The Carol Album: Seven Centuries of Christmas Music

Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Andre Caplet (Composer), Franz Xaver Gruber (Composer), Lukas Osiander (Composer), Philippe Le Chancelier (Composer), Caelius Sedulius (Composer), English Traditional (Composer), William Walker (Composer), Andrew Parrott (Conductor), Choir & Players Taverner Consort (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Choir & Players Taverner Consort
• Conductor: Andrew Parrott
• Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach, Andre Caplet, Franz Xaver Gruber, Lukas Osiander, Philippe Le Chancelier, et al.
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: EMI Records
• ASIN: B000002RR4
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #160,309 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A mult-layered trip through musical time, November 17, 1999

By 

Robert R. Kunz Jr. "rrk" (Fox River Grove, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Carol Album: Seven Centuries of Christmas Music (Audio CD)

To my taste, this is the way to do the vast musical repertoire of Christmas. Andrew Parrott's detailed, deep and textured approach presents a something new and satisfying with each listen.

Initially, I was dismayed at the near-inaudible beginning of the first cut, "Veni, Veni, Emmanuel"...until I interpreted the slowly rising volume as the plainsong of an approaching band of medieval choristers, which is certainly a way in which it was heard.

Truly, a wonderful trip through seven centuries!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Something different -- very enjoyable, December 16, 2001

By 

Matthew Spady "800rsd" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Carol Album: Seven Centuries of Christmas Music (Audio CD)

If this very stylish album does not have something that will please you, you are just too hard to please. With carols spanning seven centuries, in French, German, and English, from the old world and the new, this is a comprehensive survey of the Christmas carol.

The performances are not arranged chronologically, but rather in contrasting and complimentary order, alternating unaccompanied with accompanied, vocal with instrumental. Both the vocal and instrumental ensembles have a range of styles and sonorities. Compare, for example, the brash open sound of "The Babe of Bethlehem" and "Glory to God on High" with the restrained pure sound of "This endere nyghth" or the full sound of "Christum wir sollen loben schon."

The booklet contains notes and texts as well as a list of players, but do not identify the various soloists.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fresh and witty, December 11, 2001

By 

diplocase (Gabon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Carol Album: Seven Centuries of Christmas Music (Audio CD)

If you've never strayed into the Early Music racks, start here! And if you have 30" of Christmas CDs in your collection and half of them are Early Music and traditional, you're still going to love this! No muddy, pretentious, over-orchestrated stuff here. Just period instruments or fresh voices, and some gentle musical jokes. (The little-sung and wonderfully rhythmic "March of the Kings" instrumental starts out barely audible in the distance with the jingle of harness and bells, grows louder, then fades in the distance as though the magi and their magnificent procession had passed on. And "Il est ne', le divin enfant", which mentions the reedy voice of the musette, is played on one.)