cd when I heard the glorious El Rorro on a mix of christmas music which I got with a copy of a magazine called Classic CD. I looked everywhere for the cd but had trouble finding it anywhere and even heard from one record store that the cd had been deleted. I checked here on Amazon and saw that it was only available used for $32.50. I seriously considered buying it even for that price.

I was therefore ecstatic when I found it on iTunes for $11.99 and instantly purchased it online. You can find it there, not under the US title but the original UK title which is Once as I Remember. For those who enjoy old English choral music, then this cd can become one of those you will have to listen to every christmas. This is one of mine.

Perhaps my favorite Christmas albumn.......2005-12-04

I originally bought this CD merely because it was on sale from a record club. I had no idea at the time how astonishingly good it was. It has quickly become perhaps my favorite albumn of Christmas music, and in fact it is one of the CDs that gives me most pleasure throughout the year. The range of selections is incredibly broad and extremely tasteful. The songs are alternately joyous, rousing, subtle, and very moving, and the perfomances are superb. It would be wonderful if this CD were reissued in an inexpensive format; I would love to be able to give this as a gift to many friends. I particularly recommend selections 5, 22, 23, and 27. The last two of these, especially, deserve to be much better known and more widely performed than is presently the case.

A Wonderful Christmas Pageant .......2005-10-24

John Elliot Gardiner has brought us a great deal of wonderful music and has been a leader in what used to be called early music performance practice (nowadays it is just the way the music is performed). Apparently, he came from a well to do family and for some period of time they had their own Christmas pageant that told the story of the Nativity with a mix of various musical numbers that ranged the ancient to the relatively modern.

This is a terrific album all on its own, but it may spark some ideas for your own Christmas celebrations and introduce you to some new pieces new approaches for the Holiday. The music is all excellently performed, I suspect far more professionally than when he was a child, but we always idealize our fond memories don't we?

The disk comes with all the texts for the pieces along with his explanation of how the pageant worked along with the spoken parts (not included on the disk) and that is a nice touch. If you wanted, you could simply use the disk for the musical portions and take turns in your family of just reading the spoken parts. Just a though.

Enjoy!

Personal and Universal.......2000-12-19

This recording is a personal memoir of John Eliot Gardiner's childhood. His family put on an annual Christmas pageant involving a large cast of family, friends, neighbors, etc. The selections on this CD are the selections that were used for the pageant, plus a few of Mr. Gardiner's new favorites added as well. (The readings that were part of the pageant are included on the liner notes.)

On my first listen to this recording the music was beautiful, but it seemed like an ad hoc collection. The cause for this seemed to be the variety of fairly diverse styles from one selection to the next. There are high Renaissance pieces, contemporary pieces, traditional carols, some Medieval selections, and a few other odds and ends. Most of the works are a cappella, but some are accompanied. All are executed with the flawlessness of the Monteverdi Choir. But the album didn't seem to have a flow or direction.

Then I read the readings that went between the selections as well as the liner notes about the pageant. Ever since then the CD "clicked." The flow of the selections made wonderful sense.

If you by this CD I suggest you read the liner notes first and the readings in the order they are intended. At least for me it made the CD a complete work of art.

This CD is a glimpse into what "made" the conductor John Eliot Gardiner. It is also a universal statement of Christmas.

Beatiful choir.......1999-12-10

The Monteverdi choir sounds very well and all the melodies are sweet. Listen the third theme or ONCE AS I REMEMBER.

