On the Banks of Helicon: Early Music of Scotland [IMPORT]

Edwin George (Performer), Scottish Anonymous (Composer), Andrew Blackhall (Composer), Pierre Cadeac (Composer), James Lauder (Composer), John [1] Playford (Composer), Etienne du Tertre (Composer), Scottish Traditional (Composer), Baltimore Consort (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Edwin George, Baltimore Consort
• Composer: Scottish Anonymous, Andrew Blackhall, Pierre Cadeac, James Lauder, John [1] Playford, et al.
• Audio CD (December 1, 1992)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: © 1990 Dorian Recordings
• ASIN: B000001Q8M
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #56,784 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #4 in

  Music > Classical > Featured Performers, A-Z > ( B ) > Baltimore Consort

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

There are no more proficient or imaginative practitioners of early music than the members of the Baltimore Consort. Their programs are invariably intelligent and involving, and the performances--well, you just have to hear them. Faultless musicianship and a real sense of style characterize every interpretation and arrangement. This disc features music of Renaissance Scotland--songs, dances, airs--both lively and lyrical, serious and humorous, performed by a colorful variety of period instruments and, often, the beautiful soprano of Custer LaRue. The nice thing is, you don't have to know anything about this music to thoroughly enjoy it. And considering its origins as folk music, that's just as it should be. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The American Invasion?, June 8, 2000

By	NDM - See all my reviews

Stirling Castle in Scotland has a room dedicated to authentic early Scots music. Guess what they've selected for you to hear, echoing off those stone arches just as (you are told) it would have sounded four hundred years ago? That's right - a buncha Yanks. And rightly so.

Early music consorts are often rigid, adhering to the sheet as though it were a Beethoven score with every dynamic fastidiously set. The BC play early music the way it was written to be played: to be improvised upon, shown off with, played at, and many other phrases abusing prepositions. Their interpretations are sprightly, exciting, touching, haunting, achingly beautiful, and just plain a delight. And -- in my opinion -- "Helicon" is arguably their best. ("The Ladyes Delight" competes for the spot.)

The Baltimore Consort have done for early music what the Beatles did for rock 'n' roll. Even if you don't care for classical music, you'll like this one.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like the Music of Scotland? You'll LOVE This!, December 20, 2000

By	Harold T Thomas "foxtwinjapan" (Silver Spring, MD) - See all my reviews

If you enjoy the musical sounds of Scotland, this album is a must-have. Custer LaRue's vocals, Chris Norman's flutes, Ronn McFarlane's lutes and Edwin George's bagpipes will transport you to Renaissance Scotland. And if you've heard these tunes before by other performers, give the Baltimore Consort a chance to show you what quality Renaissance music is all about! While this album is more vocally driven than some of the Baltimore Consort's other albums, it is an enjoyable offering that will only add spice to your music shelf. The songs here are grand examples of the fine Scottish music of the 16th-18th centuries, and will be enjoyed with perhaps as much zeal as the instrumentals. There is a fine musical rendering of the Lord's Prayer in "Our Father God Celestial" on this album, a favorite of mine. There are two bagpipe tunes, which no Scottish album could be without. Lovers of Celtic music (like me) will no doubt enjoy this album, as it is yet another by the Consort that has been played and replayed in my household.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My heart is in the Highlands..., September 27, 2005

By	FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

The Baltimore Consort, an ensemble of six players, was founded in 1980 with the purpose of performing 'broken consort' pieces of Elizabethan origin. 'Broken' here refers to the instrumentation - treble viol/violin, flue/recorder, lute, cittern, bandore and bass viol. Their repertoire expanded beyond these beginnings to include broader British fare, as well as French and Italian music of the time. This is a happy expansion, as it made this disc of Scottish music possible.

The Baltimore Consort play with life and vigour, with a good deal of improvisational flair, not being bound to texts and going through the production of notes as if mechanically. This is true to the spirit and nature of the early music, in which performers often had to 'play by ear', neither being able to read music nor having printed music even if they could.

The music here has a definite Celtic flavour to it. This disc represents 'music fyne', traditional native songs, and English imitations. Scottish courtly music was influenced both by England and France, but put its own unique accent to it. Indeed, most of the words to the songs performed here are in Scots, a dialect of English that had a strong literary flowering in the sixteenth century.

The names of many of the composers of these pieces have been lost to history, particularly the more folk-song oriented ones. Music represented here is as early as 1538 and as late as 1719, nearly 200 years of Scottish musical history.

Added to the regular consort players are Edwin George (playing bagpipe and recorder), and Alice Kosloski as a vocalist (alto). The regular players include Mary Anne Ballard (viols), Howard Bass (bandora), Mark Cudek (cittern and bass viol), Custer LaRue (vocalist/soprano), Larry Lipkis (viols), Ronn McFarlane (lute) and Chris Norman (flutes). Some artists are known from other Dorian productions, such as Ronn McFarlane on the lute in the collection 'Greensleeves'.

This is music that is interesting, flawlessly performed, entertaining and has a quality about it that makes it both ancient and current at the same time. A wonderful recording, this is a real treat to the listener interested in Celtic music, Renaissance music, and folk music.