¡ay! Lucrecia Dalt

Guillaume Dufay was undoubtedly the greatest musician of the fifteenth century. The Missa Se la Face ay Pale is the first of the four Great Masses of his maturity. While ushering in the Renaissance period, this work represents a culmination in the music of the Middle Ages.

Machaut's Genius is fully recognized, but his monodic works deserve to be better known. He was the last trouvere, poet and composer, and with him died the monodic world of the learned composers of the west. His virelais, or 'chansons balladees' as he preferred to call them, have a trace of folk art about them, while being exquisitely wrought products of a writer of poetry and melodies so natural as to create an impression of utter effortlessness. They are songs to dance to, to hum to oneself, with frequent repeated sections and a compelling charm.

Kevin Rowland & Dexys Midnight Runners - Too-Rye-Ay (1982) {2CD 2007 Mercury Records Remastered & Expanded Deluxe Edition}
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© 1982, 2007 Mercury Records / Universal Music | 9800889
New Wave / Celtic Soul / Post Punk / Blue-Eyed Soul / UK Guitar Pop

For one brief moment, Dexy's exploded into America's consciousness – and what a song to do it with! "Come on Eileen" combines ramalama rock & roll, soul delivery, and Celtic/country flavor into a perfect musical fusion and an irresistible U.K. and U.S. number one hit. The rest of the album is nearly as successful, with quite a few numbers that should have matched "Come on Eileen"'s fame. Given that song's obvious debt to Van Morrison's similar fusions, it's no surprise that Dexy's tipped their hat with a great cover of Morrison's "Jackie Wilson Said," another big British single.

Thirteen of the 28 tracks on this broad survey of El Siglo de Oro feature the voice of Guillemette Laurens, familiar from other early-music ensembles, typically alternating with the instrumental works. She is accompanied on organ, harp, vihuela, and percussion, the organ an instrument at Lorris-en-Gâtinais dating to 1501, rebuilt a century later, and restored in 1974. The disc takes its title from an anonymous song that comes, like the rest of the program, from 16th-century Spain. The cover art is El Greco’s only portrait of a woman, currently located in Glasgow.

Frank Wallace - ¡Ay de Mí! - Music of 16th Century Spain for Vihuela and Voice (1991) {Centaur CRC 2112}
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© 1991 Centaur Records | CRC 2112
Classical / Renaissance / Early Music / Vihuela

Frank Wallace’s skill at performing self-accompanied songs is unusual and unsurpassed in the classical world. The Spanish repertoire he presents on this recording ranges from earthy to suave and sophisticated…one of the best vihuelists working today…Wallace also sings…no mean feat when one considers the polyphonic nature of the vihuela accompaniments…His renditions of fantasías by Narváez, other instrumental works, and song accompaniments are exemplary, bringing the kind of polish to the music that must have been prized in the Spanish noble houses.