Ancient Echoes - Music from the time of Jesus and Jerusalem's Second Temple

San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 5, 2002)
• Original Release Date: November 5, 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• ASIN: B00006SKPY
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #109,419 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Ashir shirim (I Will Sing Songs to God) - Wedding Song

2. Rannanu (Sing with Joy) - Chant from the Dead Sea Scrolls

3. Abwoon (O Father-Mother of the Cosmos) - The Aramaic Lord's Prayer

4. Arabian Dance - Instrumental

5. Song of Seikilos - 1st Century Greek song

6. Tubwayhun l'ahbvday sh'lama (Blessed are the Peacemakers)

7. Sounding of the Shofar & Shema Israel (Hear, O Israel)

8. Bircath Cohenim (The Priestly Blessing)

9. Wa y'daber Elohim (And God Spoke) - The Ten Commandments

10. Tubwayhun layleyn d'khafnin w'tseyn (Blessed Are Those Who Hunger & Thirst)

11. Ze Eli meode (This Is My Supreme God) - Wedding Song

12. Tubwayhun l'miskeneh'eh b'ruh (Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit)

13. Psalm 114: B'tseth Israel (When Israel Went Forth From Egypt)

14. Tubwayhun l'bwileh (Blessed Are They That Mourn)

15. Abwoon - Spoken Prayer

16. Bircath Cohenim – Reprise

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

The San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble (SAVAE) is a renowned choral and instrumental group dedicated to exploring the origins of ancient music. They have appeared on National Public Radio's Performance Today several times between their numerous U.S. tours. Their previous recordings of Aztec and Nahua music have received rave reviews, including Guadalupe: Virgen de los Indios, featured on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition.

Product Description

The San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble (SAVAE) invites people from different faiths to celebrate their various religious roots with the gift of song. The Ancient Echoes CD features recreations of music from the time of Jesus and Jerusalem's Second Temple, which makes it the perfect gift for people of all denominations. Composed after years of intense study, Ancient Echoes draws from Jewish and Christian sources and Islamic influences to create a collection of spiritual and emotive choral and instrumental pieces.

SAVAE takes a landmark step toward recreating ancient music of the Holy Land - including original prayers of Jesus, sung in his native Aramaic language, sacred Levitical music from Jerusalem's Second Temple, and Essene chant from the Dead Sea Scrolls. A vibrant culture that was enriched by contact with distant lands connected along caravan routes is recaptured here, as SAVAE's voices ring out above the driving pulse of Middle Eastern rhythms to harmonize with ancient instruments. In this musical remembrance, Judaic and Christian scripture offer the listener renewed inspiration.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an Exceptional CD, November 22, 2003

By	R. Kirkham "jrkirkham" (Rushville, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I've listened to a lot of Jewish music, but never anything quite like this! True, there is no way to prove that every note is accurate. When a person makes a photocopy of a picture and then makes a photocopy of the copy, etc. the picture degrades with each generation. No one claims that this hasn't happened. That is why the CD is called Ancient Echoes. That being said, this is one of the most exciting finds I've come across lately. I am a collector of antiquities. I specialize in early Christian roots. You can be sure I pounced on this! It more than matched my expectations.

The CD comes with ample liner notes (12 pages) that fully describe the project. Each trac is explained. The project is well researched.

I cannot recommend this CD highly enough.

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ancient Echoes renews your soul --Highly recommended, November 27, 2002

By A Customer

When I first began to listen to the cd I wasn't sure what to expect, but after listening to the first song "Ashir Shirim", I was hooked & I knew the rest had to be good. With each song, I felt like dancing, kneeling & praying or meditating. The music is very ethereal,transporting you back into time & renews & refreshens the inner soul. What a blessing & inspiration! The more I listen to it, the more I yearn to hear it again! Each song is so unique & different from the next. I could not believe when reading the liner notes ,that like the guadalupe cd's, they sung & played the instruments in this new one. The instruments are so different & the rhythms difficult. And of course, the vocals....excellent! The research was also incredible. The studying of the languages comes through in their articulation, sounding very true to the languages spoken during that time. Then there is the compositions themselves...WOW... not enough can be said for the details given. SAVAE is wonderful on the Guadalupe cd's, but once again, with this cd, they have proven the talented musicianship it takes to be SAVAE.

57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This even impressed jaded high school students, December 23, 2003

By	William W. Snelling (Birdsboro, PA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I team teach an honors humanities class for 11th grade students. I incorporated music from this extraordinary CD into our study of the roots of western European music. The reaction was immediate and stupendous. This music has a primal beauty that cuts through the clatter of modern pop music. Many of the students asked where they could purchase a copy. My colleagues in the room were touched by it as well. SAVAE has created an invaluable educational tool as well as a marvelously crafted work of art. The sonorities alone make this worth purchasing. The balance between the instruments, spoken word and sung prose is impeccable. The musicianship is beyond reproach. If you want something that will become essential in your classroom, buy this CD. If you want something that will speak to you as an artist, buy this CD. If you want something that will move your soul, buy this CD.