Genre: Meistersinger/Epic (1100-1200)
Score: 80
Why this recording: It had Titurel by Wolfram von Eschenbach (writer of the famous Parzival)
Thoughts:
This was a much more difficult listen than anything else somehow. (30 minutes of an epic sung). I'm curious if people really sat there and listened to all 30 minutes of the story being sung? I mean it being told as a story sure. And I know it is in a musical meter, so it makes sense. I've always had issues listening to audio books or lyrics for that matter. If I'm listening to music, it's about the music. So, just like an audio book, I'll be honest, I kind of tuned out about halfway through Titurel. I suppose I could've tried reading along to make more sense of it.
Storytelling with music is perfectly fine. I suppose that's what I love about Bob Dylan or Opera (usually just read the libretto to understand it, and then I can watch it musically, understanding the story a bit better).
For those unaware, Parzival is one of the older "holy grail" epics. Titurel is supposed to be a prequel to that story, but history only preserved fragments of it.
As for the music itself, I'm not a fan of the countertenor style of Drew Minter for this kind of work. It's a bit too proper. I think I'd be more interested in a "commoner", even if that'd be against the grain/style of meistersinger.
Last edited by RoundTheBend on 02/02/2018 04:30; edited 1 time in total
I'm curious if people really sat there and listened to all 30 minutes of the story being sung?
They didn't have much else to do back then mate.
I know this isn't western, but have you ever seen a Japanese Noh play? They were basically musical performances that could sometimes last an entire day.
I'm curious if people really sat there and listened to all 30 minutes of the story being sung?
They didn't have much else to do back then mate.
I know this isn't western, but have you ever seen a Japanese Noh play? They were basically musical performances that could sometimes last an entire day.
Hmm... yeah similar concept it seems. And yeah it makes sense. I guess what I meant was sometimes these performances don't always get the attention the deserved. Supposedly it wasn't until people like Beethoven and Wagner who demanded performances to be church like reverence (in non-religious settings). In Mozart's day, it wasn't uncommon for crowds to cheer, and be a bit rowdy.
So I suppose for me personally, I'd totally tune out and ask for the text (although I probably could not have read back then). But furthermore there's plenty of plays/musicals/operas that are long, that's a bit obvious, I just was wondering what type of person actually listened and payed attention. I mean oral tradition is nearly the oldest form of "art"- whether that be religious or not.
And yes - it was a sign of great power to be able to spend 3 hours listening to music back then. It meant you weren't slaving 14 hours a day in the fields or similar. I suppose in those regards, we live like kings?
I suppose all I'm saying is I typically prefer the spoken word over sung word when it comes to a story told.
On that note Audio Books should have an option for the text to be sung or not sung. 🤣
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Genre: Pastourelle (1282-83)
Score: 80
Why this recording: It was a full performance of the oldest French secular play with music
Thoughts:
This vocal style is much more interesting to listen to. I don't know enough about French to know if it was sung in the Picardian dialect or not. Not that it matters other than I did like listening to this vocal style. Musically it was similar to some of these other stories to music. The music itself isn't terribly powerful, and the story itself is more important (I don't know French and didn't read the story).
I guess the synopsis of the story is Robin (a knight) and Marion (a shepherdess) and Marion doesn't accept his advances. Then she tells her friends about it.
To be honest it sounded a bit like a bohemian/gypsy entertainment thing and somehow mixed with the playfulness of Louis Prima. 🤣 Just saying what it sounded like to me.
It was nice to visit medieval France though.
Last edited by RoundTheBend on 02/02/2018 04:30; edited 1 time in total
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Genre: Cantiga (monophonic 1200s)
Score: 80
Why this recording: It seemed to be a decent collection of some of the Cantigas. Jordi Savall seemed legit.
Thoughts:
A visit from the Castilian King. I think this is the first time we are listening to music written by royalty if I'm not mistaken. Having said that, it says often attributed to him... so dunno if wrote most of them or if he was a dick and said yo, that's mine.
Somehow, (so far) I'm liking more the "edges of the empire" (Spain/Orthodox) for medieval music. Not always, but somehow it is more mesmerizing/enchanting and transcending.
I remember attending some early music parties at USC, and hearing real cat gut stringed instruments (6 string cellos and the such). It's cool to hear the lute. I mean I've heard it for the past few albums, but never really thought of it until now.
I also like this singing style. It has heart and style. Some pretty cool rhythms and even percussion.
Genre: Polyphonic/Motet/Conductus (1200-1300)
Score: 80/100
Why this recording: It appears to have all 25 fragments. Often hard to come by (complete works).
Thoughts:
My thoughts are likely boring. Visiting Worcester this time in the medieval era. Sometimes it is quite clear the differences between countries and other times not so much (this sounds much like the Notre Dame School). Curious if there were differences or if modern interpretations are just difficult to catch nuances that may have differentiated them.
