La Musique de l'Antiquité (Music of the Ancient World)

Description

This CD is the first in a 25 CD series from Harmonia Mundi titled Century - A History of Music, which offers an in-depth exploration of the glories of twenty-five centuries of Western music. CD1 presents a sampling of pre-Christian Greek music, early Hebrew traditions, and early Byzantine, Melkite and Gallican chant forms. Perfect for those interested in exploring the history and development of western music, these discs will also provide hours of enjoyment for the listener who is interested only in specific periods he or she already enjoys or would like to discover. Each volume in the Century collection is presented in a unique eight-panel digipak with 16-page booklet exclusively designed for this series, fully illustrated and containing texts that are both educational and entertaining. Extensive liner notes in French and English. No hymn text.

Review

As a CD which is part of such a major undertaking and which is comprised of tracks from the Harmonia Mundi library (some from out of print, others from currently available recordings), it is difficult to be less than favorable, as none of the originals were less than good, and some were exquisite. With that said about the music, then, let's consider the offering and it's value to the listener. Music of the Ancient World (Vol. 1) offers at least two things of importance to the majority of listeners. The first is a somewhat linear sampling of ancient music forms that links them together in developmental form. (The one flaw on this CD is that the Byzantine and Melkite chant examples, while exquisite, are late medieval rather than early arrangements.) For those seeking to understand the developmental process of Christian liturgical and/or western music, this is quite valuable. The second is to simply make them available, as three of the five CDs represented are now out of print. Thus it is an important and enjoyable recording with some exquisite moments.

Tracklist
01. Musique de la Grece Antique - Akousate
02. Musique de la Grece Antique - Melomai
03. Musique de la Grece Antique - Eros
04. Musique de la Grece Antique - Nomos M
05. Musique de la Grece Antique - Dakylos amera
06. Musique de la Grece Antique - Makrotatos
07. Musique de la Grece Antique - Ekleipsis
08. La Musique de la Bible Revelee - Psaume 23
09. La Musique de la Bible Revelee - Psaume 24
10. La Musique de la Bible Revelee - Cantique des Cantiques
11. La Musique de la Bible Revelee Lamentations I
12. La Musique de la Bible Revelee - Psaume 150
13. La Musique de la Bible Revelee - Esther
14. Chant Byzantin - Alleluia
15. Chant Byzantin - Exapostelarion (Arabic)
16. Chant Byzantin - Exapostelarion (Greek)
17. Chant Byzantin - Exapostelarion (Arabic)
18. Chant Byzantin - Koinonikon
19. Chant Byzantin - Canon, Ode 1
20. Chant Byzantin - Canon, Ode 2
21. Chant Byzantin - Canon, Ode 3
22. Chants Sacres Melchites - Axion esti
23. Chants Sacres Melchites - Ya walidata-l-ilah
24. Alleluias & Offertories of the Gauls - Allelulia Martinus
25. Alleluias & Offertories of the Gauls - Offertoire Martinus igitur

Artist: Various Artists
Category: Various Traditions
Chant Type: Various
Language: Various
Label: Harmonia Mundi
Period: Ancient
Length: 68'11
Release date: 2005

25 tracks - MP3 160 Kbps - 1 RAR file 102 MB
.

Download