Customer Reviews

Worldes Blysse

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love early music. I also loved the line from Bill (...or was it Ted...?), "Whoa, medieval babes!" Based on that, I had to listen to this album.

On the one hand, this is a technically highly proficient group of singers. On the other hand, they are the only people I have EVER run across who can make Latin sound sexy (think about it -- it had to be sexy to someone or else where did all those little Romans come from?).

Most of the work here is a capella, with a smattering of instruments in some of the peices to sort of "move it along". The importance here is the human voice in its glory. Fresher and less "academic" than Anonymous 4 (who are marvelous, don't get me wrong), you get the feeling that this is a group of ladies from, say, the 14th century having a sing-along who all just happen to be multi-lingual (Middle English, Old French, Latin).

There are many things I could say positively about this music, but the best way to judge it is to LISTEN to it. Try the sound clips. Better yet, get the album. Get some headphones. Light a couple candles. Pour yourself a nice glass of wine. Then fall into a dozen magnificent voices singing tales of beauty, sorrow, fear, and love.

Whoa, Mediaeval Baebes...

A longtime Loreena McKennitt fan, I got hooked on the Medieval Baebes halfway through the first song, "Kinderly" -- and that's not even the best song on Worldes Blysse, an honor I'd reserve for "Erthe Upon Erthe", "All Turns to Yesterday," or "Pearl." This album is wonderful.

The thing which astonished me most about it was the congruence between the middle English lyrics and the original melodies to which they are set. Most of the songs on this album are not really medieval compositions, but they partake richly of that tradition. The Baebes keep things simple, letting their choral arrangements and personalities shine. One of the most stunning pieces, "Pearl", combines original music with an excerpt from a long poem (required reading in many medieval lit classes). These lyrics were never meant to be sung. Yet in the Baebes' hands, it sounds seamless and right, complex and energetic, equally appropriate for a Renaissance Faire, a choral concert, or a morning jog.

If you like your medieval music strictly authentic, the Mediaeval Baebes aren't for you. But I'm thrilled that a skilled vocal group is mining the rich, underappreciated lode of middle English poetry and creating something beautiful and relevant out of it. Bravo, Baebes.

If there were gypsies, fairies,and nymphs in the days of old, Medieval Baebes were those spritely spirits who enchanted mortal man with lust and desire. I bought "Salva Nos" while vacationing in Okinawa, Japan almost two years ago and have been mystified by their talent and beauty ever since. Being in the front row of their live performance at Lillith Fair was even more magical! (My only regret being that they were on a minor stage and not on the MAIN STAGE where they should have been! And I'm sure you hundreds of Lillith Fair fans who were gawking behind me and who were trampled by the stampede of those rushing the stage will agree with me. Sorry, my dear sweet husband, but I told you to stand up front with me and hold on to the railing for dear life!) Masters of baroque, chamber, choir, choral, and many other genres of classical music, these twelve goddesses not only possess vocal fluidity in French, Latin, and Gaelic, but also combine haunting melodies and harmonies in the midst of whispers and shouts. I was enthralled by them at Lillith Fair and am a devoted fan who hopes to see these women rise to the acclaim and accolades they deserve. And I am proud to say that I was one of the first mortals to discover their power. And I have the photographs to prove it!

If you're like me and simply heard a small sampling of one of the Mediaeval Baebes' unearthly choral masterpieces ('Love Me Broughte')and found yourself riveted and shivering with awe, no need to fear buyer's remose for picking up this CD without hearing another note. That's what I did and have had no regrets. Unlike some "New Age" interpretations of medieval music which can be kitschy and artist-indulgent, leaving the listener cold, this women's chorus has a spirit that weaves itself into your conscious. It will change your breath and your pulse to a slower pace of another day, before high technology. On a simpler note, it can make one dream of knights and queens and courtly love. But after a few listenings and paying closer attention to the Middle English innuendo and translations, one experiences not only the tickling joy of a summer festival dance, but also the heavy despair of the days of darkness: of plague, of short lives and long winters, of the average peasant's hard life and yearning for release into a true heaven. It may help to have an interest in things medieval, but the pure beauty and skill of this group of women's voices transcends a simple genre. And while these songs may not be completely faithful to the medieval rendering of music, the spirit is true, and for me that is all that matters. This is one of the best musical purchases I have ever made.It's worth every point of each of the five stars.

