I think we're on to a winner with this record: for years, now, parish groups, amateur choral societies professional choirs have all done their nut—aspiring, no doubt, to emulate King's—to produce, year after year carol concerts and newly-devised services of nine lessons and carols, subjecting what were once truly the songs of the people to what Hugh Keyte has aptly termed the ''ritual indignity of 'sophisticated' elaboration''. We've had a surfeit of such fare: indeed, the process itself is running out of steam.
Here, though, is refreshment in the form of a rich repertoire of originals, well-researched, colourful, occasionally rumbustious, often delicately tender; at all events, as far as possible genuine and 'authentic'. TheRead more music spans seven centuries, taking us from medieval England to France, Germany, Italy, Spain, even to the New World and Puritan 'shape-notes'. Dates, often actual sources, are listed wherever possible and original combinations of voices, or voices and instruments scrupulously respected, even to the allocation of different lines of one Christmas hymn—Quem pastores laudavere—to four contrasted vocal groupings, as was the practice apparently, in Germany in c. 1600. In reality, there may never have been so polished a performance of O Jesulein suss, nor so gentle a rendering of Swete was the song. We have no proof, either, that the words ''Veni, veni, Emmanuel'' were ever actually sung to the music of the trope Bone Jesu of the funeral responsory Libera me—that is, before Helmore transformed it into an English hymn, but how delightful to hear the high voices approaching from afar singing the French fifteenth-century descant version of our now well-known Advent tune! This year I have no doubt that what I'm going to put in my friends' Christmas stockings will be none other than this fascinating and most enjoyable treasure-trove.
Silent Nightby Franz Xaver Gruber Performer:
Charles Daniels (Tenor),
Stephen Charlesworth (Baritone),
Jakob Lindberg (Guitar)
Conductor:
Andrew Parrott
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Taverner Consort
Period: Classical Written: 1818; Austria Venue: England Length: 3 Minutes 55 Secs. Language: German
2.
Il est né, le divin enfantby Traditional Conductor:
Andrew Parrott
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Taverner Players
Period: Renaissance Written: 15th Century; France Venue: England Length: 1 Minutes 9 Secs.
3.
Marche des roisby Traditional Conductor:
Andrew Parrott
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Taverner Players
Venue: England Length: 1 Minutes 49 Secs.
4.
The Babe of Bethlehemby Traditional Conductor:
Andrew Parrott
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Taverner Consort
Venue: England Length: 2 Minutes 40 Secs. Language: English
5.
God rest ye merry, gentlemenby Traditional Conductor:
Andrew Parrott
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Taverner Consort,
Taverner Players
Written: England Venue: England Length: 2 Minutes 29 Secs. Language: English
6.
Quem pastores laudavereby Traditional Conductor:
Andrew Parrott
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Taverner Consort,
Taverner Players
Period: Medieval Written: 14th Century Venue: England Length: 1 Minutes 57 Secs. Language: Latin
7.
Quanno nascette ninnoby Traditional Conductor:
Andrew Parrott
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Taverner Players
Venue: England Length: 1 Minutes 59 Secs.
8.
Gabriel fram heven-kingby Anonymous Conductor:
Andrew Parrott
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Taverner Consort,
Taverner Players
Period: Medieval Written: circa 1290; England Venue: England Length: 3 Minutes 17 Secs. Language: English
9.
The Old Year now away is fledby Traditional Performer:
Elizabeth Tubb (Soprano)
Period: Renaissance Written: 16th Century; England Venue: England Length: 1 Minutes 51 Secs. Language: English
10.
O come, O come Emmanuelby Traditional Conductor:
Andrew Parrott
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Taverner Consort
Period: Renaissance Written: 15th Century; France Venue: England Length: 3 Minutes 27 Secs. Language: Latin
11.
Lully, lulla, thow littel tyne child "Coventry Carol"by Traditional Performer:
Charles Daniels (Tenor),
Emily van Evera (Soprano),
Simon Grant (Bass)
Period: Renaissance Written: 16th Century; England Venue: England Length: 3 Minutes 22 Secs. Language: English
12.
Ding Dong! Merrily on highby Traditional Conductor:
Andrew Parrott
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Taverner Players
Period: Renaissance Written: 16th Century; France Venue: England Length: 2 Minutes 2 Secs. Notes: This selection is based on the tune "Branle l'officiel" from Thoinot Arbeau's "Orchésographie". This selection is based on the tune "Branle l'officiel" from Thoinot Arbeau's "Orchésographie".
