"On The Banks Of Helicon: Early Music Of Scotland by Baltimore Consort"
The Baltimore Consort
Mary Anne Ballard ~ treble, tenor & bass viols; fiddle
Howard Bass ~ bandora
Mark Cudek ~ cittern, bass viol
Larry Lipkis ~ tenor & bass viols
Ron McFarlane ~ lute
Chris Norman ~ renaissance flutes
Custer LaRue ~ soprano
Guest artists:
Edwin George ~ bagpipe, recorder
Alice Kosloski ~ alto
The first paragraph of the program notes:
Most of the Scottish music on this disc is over 400 years old, and yet it strikes our ears as contemporary in its freshness and originality. The Scots composers, whose names aare mostly lost or at least seperated from their original compositions, had a gift for expressive melody. Although French and English influence wasa strong in courtly circles, the imported genres of dance, chanson and accompanied song were transformed into a product uniquely Scottish. ~
NOTE: I've made this entry because this recording had recently been raised as a recommendation by another member here:
While I appreciate early music, and enjoy it, that does not include the bulk of interpretations. The same could be said of 'Classical' music. I'm no real fan of the great and current pop movement here, tarted up and prostituted, where artificial breasts and a frilly dress give a second rate voice more consideration that it really deserves. I also enjoy 'sweet' music, if mostly in small portions, as a dessert, as part of a more varied meal. But, when the results are saccharin, I whince and feel irritation. I hate it when it has that artificiality and is sickeningly sweet. Too much of what is passed off as 'early' or 'baroque' is just that, overdone, saccharin, whinceable. And yes, I feel some of that listening to this, so I had best reveal my biases, what set me off from the first track, the syrup of reverb that drowns this.
As has been done to the music here, the setting, any idea that recording such things in highly reverberant spaces, here a massive and empty Victorian and frilly theatre built in the late 1800s, is in my mind daft, even dishonest to the music and its history. Similar things have been done in huge empty warehouses, hangars, stairwells, and possibly even in ceramic tiled loos / toilets. For me this fascination with reverb, at source or added afterwards in the processing, generally does nothing to benefit the music, on the contrary, it muddies it, distracts from the possible subtleties of melody, treatment, accompaniment and interpretation, individually and collectively, and dulls the potential lift of rhythm and phrase. That boom and echo bleeds across definition, making things unclear, like mud stirred up in what otherwise might be a crystal clear stream.
But this is not my only discomfort with how these lovely tunes are interpreted and treated here. There are some silly harmonies, to my ears, and I'm not fond, in general, of the woodwind treatments, bagged or not. I will gladly admit this is subjective, and the irritation of the reverb does colour my attitude toward the whole. I've no doubt this would be found to be a pleasant enough listen, for those that like the over egging of early music. I'm just not one of those. We have quite a bit of early music, including on the old media of vinyl, but also a shelf worth of CDs too, and some of these are favourites, and that is staying away from the relevant library content. I love early and Renaissance music, but not when it is dressed up and diddled with too much, like putting it down a well so that it 'echoes' back to some fantasy of history. That's closer to the universe of Harry Potter than the more probable history of this music. I like to hear accuracy and accurately, clearly, and I also enjoy the joy others express through their playing ~ but all such things are lost and muddied when sullied with innane cutesy ways, such as using reverb in an excessive way, like burying your corn flakes in black treacle / blackstrap molasses...
Far too often early, Rennaisance and Baroque music comes off stilted and pretentious, but this problem is not confined to these loose categories... It happens in the focus of our interests on this site too ~ often labled 'Celtic'...
Interesting comments ceolachan. While not having heard this particular recording I was involved in an on-line spat with one of the members of the ensemble over my review of another recording of early Scottish Music in which the wooden flute was proudly proclaimed to have returned to the Scottish tradition by this particular master. I found the tunes lifeless, the arrangements stilted and forced, the research on provenance seriously flawed and in one rendition of a piobrach the music bordered on the obscene. Needless to say I was publicly hung drawn and quartered and such was my humiliation by this musician that it ended my reviewing career on the spot. This person wields great authority in this country (Canada) but I still stand by my review. People on this side of the pond have much to learn about traditional and non classical European music and for both ensemble and audience their only point of reference is classical music as played in theatres, everything else is interpreted through this prism. By the way, Toronto possesses an excellent early music group in Tafelmusik which has an Irish connection through conductor and violinist Kevin Mellet.
Yes, 'Tafelmusik', I have had the pleasure of an earful of their music, but a long time ago. The fading memory doesn't raise a wince, which is a good. sign.
Some folks weild more power than sense or even ability. Sad to hear an honest voice was silenced. The lack of balls in general in reviews is why I don't tend to read them. It's too often all sugar syrup and no bite, no real seasoning to make it interesting...
I divide the Early Music I've listened to into authentic stuff and surfeit-of-mead-and-lampreys stuff. The former - well, as authentic as keen people can get it, I suppose - I don't find easy listening: the singers seem to aim at hitting notes very exactly, hard and clear like a bell. A laudable enterprise, though. The less said about the other sort the better. Or maybe the monsters that live in the dungeons of my vocabulary just want to take Bank Holiday Monday off.