Have you heard a few Mediaeval baebes songs but are wondering which album to start with? Start with Worldes Blysse and you'll be hooked on the Baebes!! I listen to celtic music (bothy band, deanta, clannad, lothlorien, ect. ) but also love moody haunting medieval music as well. This Baebes album for me is their best. Haunting melodies, true medieval sounding music (with memorable hooks - not mundane medieval music you forget 2 minutes after listening to it) with brilliant harmonies, and no "modern" instruments! This music is PERFECT for getting in the mood to go to a renaissance faire! (or to listen to while you're driving to that renaissance faire) The last 2 albums have introduced some modern elements in a few songs (drums,guitar,ect.) although the Baebes still are one of my favourites. Start with "worldes blysse" , if you love this album as I do, then try "undrentide" and "sal va nos". I have still yet to get "the rose" , but I think it's just a matter of time!

I picked this up in a music store a few years back because I thought the album art was so interesting. I love madrigals, but they're always presented as stuffy-looking and boring. I almost as impressed with the album's creative aesthetics as I was with the music!

The Baebes are lovely witchy women with a very romantic and unique appeal, and their music is as catchy as it is dark and esoteric. Fans of classical/dead languages, beautiful & pure a capella harmonies, and wicked medievel musical instruments will need to purchase this... as will anyone who finds themselves enraptured by the music of ages past :)

I first heard about Mediaeval Baebes from back in my file-sharing days when I downloaded a song of theirs. Immediately upon hearing it I ran out and bought this CD! I absolutely adore it, but for review purposes I give it three stars. Why? Well here are the reasons--

First: The pronunciation of the Middle English is often wrong. They seem to mostly know how it's supposed to go, so I don't know if it's slips of the tongue and they didn't have enough studio time left to try rerecording the songs after messing up, or what. One especially strange example is in a song with the words "night" and "fight." They pronounce night pretty accurately, like "neat" but with a kind of soft Germanic 'ch' sound for the 'gh.' Yet fight is then pronounced in the modern way. The words are obviously supposed to rhyme with each other, there is no sensible reason they should be pronounced so differently.

Secondly: The "song" So Sprech Das Leben. This is the most horrible song I've ever heard, basically an old lady reading a poem in pseudo-Shakespearean English with a hurdy-gurdy playing in the background. "No! Not the 'So sayeth Life' song!" I cry, and race to skip the track whenever those tingly notes start up from the speakers! This song is so awful I very nearly gave this CD no stars at all, because in cause this song it is really worth deducting them all; it is only for my love of the rest of the music that I gave it so high a mark.

Now, with that out of the way, I otherwise really like this CD. The music is great, you can even dance to most of it. I also like how most of the lyrics are included in the CD jacket, often with translations. The performances are great aside from the afore mentioned problems, and I totally expect to buy more of their CDs.

Received this as a Christmas gift and haven't listened to another disc yet! This disc just makes me want to sing and dance and find the nearest Renaissance Faire! The harmonies are at times simple and traditional, at other, haunting and driving. Kinderly and Pearl are the most wonderful tracks on the album! This is a must own for anyone into not only medieval music, but Dead Can Dance or This Mortal Coil - there is a wonderfully eerie, dark and yet radiant quality to these tunes!

At first I was thinking: What is this? But as I gave it a fair shot I began to relax, calm down. Indeed this album is good if only for the fact that it calms me down whenever something bothers (i.e. slow drivers on the highway). In any case if you have an open mind to all music you will like this. If you like being forced fed by radio stations you will not like this.

It is the Year of Our Lord 1372. The place, a rural county faire somewhere in Medieval Europe where one and all have come to celebrate the bountiful harvest. Along with the villagers there are also gathered minstrels, jugglers, actors and a town fool or two.

The smell of flowers, wine and fresh meat cooking in open fire pits fill the air offering a sweet boutique to all attending this joyous annual occasion. Complimenting these gastronomic fragrances is the most wonderous array of color and texture one could imagine. Allow yourself to become mesmerized by the bright, flowing dresses, scarfs, hats, wreaths and banners stretching out before you for as far as the eye can see.

Soon the intoxication becomes complete when the sound of female voices are added to the olefactory and visual delights. The vocals are enchanting, theatrical, whimiscal, heavenly and wantonly pagan simultaneously. Let the music carry you away on a magical journey to days gone by when man and nature were one, and song and dance was a way of life! Such Blysse!

I've just described what it's like listening to 'Worldes Blysse' a marvelous -16 track- CD by the Mediaeval Baebes.

Yeah, it's kinda like that.