Looking for some medieval music for Christmas? Try these collections.
The recreation of medieval music--as it was actually sung and played--is a recent niche section of folk music. Some of the more popular collections include Christmas carols. There used to be carols for other major holidays and seasons. However, Christmas carols have pretty much taken over the repertoire since the late 19th century.
Recreations of medieval Christmas carols vary in their approach. Anonymous 4, for example, is a well-known group of four women who sing medieval tunes and poems a capella (without accompaniment). They cover English carols of the 14th and 15th centuries in their Christmas collection "On Yoolis Night: Medieval Carols & Motets" (1993), though they also put out a collection of medieval Hungarian Christmas music (basically Latin chants) in 2001. A "motet" is a rather vague term for a choral piece and dates back to the 13th century. Typical of the English collection is the 15th century Latin carol "Ecce Quod Natura" (Lo That Nature). The group's rendition of this carol sounds like a cross between Benedictine chant and Elizabethan tunes, with complex, polyphonic harmonizing between the four women. This reflects their general style.
"Ancient Noels" (1994) by Ensemble Galilei and Maggie Sansone is a different approach to similar material. Notably, it is completely instrumental as opposed to completely vocal. As such, it also covers different tunes. Again, the music has an Elizabethan feel and tends to cover England and northern Europe, though it does include some Basque and Galician (north of Portugal) carols as well. Unlike On Yoolis Night, it includes some old favorites whose titles listeners may recognize (though not the renditions), including "The Sussex Carol" and "In the Bleak Midwinter" (but not the same song as the one so popular now, which dates from the 19th century). The collection covers both late medieval and Renaissance works.
For a varied collection of songs with both vocals and instrumental accompaniment, try: "Medieval Christmas" (1991) by Boston Camerata. This collection includes songs from England, but also Provence, Italy and Catalonia.
For a looser, party version of mainly choral work, try "Worldes Blisse" (1999) by Mediaeval Baebes. Less academic than Anonymous 4 in their pronunciation and perhaps presentation, their collection is probably more conducive to a Christmas party or other holiday gathering. Anonymous 4's work is very quiet and has a tendency to get lost in the babble of a group.
Finally, there is "Sacred Songs from East and West" by Sister Marie Keyrouz, a singer and compiler of medieval Eastern Orthodox music. The first of this two-CD set is a collection of various Nativity (Christmas) chants from Byzantine and Maronite traditions. The second CD is a collection of renditions of more modern variations of the Ave Maria prayer. Your mileage may vary on how you like this second half. Keyrouz's approach is a capella, with a distinctly Middle Eastern feel of wailing chant within cool stone walls. Very different from your average English carol and worth checking out.