Genre: (many) Trouvère/Troubadour (1100-1200ish)
Score: 83/100
Why this recording: They seemed to be a legit study of the genre. Samples sounded intriguing.
Thoughts:
Possibly the 3rd or 4th best thing I've listened to so far. Knowing nothing about them, it's hard to say if they modernized their interpretations or if they are legit. The production/arrangements, etc. are quite intriguing and feel like they take you to something tangible and real. Another work possessing more instrumentation, which is nice for me.
Genre: (many) Organum/Ars Antiqua/Ars Nova, etc.
Score: 83/100
Why this recording: It covered the journey of music throughout the period in sometimes a better way than the originals (not many recordings I found had both the perotin and leonin 2 and then 4 voice renditions), etc.
Thoughts:
Well I wrote up this whole long thing and I lost internet on my laptop and then refreshed my cache all while writing it and usually I can save it if I refresh the page or what have you, but when it no longer recognizes you signed it apparently it doesn't do that.
Long story short: This is a fantastic 2 hour journey through the Gothic era, giving examples of the differences throughout time better than anything else I glanced through. From the beginnings in Organum of polyphony to the most well known voice of polyphony/beginnings of renaissance music, Machaut.
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Genre: Minnesang
Score: 81/100
Why this recording: It had more than just Walther von der Vogelweide on it giving more of the genre
Thoughts:
Part of me was like, eh, this is just a bunch of love songs. And then I started reading some of it and then I started thinking to myself, how timeless are these love songs, right? I mean for how long has love been the epicenter of art, and yet we often just dismiss it as sappy and shallow. Perhaps we shouldn't? Reminds me a bit of that McCartney song:
You'd think that people would have had enough of silly love songs
I look around me and I see it isn't so
Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs
And what's wrong with that
I'd like to know
And then later: It isn't silly, love isn't silly, love isn't silly at all
Anyway, I was reading over this as I was searching for the lyrics of this (a song or two overlaps) and gave me a similar feel for what lyrically was happening. And what I see is someone perhaps being honest about how they feel -how they wish the love of their life could be found and how they wish they held certain characteristics. I mean isn't that just 90% of these sappy love songs, yet this tradition is as old as time. Kind of beautiful if you slow down and respect it for what it is. Even from rap's "big ass ho" lyrics link with this part of humanity, just in a different way. I think "may she be a fair maiden" is just a different version of that or vice versa (kinda... of course you could get into the cultural differences, but at the essence it's the same, just different social norms applied).
This is full of that sense of longing. Quite beautiful. It's like perhaps these songs actually were often sung while their loved one was away, you know? Like off to war, or perhaps it was this thought like the thought of love, not love itself, to wish upon while not actually having love. I feel that's a common theme in humanity. Liebestod. Romeo and Juliet. Etc.
As for the music - the vocals were well performed as was the music. Pretty solid collection of songs and performances, even if not the greatest thing ever. Great for what it is.
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Genre: Choral Music (1300s in German - English translation says 13th century, so 1200s)
Score: 80/100
Why this recording: I think this is a legit officiating of full mass circa 1300 - an interpretation of it at least.
Thoughts:
While beautiful and sacred, and likely a historical peak into what sitting mass would have felt like during the period, it somehow fell a bit flat for me. It was nice to have organum chant along with an organ/variable instrumentation throughout. Some of the melismatic singing was really annoying (for the first time)... the amen on Gloria was literally nearly 3 minutes long... one word. Impressively annoying. (Yes, get on with it! Is that a Monty Python thing or Princes Bride... I forget).
Not sure what the brass instrument (maybe winds?) was, but interesting to hear. Some really cool stuff on this and then some of it was a bit too much for me (a nearly 3 minute melismatic run of the A on Amen).
It also features a piece from de Vitry which was kind of hard to find and I'm glad I stuck out to listen to that. You can hear the advancement towards Renaissance music.
Text to the well known hymn:
Section 1:
Glória in excélsis Deo
et in terra pax homínibus bonæ voluntátis.
Laudámus te,
benedícimus te,
adorámus te,
glorificámus te,
grátias ágimus tibi propter magnam glóriam tuam,
Dómine Deus, Rex cæléstis,
Deus Pater omnípotens.
Section 2:
Dómine Fili unigénite, Jesu Christe,
Dómine Deus, Agnus Dei, Fílius Patris,
qui tollis peccáta mundi, miserére nobis;
qui tollis peccáta mundi, súscipe deprecatiónem nostram.
Qui sedes ad déxteram Patris, miserére nobis.
Section 3:
Quóniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dóminus, tu solus Altíssimus,
Jesu Christe, cum Sancto Spíritu: in glória Dei Patris. Amen.
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