Brother Sun, Sister Moon

Gregorian Chant (Composer), William Byrd (Composer), John Taverner (Composer), Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (Performer), Samuel Scheidt (Performer), John Sheppard (Artist), Maurice Durufle (Artist), Robert White (Artist), Cambridge Singers (Artist), Gerald Finley (Artist), John Rutter (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Samuel Scheidt
• Composer: Gregorian Chant, William Byrd, John Taverner
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: American Gramaphone
• ASIN: B0000005MF
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,078 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #3 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Partsongs
  • #6 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Songs & Lieder > General
  • #9 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Chants

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

A brief glance at the packaging for this recording might make you think New Age, and indeed this label normally offers recordings in that vein. The disc's cover tells nothing about the music inside--all we see are the ruins of an ancient abbey, the moon in the sky on the front, the sun on the back. But wait. If you get far enough to listen to the recording, you'll find one of the most beautiful and beautifully programmed choral recordings in the catalog. The compositions, organized into the categories "Music of the Morning Rite" and "Music of the Evening Rite," are mostly from 16th- century composers--Byrd, Taverner, Sheppard, White--with a few Gregorian chants and a gorgeous rendition of the 20th-century motet by Duruflé, "Ubi caritas." Conductor/choral music legend John Rutter has assembled a program that's both uplifting and restful; the performance is faultless. One could only complain about the short (39 and a half minutes) playing time. --David Vernier

Product Description

No Description Available.
Genre: New Age Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 1-JAN-2002

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Light and shadows, July 28, 2003

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Brother Sun, Sister Moon (Audio CD)

Recorded in the Great Hall of University College School, London, the Cambridge Singers under the direction of John Rutter produced a true masterpiece in 'Brother Sun, Sister Moon' in 1988. The title derives from a famous prayer by St. Francis of Assisi, and is inspired by liturgical music from (or derivative of) the Middle Ages and Renaissance polyphony and Gregorian chant. The music is meditative, uplifting, and elegant in simplicity and stunning vocal quality.

--Brother Sun--
The first half of the disc is largely composed of pieces from the liturgical Morning Prayer cycle, concentrating on texts from Easter, the most important of Christian days. From the Alleluia to the Acclamations and Surrexit Christus Hodie (Christ is risen today), the flow from Gregorian Chant to compositions by Byrd, Taverner and Palestrina (giants of this type of music) in increasing energy and glory, as befits both a Morning service (time to wake up!) as well as a celebration of the resurrection of Christ. Perhaps of particular note here is the cantoring of bass Gerald Finley in the Easter Acclamations.

--Sister Moon--
The second half of the disc concentrates on music of the evening; in particular, the Compline service, a service of unwinding and sombre meditation with which monastic communities conclude their days of work and worship. Many churches have reincorporated Compline into a regular cycle of services; some have even done so as a result of exposure to this recording. The music here is softer and less energetic than that of Morning prayer. This includes music from Whyte and Sheppard (also masters of the Medieval-to-Renaissance liturgical polyphony) as well as a brilliant motet by twentieth century composer Duruflé for the Ubi Caritas.

--Liner Notes--
The notes for this recording include the titles and words, in both Latin and English, for each of the pieces recorded here. It has an excerpt from a prayer by St. Francis, and a basic introduction to the music relating it historically and liturgically. One thing conspicuously missing is any biographical information about John Rutter, or any descriptive information about the Cambridge Singers apart from the basic listing of singers.

--John Rutter--
Rutter was born in London and educated at Clare College, Cambridge. This was where his career as a composer, arranger and conductor began. His early work was with groups at King's College Chapel at Cambridge as well as the Bath Choir and Philharmonic Orchestra. He has worked for the BBC providing music for educational series such as 'The Archaeology of the Bible Lands', until in 1979 he began forming the Cambridge Singers, and has continued a remarkable career of performance and recording as their director ever since.

--The Cambridge Singers--
The Cambridge Singers are a mixed choir of voices, many of whom were members of choir of Rutter's college, Clare College, Cambridge. While they specialise in English and Latin liturgical pieces, they have a wide range of recordings that span from modern compositions (including a remarkable requiem by Rutter) to English folk songs of the Middle Ages. For this particular recording, the choir consisted of eleven sopranos, six altos, six tenors, and six basses.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars American Gramaphone, please reissue this title., March 29, 2000

By 

Echolucent (Tucson) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brother Sun, Sister Moon (Audio CD)

I originally obtained this CD through Minnesota Public Radio. The first time I listened to the Ubi Caritus, I was moved to tears. The CD became my favorite to play at Christmas and other times. I gave the CD to a friend who has moved to Oregon, deeply regret that it is no longer in production.

John Rutter trains his singers to sing without vibrato, and blends their voices with such balance that they come together as a single instrument. The selection on this CD is perfect to demonstrate the clarity and richness of this ensemble. If American Gramaphone does reissue this title, I will be first in line to purchase it.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiring performance, December 22, 1999

By 

M. Ramos - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brother Sun, Sister Moon (Audio CD)

This is one of the best recordings of the Cambridge Singers. We have here a program dedicated to sacred music related to morning and evening, specially music written for Easter and Compline. The repertoire is mostly from the medieval and renaissance periods. The result is a performance of great musicality and peaceful atmosphere. The program selected flows with great unity, almost like it were one single work instead of a collage of different composers. Among the higlights are the opening number, ALLELUIA- HAEC DIES, Dum Transisset Sabbatum, and the beautiful transition between INTO THY HANDS, LORD and UBI CARITAS by Duruflé. This last piece, a favorite of so many choral groups, is performed superbly, sounding fresh and new. As always, the Cambridge Singers, under the direction of John Rutter, have a stunning sound and balance. A great recording for lovers of sacred music and everyone interested in spirituality.