Customer Reviews

A Feast of Songs: Holiday Music from the Middle Ages

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

If A Nonesuch Christmas was your favorite holiday album, rejoice! There is FINALLY a worthy successor.

Barry and Beth Hall have compiled a collection of all our favorite Christmas music from the Middle Ages - and their performances put everyone else to shame.

Including the lyrics would have been a nice touch, but those are available at many web sites, so I won't quibble. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

This is on my playlist all year. I've never heard anything else that so beautifully captures the flavor of Christmas, in a way that brings to mind all of the richness, warmth, simplicity and sanctity of the medieval celebration. The flavor is not secular. This is just like drinking a steaming hot spiced wine in a cabin with a fireplace and a stone church visible from the window, full of meaning and warmth. The singing and instrumentation are really something else.

I was looking for something in the way of holiday music that was also medieval and this fits the bill! Most of the tunes are ones I recognized and some I didn't but they were all well done and fun to listen to. A great addition to my holiday music collection!

The best medieval holiday music yet! A trip through time, and so well done. I have listened to many others, and this one rates the best! I am looking forward to their next release!

My husband and I just listened to "A Feast of Songs: Holiday Music from the Middle Ages" 5 times in a row on our 4 hour trip home from our daughter's home on roads clogged with holiday travelers. This music kept me in a GREAT mood. I really do love this CD!

I had never heard of Beth and Barry Hall but I am now on a quest to find more of their work. What amazing talent! Numerous old musical instruments are featured. I have always loved the lute and mandolin but I have never heard of a doumbek, tar, bodhrán or tabor. Not sure what they are but the Halls play them very well! When I read the CD insert we couldn't believe it was just the two of them playing and singing. Not everyone can do harmony on multiple tracks and make it sound this good.

I was SO tired of the inane Christmas music being played everywhere I went. (If I hear "Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time" again I may be sick!) I love our CD of "A Renaissance Christmas Celebration with the Waverly Consort" and I decided to jump on Amazon.com and see if I could find something similar for our Christmas "Road Trip". I have several CDs of Renaissance Christmas music and I can be pretty picky. I don't like every piece to sound the same. Variety (in voice, style and instrumentation) is essential. As I listened to the short clip of each song on this CD I got more and more excited! I was only half way through the clips when I added this CD to my cart.

Initially my favorites were 1. Gaudete, 2. Patapan, and 14. Personent Hodie. (My husband especially likes this rendition of 20. Masters in this Hall.) Now I have a hard time determining a favorite. There are some songs I had never heard before: 4. Christmas Eve and 7. Quem Pastores, and 8. The Truth from Above. They are all delightful. They are ALL favorites!

NOW I am TRULY "having a wonderful Christmas time!"

I was first drawn to this CD by the beautiful cover art. It is printed on parchment-colored paper. Inside the liner, it tells the approximate date and place where each song originated. Each song uses different medieval instruments and vocal styles. In short, I love it! I would definitely recommend it for those interested in medieval/Renaissance music and Renaissance Faire goers. It would make a great and unique Christmas gift. My favorite tracks are 1. Gaudete, 2. Patapan, and 20. Masters in this Hall. All of the rare, old tracks are found here. It's well worth your money.

I anticipated that this would be a uniquely entertaining ensemble of songs based on the previous reviews for this album (CD). Barry and Beth Hall do not fail from tracks 1 through 20. The two are very gifted musicians and sing wonderfully as solo or duet (and overtracking harmonizations). The instrumental tunes are equally amazing! Their versatility with instruments is awesome! If the compilation is lacking at all it is because they did not include the individual song lyrics, and a history for each track; for me that would have enhanced my enjoyment. And, although it is not quite the Christmas season (10/02/11) I have indeed been enjoying this album for several weeks already. No doubt I will continue to enjoy it through Christmas and beyond. In fact, I expect that I will enjoy it for many years to come. Hopefully, there will be more middle ages music coming from these two. There is no music that I enjoy more than that which can take me to a long ago and all too forgotten time as that of old Europe. Thank you Barry and Beth Hall!