4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Artists But Missing Many Familiar Favorites, August 28, 2011
This review is from: Around the World: International Folk Songs (Audio CD)
First, let us ask what is a folk song and what isn't? A folk song springs out of the spirit of the people; it has no known composer. In contrast, an art song has a known composer. With time and familiarity, however, some art songs essentially become folk songs. Consider, for example, Der Lindenbaum (Schubert) and Die Lorelei (Silcher). Unfortunately, in the US "folk song" became adulterated, associated with Joan Baez; Peter, Paul, and Mary; and even Burl Ives (very versatile and one of my favorite singers). A personal comment--Am Brunnen vor dem Tore da steht ein Lindenbaum suffuses my soul, and I feel that Schubert composed it specifically for me, a world traveler who may also long for the peace of home! Moving to the CD under review, one could not find a more worthy group than the Wiener Saengerknaben directed by Peter Marschik. The CD includes songs from most countries that are familiar to the average listener. Some songs are very familiar--Shenandoah, Loch Lomond, and Cielito Lindo--and many not so familiar. I recommend this CD to listeners who are just now taking an interest in folksongs. My only complaint is that some songs are hard to hear, perhaps because the amplitude was set too low. I came across this CD because it was the only recording of Sarie Marais (of Boer origin} and one of my favorite songs.
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