Medieval Cue

The Arcana recordings by the Italian ensemble La Reverdie approach, in their esoteric beauty, the medieval recordings by the American quartet Anonymous 4. There are, however, great differences. The La Reverdie recordings are not only based on minute scientific research but also on philosophical concepts, these usually being explained in the form of heady intellectual essays printed in the accompanying booklets in four languages. The music itself is eclectic, being carefully selected from manuscripts held in European university libraries.

Schola Hungarica & Matthias Ank - Das Gänsebuch: German Medieval Chant (2005) {Naxos 8.557412}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 309 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 171 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 47 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2005 Naxos | 8.557412
Classical / Medieval / Renaissance / Organ / Sacred / Vocals

I admit it was the cover that got my attention–first, the title, referring to an 1120-page manuscript collection containing the only existing original copies of pre-Reformation liturgical music from Nuremburg; second, the illustration, an illumination from the collection that depicts a wolf directing a choir of geese singing from a large music book, a hungry-looking fox sitting on hind-quarters just behind the choir. Upon listening to the music, I was reassured that there was more to appreciate here than the intriguing, colorful illustration and charming title.

"In the six years since this female quartet astonished the music world with its clear- voiced, impeccably sung renditions of medieval chant and polyphonic music, chant rose from the dark and dusty corners of classical music to enjoy a phenomenal run at center stage.New and reissued chant recordings achieved sales figures normally reserved for popular music. This is the recording that started it all (that Spanish monks disc came later), winning awards and earning near- permanent resident status on the national charts. Spiritually moving and vocally revelatory, this program recreates a kind of mass sung in English churches during the 13th and 14th centuries. With their warm tone and perfect intonation, these four singers achieve an expressiveness that is rare among chant interpreters, most effective in the seductive, highly ornamented 'Kyrie.' The sound is exemplary–although a studio recording, it perfectly conveys the atmosphere of an English cathedral."

David Vernier, Amazon.com

Hungaraton's Codex Sanblasianus: Medieval Mass for the Feast of the Annunciation is a rather mysterious entry for a number of reasons. One will look in vain for the title "Codex Sanblasianus" anywhere outside the context of this disc, and that raises a red flag as to exactly what manuscript János Mezei and the Schola Cantorum Budapestiensis is referring. It is British Museum Add. 27630, a South German manuscript from the second half of the fourteenth century.

The Medieval Ensemble of London was active in the late 1970s and early 80s and directed by Peter & Timothy Davies. They were a clear successor to David Munrow in this area, and most of the performers involved on their albums continue to be major parts of the EM mainstream. Albums such as the complete Dufay & Ockeghem songs were landmarks in their day. Twenty-five years after it was first released, this magnificent recording of 15th-century secular music has finally become available once again. Listening to it today, one wonders why Decca took so long to reissue it.

Originally recorded in 1989, The Sacred Bridge contains a speculative program linking various genres of Christian and Jewish religious music, most of it medieval. The Boston Camerata continued to perform the program in various forms in subsequent years.

Peregrinatio is the second part of the trilogy Ramon Llull: lúltim pelegrinatge.The music of this album will accompany the first Ramon Llull's travels outside the territories of the Crown of Aragon and Majorca. After his years of learning and his failed experience of founding the Monastery of Miramar, Llull personally will take the reins of the project and since 1287 we will find him traveling around the Mediterranean to present their missionary projects to Kings and Popes: the first trips draws musical scene of Llull s visit to Paris and music that move us to Genoa, where he plans to sail to Tunisia.

Bill Taylor - Musica: Welsh Medieval Harp Music from the Robert ap Huw Manuscript (2010) {Taith Records TRCD011}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 340 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 154 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 211 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2010 Taith Records | TRCD011
Classical / Medieval / Renaissance / Early Music / Historical Harp

In 1613 Robert ap Huw of Anglesey copied part of William Penllyn’s manuscript of harp tablature. This is the earliest surviving body of European harp music and contains Welsh bardic harp music from the 14th – 16th centuries. A combination of scholarship and imagination has enabled the reconstruction and interpretation of this unique music, played on historical harps.