Customer Reviews

Ancient Noels

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of the complaints heard over and over again at Christmas time is that "they start playing Christmas music in November, and you're sick of it by the time Christmas gets here!" There IS a point to that, I must agree. White Christmas, Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire, Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer, Sleigh Ride, Silver Bells, and on and on. Over and over. No wonder you can tire of this music so fast. Then you pull out your own Christmas cd's and what do you find? Out of the maybe ten you may own, I'm sure virtually every one has 90% of the same songs AGAIN. Maybe a couple of religious songs - Silent Night, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, The First Noel - are thrown in as well. But, they're the SAME SONGS once again! Every disc - every artist. Now, I love these songs as much as anyone. And, believe it or not, I love them more now than ever. That's because over the last ten years or so I've amassed a rather large collection of Old World/Victorian style Christmas music, many of which I reviewed for Amazon. Done in the traditional style, even the songs heard frequently sound refreshing.
Maggie Sansone, a wonderful hammered dulcimer musician, has put out a number of traditional Christmas cd's, one of which is called Ancient Noels. It doesn't matter that not one of the songs on this cd mentions Santa or Jingle Bells, they are still Christmas songs, the way they were heard hundreds of years ago. Unless you are a collector, I'm sure you may not recognize most, if any, of these carols, which makes listening to them even better. They're NOT the same old songs heard daily for two months straight. Take up Amazon's deal to let you give a listen to snippets of these songs. I think you'll be glad you did. My personal favorite is the medley of Gloucestershire Wassail/Tomorrow Will Be My Dancing Day/The Sussex Carol. Other highlights are Riu Riu Chiu, The Friendly Beasts, In The Bleak Midwinter, and To Us A Little Child Is Born. Actually, there is not a bad song on the disc.
If you play this in between your Johnny Mathis and Bing Crosby, I think you'll find a nice variety and change in your Holiday listening. And if you like my suggestion, check out my other reviews for Christmas Music. Artists such as Madeline MacNeal, Robin Petrie, Revels, Chieftains, Opera Lite, and others. Even when these artists do the 'tried and true' carols, you won't mind, since, in most cases, these artists play them in the traditional/Old World way that makes them seem new again!

My husband and I love this CD. It's all medieval instruments (with no voices.) We bought it to play during the holidays, but since the songs are not typical "holiday" songs, we enjoy it all year long. Highly recommended!

Maggie Sansone covers some of the great old carols that are typically so hard to find. All medieval instrumentals, CDs like this are so necessary for an occasional withdrawal from all of the "Popular" Christmas music that we hear so often. In fact, one ends up getting hooked on this stuff, and looking for more and more of it to buy. Check out Sansone's _Sounds of the Season_ CDs, too.

ancient carols and renaissance rhythms bring to life images of ancient holidays and the origins of Christmas. Maggie Sansone & Ensemble Galilei with special guest Bonnie Rideout take us on a wonderful journey, a world of chamber folk at is highest caliber, with intricate arrangements and a perfect blend of folk and early music instruments.

Extremely well done-- a nice break from the usual Holiday music, but certainly something that can be played at any time of year. These performers combine their love of musical scholarship with engaging performances and come up winners!

I was searching for beautiful yet ancient Christmas music. Having listened to several sample albums, I found this treasure. It is quite different: the music is truly presented. It is not just played, every part loudly to get its two-bits in. It is soooo beautiful.

What a delightful change from the wonderful but typical Christmas tunes we hear over and over again. This beautiful music takes one back, way back... imagine a banquet hall in a medieval castle, tapestries on the walls and damsels in the halls, a bowl of wassail and a pig roasting in the huge stone fireplace. Well, that's where the music takes my vivid imagination anyway! I love it, beautifully done.

The Ancient Noels is a serene musical experience. You are bathed in soft tones for most of the cd. It is easy to relax when listening to these olden songs. One is taken back in time. This is music of good value. Give it a try.

I had heard this album many years ago and fell in love with it but wasn't able to find it again until just recently. This music is a welcome relief for those who have heard "Jingle Bells","Silent Night" etc. just one too many times. My favorite piece is the third noel, entitled "Hoboekentanz/Schafertanz"; it's absolutely magical and, as you listen to it, you feel yourself being drawn far back in time to when this music was first created and played.

As a musician, I greatly enjoyed this CD. The use of only acoustic instruments lends atmosphere to the tunes. All tunes are centered around the hammered dulcimer. Because I have grown tired of the synthesized instrumentation on many Christmas albums, this was a welcome change.