11,000 Virgins: Chants for the Feast of St. Ursula [IMPORT]

Anonymous 4 (Artist, Performer), Hildegard of Bingen (Composer)

Product Details

• Performer: Anonymous 4
• Composer: Hildegard of Bingen
• Audio CD (September 9, 1997)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
• ASIN: B0000007FU
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,502 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #4 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( H ) > Hildegard of Bingen
  #5 in	Music > Classical > Featured Performers, A-Z > ( A ) > Anonymous 4
  #44 in	Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Early Music > Vocal & Song

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

All the world loves Hildegard--and the four women of Anonymous 4 may be the best interpreters of her music since the 12th century. St. Ursula was the legendary daughter of a British king who, with her army of virgin companions, was martyred in Cologne, perhaps in the fifth century; Hildegard wrote these Chants for the Feast of St. Ursula for use in a highly solemn celebration along with other liturgical chants. It is in this context that Anonymous 4 presents this program, interspersing chants and psalmody with Hildegard's compositions, sometimes employing drones and polyphonic embellishment. The musical effect is a mixture of awesome reverence and earthly sensuousness. The combination of four different women's voices in perfect unison creates a richly colored sound that can lull or console or uplift. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Glorious Music, November 29, 2000

By	Enrique Torres "Rico" (San Diegotitlan, Califas) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Another superb CD by "Annonymous 4", these women are some of the best at creating music for the soul. Quite meditative in nature it is truly amazing that this music was written so long ago and continues to inspire. The accompanying booklet gives you plenty of background information on Hildegard von Bingen and why these songs were written. The included artwork is an additional bonus if you're inclined to like the works of Hildegard von Bingen. The music is just sheer beauty, angelic voices in a world of chaos. The music is relaxing and perfect for creative and contemplative moods. The perfect reading music or for that matter anytime the pace needs to be slowed down . It is best listened to to free one's mind of all earthly concerns and to focus on more spiritual matters. An excellent choice for those moments of connecting to the meaning and purpose of our existences.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This Should not be your first recording of Hildegards Music., September 27, 1998

By A Customer

This Recording is one of many recordings of Saint Hildegard that saturated the music market this year. With the popularity of the Anonymous4, it may become the most known.

The Anonymous4 puts on a performance that is sweet and pure. The intonation qualities are very good. Although the these are a plus, and I do very much admire the Anonymous4. I find this recording to be bland.

I find that Sequentia has a much better grasp on Hildegard's Chants. If you must have an Anonymous4 CD, try An "English Ladymass, or their latest Lammas Ladymass".

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Medieval Plainsong. Not all from Hildegard, November 3, 2005

By	B. Marold "Bruce W. Marold" (Bethlehem, PA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

'11,000 Virgins - Chants for the Feast of St. Ursula' performed by the vocal quartet, Anonymous 4' is 72 minutes of music at least as good as any of their other albums. But, over half of the pieces on this record are by medieval composers OTHER than Fraulein Hildegard. So, the emphasis of the album is much more on 'Chants for the Feast of St. Ursula' than on Hildegard.

This does not disappoint, as the performances are superb, regardless of the composer. My only regret is that the notes did not tell more of the story of the 11,000 virgins. When I was visiting the Rhineland, this was a big local story, even though it happened over a 1,000 years ago, even before Hildegard's time.

But that's minor grousing. This is great music. Buy it if you like Medieval liturgical music!