Customer Reviews

1492: Music in Age of Discovery

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I own hundreds of albums, but nothing else like this one. Of all the albums I own, I particularly want to write about this little-known gem.

The premise of this album is to capture and present the mentality and mood throughout Europe during that time as shown through its music. And it succeeds!

This album is fantastic. I've owned it for years, and yet I still listen to it often. Together with a well written insert that tells the stories behind each piece, and the political backdrop behind each one, it takes you through the sense of wonder, fear and hope, that people felt at a time when the strange new world beyond the European continent was suddenly opening up to them, both foreboding and alluring.

It touches also upon several of the age-of-discovery issues, including religious conflicts with other cultures, the quest for wealth, the joy of expansion and the sorrow of loss. A once-provincial mentality was suddenly being replaced by an awareness of that mysterious "other-ness" out there, and this was being expressed in the music, brought so successfully through in this album.

The opening piece of this album is also its theme: Ayo visto lo mappamundi (I have seen the maps of the world). And this sets the stage for the rest of your voyage.

One favorite example I want to single out is a piece of Andalusian music that was written during (or shortly after) the time when Spain went from Moorish to Christian: in this amazing piece, we hear what at first sounds like Arabic music; after a few times you start to hear the new influence on Arabic music by the Medieval Europeans... and then finally, you realize that what you're hearing is that missing link which will soon become the phenomenon called "Flamenco!" And you'll feel a sense of discovery all your own.

A terrific recording by the Waverly Consort! Framed by differing arrangements of the Italian song "Ayo visto lo mappamundi" (I have seen the world map), the selections on this CD take the listener through Italy, Moorish Spain, the court of Ferdinand and Isabella, the harsh reality of the expelled Spanish Jews, and finally to the new world, where the thrill of discovery for the Spaniards was countered by the sorrow of the subjugated and slaughtered natives. The Moorish and Sephardic numbers are full of exotic eastern flair, enhanced by George Mgrdichian's sultry oud playing. Other instruments used include viol, recorder, lute, harp, gemshorn, organetto, citole, vihuela, hurdy-gurdy, saz, vielle, kemence, sacbut, shawm, flute, panpipes, cornamuse, dumbek and claves. The fine instrumentalists are complimented by a sextet of clear-voiced vocalists--two sopranos, countertenor, two tenors and bass, performing both as soloists and together. This richly varied program, arranged and selected by Kay and Michael Jaffee, has something for everyone, and all of it well done! For more music of early Spain, check out also the releases of Hesperion XX, Ensemble Accentus, and the CD "Los Ministriles: Spanish Renaissance Music" by Piffaro, the Renaissance Band.

This is one of my very favorite early music discs. The performances are enthralling, and the mix is marvelous. Stirring pieces and ethereal vocal works are blended together in a kind of aural gestalt that is rarely achieved on one disc. It stands alone as a work of art. Bravo to the Waverly Consort!

I've owned this CD for a very long time, yet I still play it often. Soothing and exhilarating at the same time.

I love this music. Very nice window into a fascinating, intriguing period. I even named my hard drive after the girls in the lyrics.

If you enjoy mid-Renaissance music, you'll like this CD. The Consort is in fine voice and the selection covers a wide variety of cultures that were Portugal in the 15th Century, from the aristocrats to the gypsies to the Jews. Very pleasant collection.

I thought this cd was off the chain yo! i put the bass up and let it ridddde! i like to put this on my table and scratch it, it drives the ladies crazy. WoW this is off the heezy. PEACE!