Average customer rating:

Renaissance was better than this....
my favorite christmas cd
Great for a snowy night and a quite house

A Renaissance Christmas

Manufacturer: Ex Cathedra Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classical Instrumental | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music

Classical Instrumental | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music
Similar Items:

A Baroque Christmas
A Medieval Christmas
English Medieval Christmas
Medieval Christmas
Christmas Music from Medieval

ASIN: B000054BDP
Release Date: 2000-10-01

Tracks:

Hail Mary full of grace (Anonymous, 15th-century)
Nowell: Tidings true (Anonymous, 15th-century)
There is no rose (carols) (Anonymous, 15th-century)
Noel, noel (motet) (Antoine Busnois, d. 1492)
C'etait a l'heure (noel) (Anonymous)
Noe, noe (motet) (Antoine Brumel, fl.ca.1500)
Lullay: Als I lay (Anonymous, 15th-century)
Nowell: Out of your sleep (Anonymous, 15th-century)
Marvel not, Joseph (Anonymous, 15th-century)
Alleluia: A newe work (carols) (Anonymous, 15th-century)
Conditor alme siderum (hymn) (Guillaume Dufay, ca.1400-1474)
Green groweth the holly (carol) (Henry VIII, 1491-1547)
Tander naken (instrumental consort) (carol) (Henry VIII, 1491-1547)
Sweet Jesus (King Henry VIII's Book, ca. 1515)
E la don don (Anonymous, pub. 1556)
Riu, riu, chiu (villancicos) (Anonymous, pub. 1556)
Es ist ein' Ros' (arr. Micheal Praetorius, 1571-1621)
Coventry Carol (Anonymous, pub. 1591)
Joseph lieber (melody) (Anonymous)
Hodie Christus natus est (motet) (G.P. Palestrina, ca.1525-1594)
In dulci jubilo (melody) (Anonymous)
Sweet was the song (lute song) (John Attey,+ca.1640)
Greensleeves (ballad tune) (arr. Thysius Lute-Book,ca.1600)
Psallite unigenite (motet) (Michael Praetorious)
Branle de l'Official (dance tune) (Thoinot Arbeau, 1519-1595)

Album Description

Produced in association with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, "A Renaissance Christmas" celebrates the winter holiday. Selections include: 15th-century English carols, "Green grow'th the holly" and Taundernaken from the Songbook of Henry VIII; noels by Busnois, Dufay and Brumel; late Renaissance motets, lute songs, villancicos and instrumental dances by Palestrina, Attey, Arbeau and Praetorious' "Es ist ein' Ros' entsprungen."

Customer Reviews:

Renaissance was better than this.... .......2007-01-11

In purchasing this CD, I was anticipating music that reflects the excitement that was the Renaissance. Instead, I felt I was listening to middle age dirges. I confess, I've not listened to the CD again.

my favorite christmas cd.......2005-10-31

Usually period music is so poorly produced and cliche, but this CD is flawless. The quality of sound is amazing; the beauty of the music transcends time and space. If you buy one Christmas CD, buy this one. It's the perfect elegant moodsetter for the season.

Great for a snowy night and a quite house.......2000-12-06

I first heard cuts off this CD on the syndicated early music program Harmonia and was enchanted by it. I ordered it the next day and wasn't disappointed after it arrived. The CD comprises various English, French, & Italian carols, dance tunes, noels, and melodies from the 16th century.

I'm not a trained musician so please forgive my lack of detailed musical critique. The tracks consist mostly of the heavenly vocals of the six members of the New York's Ensemble For Early Music, with a mixture of period instruments thrown in for good measure. Listening to it all, you can easily picture an advent service in a 16th cent. French cathedral. If you're looking for a beatiful peaceful collection of music to add to your holiday collection, this is it.

Tracks:

O Admirabile Commercium
Canite Tuba In Sion
O Virgo Virginum
Ave Maria
Now Make We Joy
Hail Mary, Full Of Grace
Nowell
Quaeramus Cum Pastoribus
Resonet In Laudibus
Joseph, Lieber Joseph Mein
Psallite Unigenito
In Dulci Jubilo
E La Don Don
Riu, Riu, Chiu
Sing Joyfully Unto God
Benedicamus Domino
Kyrie Leroy
Serenissima Una Noche
Diffusa Est Gratia
Benedicta Es, Coelorum Regina