13.
Nova! nova!by Anonymous Performer:
Simon Grant (Baritone)
Conductor:
Andrew Parrott
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Taverner Consort
Period: Medieval Written: 15th Century Venue: England Length: 1 Minutes 41 Secs. Notes: This selection is sung in English and Latin.
14.
Verbum caro: Y la Virgenby Anonymous Conductor:
Andrew Parrott
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Taverner Players
Period: Medieval Written: 15th Century Venue: England Length: 1 Minutes 42 Secs.
15.
Redemptionby Jeremiah Ingalls Conductor:
Andrew Parrott
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Taverner Consort
Period: Classical Written: 1805; USA Venue: England Length: 0 Minutes 57 Secs. Language: English Notes: This selection begins with the words "Glory to God on high."
16.
This endere nyghthby Anonymous Performer:
Andrew Parrott (Tenor)
Conductor:
Andrew Parrott
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Taverner Consort
Period: Renaissance Written: circa 1600; England Venue: England Length: 4 Minutes 45 Secs. Language: English
17.
O Jesulein süss, O Jesulein mild, BWV 493by Johann Sebastian Bach Performer:
Jakob Lindberg (Lute),
Tessa Bonner (Soprano)
Period: Baroque Written: by 1736; Leipzig, Germany Venue: England Length: 2 Minutes 3 Secs. Language: German
18.
Swete was the song the Virgine soongby Anonymous Performer:
Emily van Evera (Soprano)
Conductor:
Andrew Parrott
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Taverner Players
Period: Renaissance Written: 16th Century Venue: England Length: 2 Minutes 36 Secs. Language: English
19.
Ríu, ríu, chíu "El lobo rabioso"by Mateo Flecha Performer:
Richard Wistreich (Bass)
Conductor:
Andrew Parrott
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Taverner Consort
Period: Medieval Written: Spain Venue: England Length: 3 Minutes 24 Secs. Language: Spanish
20.
Christum wir sollen loben schonby Lucas Osiander Conductor:
Andrew Parrott
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Taverner Consort
Period: Renaissance Written: 16th Century Venue: England Length: 3 Minutes 2 Secs. Language: German
21.
Gaudete!by Anonymous Performer:
Stephen Charlesworth (Baritone)
Conductor:
Andrew Parrott
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Taverner Consort,
Taverner Players
Period: Renaissance Written: 16th Century Venue: England Length: 1 Minutes 41 Secs. Language: Latin
22.
Verbum caro: In hoc anni circuloby Anonymous Conductor:
Andrew Parrott
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Taverner Consort
Period: Medieval Written: 15th Century Venue: England Length: 2 Minutes 21 Secs. Language: Latin
23.
Alleluya: A nywe werk is come on hondeby Anonymous Performer:
Nicholas Robertson (Tenor),
Leigh Nixon (Tenor)
Conductor:
Andrew Parrott
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Taverner Consort
Period: Medieval Written: 15th Century Venue: England Length: 5 Minutes 50 Secs. Notes: This selection is sung in English and Latin.
Sound Samples
Veni, veni Emmanuel (female voices)
Stille Nacht (original version)
Il est né, le divin Enfant (vocal)
Nova! nova!
Marche des rois
The Babe of Bethlehem (Ye nations all, on you I call)
Verbum caro: Y la Virgen
Glory to God on high
Thys endere nyghth
O Jesulein süss BWV493 (b.c. by Bach)
Il est né, le divin Enfant (instrumental)
God rest you merry, gentlemen
Swete was the song the Virgine soong
Quem pastores laudavere
Quanno nascette Ninno
Riu, riu, chiu
Gabriel fram heven-king
Christum wir sollen loben schon
The Coventry Carol
Gaudete!
Verbum caro: In hac anni circulo
Alleluya: A nywe werk is come on honde
The Old Year now away is fled
Branle de l'officiel (Ding dong! merrily on high)
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: ( 1 Customer Review )
Good stuff, peopleJanuary 10, 2015By Jeremy D. (Fresno, CA)See All My Reviews"There are none of the same old beat-to-death Christmas tunes on this album. The songs are pulled from a wide range of times and cultures and the performances reflect that, Stille Nacht sounds like a German folk song(which I suppose it is), some pieces are performed softly and others have the singers practically shouting. With good performances from instrumentalists and vocalists this is an antidote to the same old tunes you have to hear all December, every December."Report Abuse
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