Lost Songs of the Rhineland Harper

Benjamin Bagby is a formidable scholar; though I'm an "early music" performer myself, I couldn't begin to challenge the historical authenticity of these performances. But I can swear they SOUND authentic. That is, I can imagine such performances by an 11th C minnesinger of the first rank, a world class poet/harper. This is a far more varied and enjoyable CD than Sequentia's "Edda", and one I will listen to purely for musical satisfaction. The lighter voices of tenor Eric Menzel and alto Agnethe Christensen complement perfectly the manly, world-knowing timbre of Bagby's mature voice, and Ms Christensen's Danish accent in Latin has a charm of its own, possibly sounding quite like how a Medieval Rhinelander might have pronounced Latin. The lyre/harp/flute accompaniments are more than mere noodling; they have musical substance to deliver. For the moment, for me, this CD is the gold-standard of performance of the "secular" 10th & 11th C repertoire.

Excellent historical performances by excellent historical performers. Tastefully done, and well balanced. It is impossible to know exactly how a piece may have sounded from then, especially since most surviving examples are fragments, and even these fragments can only hint at how a line may have flowed. However, the vibrancy that these "modern" musicians give to these pieces fills that gap of over a thousand years with a knowledge, tradition, and spirit of music that will inspire you; bringing to life the poetry of our ancestors. Already a big fan of Sequentia!! I am never disappointed. Always an excellent performance, matched with credible scholarship!!

Great songs, wonderful research into songs for ordinary people not just church hymns.

I never realized I liked Sequentia until I heard this CD. I once borrowed their other CD's from a friend, which succeeded in putting me asleep. But don't miss this one! The booklet gives the history of each song (very intriguing) plus the words in latin and english. The arrangements are beautiful, sometimes ecstatic, and will whisk you away to another, simpler world. Perfect for a relaxing bath or an in-depth study of ancient music. The songs are divided into three sections, first "songs of the harp," second "the image of dawn" and third "desire and seduction." My favorites are the song about swans played through an actual swan's bone and "sauvissima nunna" - an amorous dialogue between a seducer and a nun. There is a complete English translation for each song that makes you realize how poetic the words really are. Not the CD to play in the background (it will get monotonous) but to listen to with rapt attention. With this CD, listening is a rewarding experience!

Great recording, among my faves for Sequentia (with Aquitania and Shining Light), and among my all-time faves of all my collection.Just a note, however, that the booklet is too big for the case. I bought two copies and both flung open, spilling the disc out, easier that "ought". The first disc scratched on the pavement. The second landed safely, fortunately. I've removed the disc and material from the SACD case and put it into a standard CD case (a little wrinkled, a little gap, not so bad). It seems to stay more snugly in place.Again, one of my favorite discs, and likely to stay in that category for a long time.

It has been a long time since Sequentia has recorded an album. Sure Benjamin Bagby and the group has suffered the tragic loss of Barbara Thorton, but for her sake and for their gift, they've continued to produce a feast of music. This one is a lovely album! I heard a few tracks and I loved it! I loved the lyre, harp, and flute accompaniements that went along with the songs. They sound almost like the songs of the trouveres and the pattern of the songs are easy to memorize! The four musicians on this disc are worth hearing again and again. You can play this on regular cd players and still get nice sounds!

...just about everything which Benjamin Bagby and Sequentia have done, this has to rank as one of their less musically engaging discs, not so much in that there is anything wrong with it as such, but the element of sameyness does not draw the listener in.About two-thirds of the works feature here come from a manuscript of Latin and German songs called the Carmina Cantabrigiensa, written by monks of the abbey of St Augustine in Canterbury. The nature of the works indicates that they must have been originally sourced from now lost manuscripts of Ottonian Germany some time in the early 11th century, and from the textual nature of some which refer to harps and harpists, are likely to have been written and performed by a skilled harpist. The rest of the pieces originate from France or Northern Italy from the 9th-10th centuries.Musically the works are largely reconstructions since the music for most texts is missing, performed by combinations of three vocalists, harp, flute and lyre. There is a fair bit of textual and historical if not necessarily musical interest here and several curiosities - for example works include "Felix qui potuit boni", a setting of part of Boethius'  De Consolatione Philosophiae , also a curious text "Caute cane, cantor care" in which each word begins with the letter 'c', and the song "Magnus caesar Otto" in praise of the three Ottonian rulers (this can also be found on Ensemble Peregrina's excellent  Sacer Nidus ).The booklet includes some brief notes on each piece plus Latin text and translation. De Consolatione PhilosophiaeSacer Nidus

For those who like me want to hear the original sounds and vibrations of the early middle ages sequentia amazing

Excellent