A Star in the East: Medieval Hungarian Christmas Music

Anonymous 4 (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 27, 1996)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
• ASIN: B0000007ER
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #213,768 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Antiphon: Ave spes nostra

2. Song: Mi Atyank Atya Isten

3. Alleluia: Veni domine

4. Antiphon: O mundi domina

5. Alleluia: Fuit virgo

6. Hymn: Vox clara, ecce, intonat

7. Sanctus: Omnes unanimiter

8. Introit: Dum medium silentium

9. Lectio: Primo tempore alleviata

10. Gradual: Speciosus forma

11. Song: Novum decus oritur

12. Offertory: Letentur celi

13. Lectio: Salvator noster

14. Hymn: Az idvozitot regenten

15. Song: Novus annus adiit

16. Communion: Exulta filia Syon

17. Evangelium: Liber generationis

18. Antiphon: Gaude et letare

19. Motet: Exordium quadruplate/Nate dei/Concrepet infanti/Verbum caro

20. Te Deum: Isten, teged

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Familar but not quite, September 18, 2000

By 

M. J. Smith (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Star in the East: Medieval Hungarian Christmas Music (Audio CD)

The history of the destruction of much of the Hungarian Christian repetoire gives interesting insights into why this variant of plainsong is essential unknown. Because of the limited survival of polyphonic pieces, this performance is less varied than On Yoolis Night. There is one, and only one, motet.

The notes describe the identifying characteristics of Hungarian chant as "wide intervallic leaps, pentatonic tendencies and extended cadences". I'll take their word for the technical description.

If you like plainsong or polyphony, you will enjoy this cd. The chant is just enough different to add variety to your listening and just similar enough to not require new listening skills.

As usual, the Anonymous 4 have done us the favor of bringing unfamilar music to our attention and performing it excellently so that we can come to share their enthusiasm for it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Usual High Quality of Performance and Recording. Not best for Xmas, November 9, 2005

By 

B. Marold "Bruce W. Marold" (Bethlehem, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Star in the East: Medieval Hungarian Christmas Music (Audio CD)

'Legends of St. Nicholas' and 'A Star in the East' are both collections of medieval Christmas music. Both are based heavily on Latin chants. The first has some old English lyrics and the second is based on both original Hungarian material and material imported into Hungary from Greece and other centers of Eastern Christianity.

If you are considering one or the other, I find the 'Legends of St. Nicholas' to be the more diverse of the two, as it has chant, polyphony, and even some solo voices. The Hungarian selection seems just a bit too much like all the other material done by Anonymous 4.

To be sure, both are done with a typically exceptional high quality voice and recording technique, so you will not go wrong with either recording.

Both are highly recommended!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfull music but a surprisingly bad recording, June 3, 2000

By 

Brynjolfur Erlingsson "brynjolfur" (Iceland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Star in the East: Medieval Hungarian Christmas Music (Audio CD)

I love this music and I think Anonymous 4 are wonderfull and very gifted performers. The problem is that I don't like the quality of the recording. I don't buy a lot of classical music so I'm wondering if this is a common thing. As soon as I wan't to turn this music up and listen to it loud I hear this very annoying hiss. I've heard this before on cheap classical recordings so I'm surprised that I hear it on this, which should be a 100% quality product.

I am not a sour classical music perfectionist. I listen to this for the ambient quality of the music and I don't understand why that annoying windy hiss has not been omitted from the recording?

The music is as good as this kind of music gets though and I hope they get a better producer or decent studio microphones.