Polyphony & Chant

This is an old art form that I am happy to say is still alive and well through various talented vocalizists of our times. It is also probably my most favorite type of music or song:



Polyphony

From wiki:

In music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice (monophony) or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords (homophony).



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Chant

From wiki:

Chant (from Old French chanter[1]) is the rhythmic speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes to highly complex musical structures, often including a great deal of repetition of musical subphrases, such as Great Responsories and Offertories of Gregorian chant.



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I would hope to hear from others out there on TWC who are interested in this archaic form of music and would be interested in sharing thoughts on various artists, musical groups or monasteries. So I'll go first with my most recent purchase to my library:



sequentia

Shining Light--Music from the Aquitanian Monasteries (12th Century)



All I can really say about this is extremely vivid and upbeat compared to other works. There is no droning that is sometimes typical just lucidity at every bend of melody.

Two of my choice picks for this album include:

3. Ora pro nobis, beate Nicolae Sequentia;Eric Mentzel;Barbara Thornton;Benjamin Bagby

7. Divinum stillant Pamela Dellal;Ellen Hargis;Sequentia;Barbara Thornton;Benjamin Bagby

11. Congaudet hodie Sequentia Men's Ensemble;Barbara Thornton;Benjamin Bagby;Elizabeth Gaver

I am fan of the ecclesiastic hymns.Being an Greek Orthodox i am familiar with Monophonic Byzantine Music but i also have Gregorian chants and Later Religious music from Europe.

My favorites though are the Great Friday laments Aksion Esti, H Zoi en Tafo, Ai Geneai Pasai .There are excellent masterpieces of Byzantine Music.


Polyphony favs are Mozarts Great Mass, Requiem and Giovanni Pergolesi's Stabat Matter.

Despite being a Westerner, I have to say that I prefer Byzantine and early Russian (e.g. Znamenny or Valaam) chant to Gregorian chant. I find that Gregorian chant tends to obscure the words that are being sung, while Byzantine chant enhances and underlines the message in the lyrics. I do enjoy some polyphony though, however - the Nuns of the Novo-Tikhvinsky monastery in Russia produced an excellent CD of the Great Multansky Polyeleos not so long ago, for example.

One of the things that you often notice in Orthodox churches in the West (where the congregation are primarily converts) is that people tend to want to embrace the more archaic Eastern musical and liturgical traditions and leave behind the more modern, Western musical forms.

One of my own personal favourites is the Agni Parthene, here performed by the monks of Simonopetra Monastery on Mt Athos:

http://www.imr.gr/multimedia/Agni_pa...imonopetra.mp3

It's actually quite a modern chant, though it was written to conform to archaic, Byzantine standards. This version by a boys' choir in Russia is also very good:

http://www.musicarussica.com/multime.../e15_trk23.mp3

If I'm right, I think 'polyphone' is used in the third movement of Yes' Close to the Edge. I'll post more this evening since I've got to go.

Here is a CD with a mix of artists that contains some very beautiful female polyphony and early music:

Sacred Women: Women as Composers and Performers of Medieval Chant


My favorite on this one is probably:

#7 Augustus

Followed by:

#5 Benedicamus virgini matri

And finally:

#1 Alyawm

Would this, from Dead Can Dance, count?

Originally Posted by God

Would this, from Dead Can Dance, count?

technically, yes.

Also consider this, this or this.
Not forgetting the pinnacle of Contrapunctic writing

Originally Posted by Sidus Preclarum

Not forgetting the pinnacle of Contrapunctic writing

Not being very creative here, hum? But since you're right it's okay I guess.

hahaha

Polyphony?

Great stuff you want some atmosphere, especially when playing TW

Originally Posted by God

Would this, from Dead Can Dance, count?

I like it very much. I will have to check out their works.



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Here's another one from my library called:

Polyphonie Aquitaine of th 12th Century
Josep Cabre (Performer), Philippe Balloy (Performer), Anonymous (Composer), Aquitanian Repertory Anonymous (Composer), Gerard Lesne (Performer), Ensemble Organum (Performer), Marcel Pérès (Performer), Dominique Vellard (Performer), Josep Benet (Performer)



Tracks of note are:

4. Extraits Des Matines De Noel: Versus: O Primus Homo Coruit - Gerard Lesne/Josep Benet

5. Extraits Des Matines De Noel: Jube Domine, Puis Lecture: Primo Tempore - Josep Benet/Josep Cabre

9. Extraits Des Matines De Noel: Versus: Veni Solis Radius - Dominique Vellard/Josep Benet

Unfortunately this import is at the moment only sold through seller storefronts on Amazon and at a rate no where near the amount that I had paid for it a year or two ago. I hate when that happens so on such rare music when I see a good deal I buy it quick.

Originally Posted by Armatus

I like it very much. I will have to check out their works.

Cool. Check out the album Aion or maybe The Serpent's Egg for the sort of thing I posted... the others are completely different.

All great though, my favourite band

Originally Posted by God

Cool. Check out the album Aion or maybe The Serpent's Egg for the sort of thing I posted... the others are completely different.

All great though, my favourite band

Cool thanks for the tip will definitely do that.


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Now then, I'm really not sure what it is about female polyphony but there is something to it that is just totally relaxing. Now I understand not everyone wants to be put to sleep by their music, but this cd is just what you need if you are looking for something to unwind to after a hard days work or having trouble dosing off. I wouldn't recommend this one for parties, but rather it's soothing qualities. The vocals are heavenly and pure, like a light breeze blown across the soft green grass...

The Lily and the Lamb: Chant and Polyphony from Medieval England [IMPORT]



Tracks of note:

16. Conductus: Ave Maria salus hominum

4. Conductus: O Maria stella maris

6. Sequence: Stillat in stellum radium

Meredith Monk, she's been around for years always courting with traditional music, yet keeping her work just outside of the traditional realm. Her work mostly consists of vocals & instruments, not necessarily words. So her music cannot really be written, and must be taught through performance? This is a challenge to those who would love to see her legacy live on after she's gone.

I like this one a lot it's kinda funny, kinda freaking, but very artistic, it's from the feature film "Book of Days" (I realize she's not everyone's cup of tea, but she has some really fine works, as well the crazy/strange heh...)

Found a really good Latin chant. It is supposedly linked with the Templars.

"Crucem sanctam subiit", performed by "Ensemble Organum"