Amazon.com

Chanticleer, North America's only full-time, professional, all-male choir, prides itself on its widely varied repertoire, and here the group presents an ambitious program of Renaissance works, several of which are available on an earlier release, Chanticleer in Concert. Among the 20 selections are works by Josquin, Mouton, Lassus, Byrd, Perotin, Praetorius, and Taverner. Anonymous works include the ever-popular Spanish song "Riu, riu, chiu" and its frequent companion "E la don don." Most of these pieces are very difficult to sing, and Chanticleer manages the technical difficulties quite well. Stylistically, however, the performances lack distinction--while very pretty and respectful of the music's integrity, the ensemble's predominant trademark sound overrides everything else, giving this music the same character as works of later periods and performance styles. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

Renaissance Done Right.......2000-10-31

This was the first CD of Chanticleer's that I ever purchased and I have been enamored with the group ever since. Especially from an all-male vocal ensemble, I was not expecting much in the way of the blend and tonality necessary for Renaissance music. Having sung in a high school Madrigal group with a conductor who received his Master's in Renaissance Music, I felt able to judge their quality. I was more than pleasantly surprised; I was dumbfounded at the capability of this group to effectively and correctly sing this style of music. Renaissance music is not one of the hardest forms of music to sing but singers typically treat it with such ease that they often sing it incorrectly. Chanticleer does an excellent job of conveying the text of what they are singing through their rich but delicate blend and uncanny control of dynamic contrast. The O Admirabile Commercium immediately sets the tone for the rest of the repertoire: controlled, fluid, engaging. They also introduce pieces that are necessarily stays of Renaissance music. While most ensembles turn to Palestrina and Victoria, Chanticleer instead gives the listener great music from less-known composers. They offer a wonderful Renaissance education with every piece as they run the gamut on style, text, and language, and never failing to give each piece its due by treating it as if it were a premier. I have bought three other Chanticleer CDs because of this one. It is music that is fit for any time of year, not just Christmas, and it is done right.

A Cheerful Noise-Songs and Dances of Medieval and Renaissance Times

Average customer rating:

A Cheerful Noise-Songs and Dances of Medieval and Renaissance Times

Manufacturer: Legacy
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Rondos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music
ASIN: B000002NSP
Release Date: 1994-09-27

Pier Natus in Bethlehem: Renaissance Christmas Music

Average customer rating:

Pier Natus in Bethlehem: Renaissance Christmas Music

Manufacturer: Bis
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Opera & Vocal | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music

General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music

Opera & Vocal | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music
ASIN: B000038IDA
Release Date: 1999-11-15

To Drive the Cold Winter Away: A Fireside Presentation of Music for Merrymaking

Average customer rating:

A wonderful Christmas CD!
To Drive The Cold Winter Away/ Sothcott, St George's Canzona

To Drive the Cold Winter Away: A Fireside Presentation of Music for Merrymaking

Manufacturer: Crd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Holiday Music | Compilations | Miscellaneous | 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
ASIN: B0000044ET
Release Date: 1994-04-05

Tracks:

Early of the Minstrels and Waits: Branle de l'Official/Good King Wenc
Festvities in the Tavern: The Dressed Ship/Here We Come A-Wassailing/
Medieval Holiday: Edi Beo Thu/Salterello/Alle (Psallite Cum) Luya/R
Festivities at the Manor
'to Entertain a King': Fire Dance/Stepping Dance/Windmills/Village Da

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful Christmas CD!.......2001-12-25

This CD evokes such a wonderful sense of a long ago time...you may feel you have been transported back to the time of the Renaissance! Two songs in particular deserve special mention. The first is the tital song, To Drive the Cold Winter Away. It is a beautiful, if not very familiar, carol that is unlike any other I have heard. The second is the tradtional God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen that truly sounds like it might have in the Middle Ages. It is a haunting rendition of a lovely carol.

It is not an easy CD to find, but it is well worth seeking out and buying!

To Drive The Cold Winter Away/ Sothcott, St George's Canzona.......2000-12-19

I've heard this album on the radio and on a friends sound system and now that I have it also it's just gotten even better. This recording is a collection of classical music with a slight flavor of the middle ages. It contains both familiar and unfamiliar melodies all presented in a very enjoyable format. All together a very nice collection.