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Christmas Carols & Motets
by Peter Phillips, Tallis Scholars
Product Group: Music
Studio: Polygram Records
ISBN: B000001I4Q
EAN: 0028945491028
UPC: 028945491028
Audio CD
Release Date: 1996-10-15
SKU: 16484
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: Few light scratches, otherwise in good condition.
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Editorial Reviews
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Amazon.com
Pretty much every successful chorus has to do a Christmas disc or two sooner or later--the Tallis Scholars are no exception. Happily, it's no crossover attempt: the music Peter Phillips has selected fits right into their repertory, and the performance is up to the group's usual high standard. The music ranges from the Middle Ages (English carols such as the gracious "There Is No Rose" and the boisterous "Nowell Dieu vous garde") through the Renaissance (motets by Josquin, Byrd, and Victoria) to the early Baroque (lovely arrangements by Praetorius of the familiar tunes "Lo How a Rose," "Joseph lieber, Joseph mein," and "In dulci jubilo"), and from the simple "Lullay: I Saw" for two tenors (one of the earliest English carols) to gorgeously rich settings of "Ave Maria" for seven voices by Philippe Verdelot and for eight voices by Tomás Luis de Victoria. --Matthew Westphal
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Customer Reviews
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Great Christmas Music, both fresh and old. Not enough of it!
Rating  (5)
Date: 2005-11-26
1 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
'Christmas Carols and Motets' by The Tallis Scholars' is a superior album of unfamiliar Christmas music. It is deeper and more artistic than the more modern 'Christmas Day in the Morning' by The Cambridge Singers'.
The pieces are in Latin, English, or German, with many of the Latin pices done in polyphony with up to seven voices. It may be due to it's Christmas subject, but I found most of these pieces a lot more enjoyable than the average Medieval hit parade recordings done by, for example Anonymous 4.
The only thing I missed on this recording is that for a CD of non-copywrited material, it was rather short. Give Me MORE!
Otherwise, first rate.
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The joy and beauty of Christmas- as never before!
Rating (5)
Date: 2000-10-01
5 out of 6 customers found this reveiw helpful
This disc came as something of a surprise to me. The Tallis Scholars are justly famous for making Renaissance music, familiar and otherwise, known through concerts and recordings. As a devotee of their work, I did a double-take when I first saw the cover of this disc. Surely they weren't offering all those old but admittedly overdone chestnuts that we see in new recordings year in and year out?Actually, they weren't. Peter Phillips and ten of his singers have chosen a programme that reflects Christmas as the people of the Renaissance (and Early Baroque) might have seen it: simple chants, piquantly harmonised; Marian motets, and carols from the European mainland that have survived to this day, albeit greatly altered by other musical cultures. What emerges is thus wonderfully different than most other Christmas records: it is 'Christmassy' but not in the way we are used to. On the whole, although about 54 minutes long, the disc is therefore very enjoyable. The Tallis Scholars hallmark sound quality is there, taut and powerful yet sensitive and appropriate for the music. Phillips has prepared many of the pieces himself using various authentic sources, and as I have said it is a delectable feast of musical gems: amongst the early works, "Angelus ad virginem" and "There is no Rose" are the most immediately arresting, whilst of the four "Ave Maria" motets, Victoria's setting is particularly rapt and works well on the ear whether you listen at Christmastide or not. Finally, there are some delightful arrangements of well-known European carols, sung in German: "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen" will be known to many as "A great and mighty wonder." The last track, "Zion hort die Wachter singen," is presented with the harmonies of both Michael Praetorius and J. S. Bach, bringing the programme to a wonderful close. Although a lot of these works are repetitive (they are, after all, not much different than the hymns sung at Christmas in this day and age), Phillips does his best to maintain interest by deploying the singers in various ways; hence there are solo verses and passages for solo quartets in addition to the use of different soloists for each verse. In short, this is a genuinely worthwhile record to get hold of if Christmas lists are looming and ideas are none as to what will make an original and unusual present. Warmly recommended!
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