African Sanctus

David Fanshawe (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 19, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Silva America
• ASIN: B000004BQU
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #193,706 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why you should buy this CD!, August 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: African Sanctus (Audio CD)

Fanshawe did a good job at blending the cultures and native African recordings with his compositions. The whole concept of his journey is wonderful, and the CD cover does a great job of describing his intentions and activities and also contains a comprehensive overview of each movement. Basically, Fanshawe has taken the traditional movements of the ordinary mass (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei) and added movements, changed the order, and added all the African sounds that he recorded on his ethnomusical journey. I will admit that there are a couple of moments that I don't particularly adore, but they are few and far between. Just the Credo and Sanctus movements alone make this CD worth buying, and the rest of the movements are a bonus as far as I'm concerned! Highly recommended!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blending Cultures...Blending Music?, May 19, 2002

By 

Jessa (Midwest, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: African Sanctus (Audio CD)

I heard Fanshawe speak when he visited my college a few years past. I had to pick up this CD after, and it has been a staple of my musical diet ever since. It is a stunning musical blend of a traditional Sanctus and African tribal music (forgive me if my terminology is wrong, I'm an English major, not a music major). Without wanting to get pithy and/or didactic about harmony and diversity, it truly shows how lives and faiths blend through this incredible music.

For example, check out the "Kyrie: Call to Prayer." This is a juxtaposition and combination of the Muslim and Christian faiths, as it combines the traditional Christian kyrie liturgy with the recital of the Azan, Call to Prayer, which Fanshawe received special permission to record in the Muhammad Ali Mosque in Cairo.

It's amazing. If you can't take my word for it, check it out yourself.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful., June 13, 2001

By 

Micah Bales (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: African Sanctus (Audio CD)

This piece of music is absolutely stunning. The "Et in Spiritum Sanctum" actually almost makes me cry every time I hear it. It's just so... Pure. You can feel the humanity and deep spirituality of this piece. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.