A Feast of Songs: Holiday Music from the Middle Ages

Barry and Beth Hall

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 1, 2002)
• Original Release Date: December 25, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Barry and Beth Hall
• ASIN: B00007IP55
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #78,686 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

About the Artist
Barry and Beth Hall sing and play a variety of acoustic instruments including lute, dulcimer, viola, violin, mandolin, guitar, sitgar, flute, recorders, French horn, herald trumpet, doumbek, tar, bodhrán, tabor, tambourine, cymbals, Moroccan and African drums, and many other percussion instruments.

Product Description
A Feast of Songs is a lively collection of familiar and unusual traditional songs and dances from the middle ages that celebrate the winter season and its associated festivals and holidays. Songs from the British Isles, Ireland, Germany, France, Poland and Sweden blend medieval and renaissance tonalities with a festive folk energy that awakens the spirits of past ages.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Christmas CDs on the Planet, December 5, 2002

By	Karen A. Decoster (Clinton Township, MI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is holiday music from the middle ages, by Barry and Beth Hall. They do performances of my favorite antique classics such as _Masters in the Hall_, _Quem Pastores Laudavere_ (a 14th-century Latin chant, performance reminiscent of a midnight monastic Gregorian chant, with deep-toned church bells and ritual drumming); _Mors Vitae Propitia_ (high energy 12th-century French song from Piae Cantiones, sung in Latin and accompanied by vielle, lute, flute and percussion); _Personent Hodie_ (medieval song from the Piae Cantiones, sung in Latin and accompanied by recorders, vielle, lute and percussion); and _Nous Voici Dans La Ville_ (haunting traditional French melody, performed on fiddle, mandolin and recorder).

Their sound is phenomenal, and this CD belongs in every Christmas collection.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Medieval Christmas CD--Ever!, December 31, 2003

By	strega2 "strega2" (USA) - See all my reviews

What a find this remarkable CD is! If you love authentic Medieval music, played with the authentic instruments of its time and sung in the same way that a nobleman's court of the 14th or 15th Century might have heard it--this is the one for you. Beth and Barry Hall, both very gifted musicians, offer the finest collection of European Medieval carols I have yet found, and I have a large collection of the music of this period. A Bravissima performance to be savored all year round. Good Lords and Ladies all, grab this one!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Nice!, January 14, 2003

By	Damien F. Gray (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews

I have been listening to this album for two Christmas seasons and never seem to tire of it. The instrumental pieces are very well done, beautifully providing delicate, intricate harmonies. The vocal numbers are equally well done. There is a nice selection of songs, some familiar to the modern listener, and some providing a good introduction to medieval music. This is Christmas music for all ages.