"On The Banks Of Helicon: Early Music Of Scotland by Baltimore Consort"
The Baltimore Consort
Mary Anne Ballard ~ treble, tenor & bass viols; fiddle
Howard Bass ~ bandora
Mark Cudek ~ cittern, bass viol
Larry Lipkis ~ tenor & bass viols
Ron McFarlane ~ lute
Chris Norman ~ renaissance flutes
Custer LaRue ~ soprano
Guest artists:
Edwin George ~ bagpipe, recorder
Alice Kosloski ~ alto
The first paragraph of the program notes:
Most of the Scottish music on this disc is over 400 years old, and yet it strikes our ears as contemporary in its freshness and originality. The Scots composers, whose names aare mostly lost or at least seperated from their original compositions, had a gift for expressive melody. Although French and English influence wasa strong in courtly circles, the imported genres of dance, chanson and accompanied song were transformed into a product uniquely Scottish. ~
NOTE: I've made this entry because this recording had recently been raised as a recommendation by another member here:
Discussion: Old Scottish Tunes
# Posted on April 30th 2009 by Fiddle Girl!
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/21438
# Posted on May 24th 2009 by ceolachan
A personal irritation ~
While I appreciate early music, and enjoy it, that does not include the bulk of interpretations. The same could be said of 'Classical' music. I'm no real fan of the great and current pop movement here, tarted up and prostituted, where artificial breasts and a frilly dress give a second rate voice more consideration that it really deserves. I also enjoy 'sweet' music, if mostly in small portions, as a dessert, as part of a more varied meal. But, when the results are saccharin, I whince and feel irritation. I hate it when it has that artificiality and is sickeningly sweet. Too much of what is passed off as 'early' or 'baroque' is just that, overdone, saccharin, whinceable. And yes, I feel some of that listening to this, so I had best reveal my biases, what set me off from the first track, the syrup of reverb that drowns this.
As has been done to the music here, the setting, any idea that recording such things in highly reverberant spaces, here a massive and empty Victorian and frilly theatre built in the late 1800s, is in my mind daft, even dishonest to the music and its history. Similar things have been done in huge empty warehouses, hangars, stairwells, and possibly even in ceramic tiled loos / toilets. For me this fascination with reverb, at source or added afterwards in the processing, generally does nothing to benefit the music, on the contrary, it muddies it, distracts from the possible subtleties of melody, treatment, accompaniment and interpretation, individually and collectively, and dulls the potential lift of rhythm and phrase. That boom and echo bleeds across definition, making things unclear, like mud stirred up in what otherwise might be a crystal clear stream.
But this is not my only discomfort with how these lovely tunes are interpreted and treated here. There are some silly harmonies, to my ears, and I'm not fond, in general, of the woodwind treatments, bagged or not. I will gladly admit this is subjective, and the irritation of the reverb does colour my attitude toward the whole. I've no doubt this would be found to be a pleasant enough listen, for those that like the over egging of early music. I'm just not one of those. We have quite a bit of early music, including on the old media of vinyl, but also a shelf worth of CDs too, and some of these are favourites, and that is staying away from the relevant library content. I love early and Renaissance music, but not when it is dressed up and diddled with too much, like putting it down a well so that it 'echoes' back to some fantasy of history. That's closer to the universe of Harry Potter than the more probable history of this music. I like to hear accuracy and accurately, clearly, and I also enjoy the joy others express through their playing ~ but all such things are lost and muddied when sullied with innane cutesy ways, such as using reverb in an excessive way, like burying your corn flakes in black treacle / blackstrap molasses...
# Posted on May 24th 2009 by ceolachan
Far too often early, Rennaisance and Baroque music comes off stilted and pretentious, but this problem is not confined to these loose categories... It happens in the focus of our interests on this site too ~ often labled 'Celtic'...
# Posted on May 24th 2009 by ceolachan
It is my hope that someone will eventually come along to help strike a better balance here, by adding some support for this recording...
# Posted on May 24th 2009 by ceolachan
"On The Banks Of Helicon: Early Music Of Scotland"
The Baltimore Consort ~ more on the melodies:
1.) Over the hills / Anon. Pills 1719
2.) Kathren Oggie / Anon. Panmure MS 7 c. 1680
3.) In a garden so green / Anon. Forbes 1662
4.) My heartly service / Anon. Wode 1562-c. 1592
5.) Scotch Cap / Anon. The English Dancing Master 1651
6.) The flowres of the forrest / Anon. Skene MS c. 1620
7.) Kilt thy coat, Magge
8.) Canareis
9.) I will not go to bed till I suld die
10.) Jockey loves his Moggy dearly / Anon. Pills
11.) Our Father God celestial / Pierre Cadéac (pub. 1538)
12.) Come my children dere / Anon. Margaret Ker's MS n.d.
13.) On the banks of Helicon / Andro Blackhall (1535-1609)
14.) Prince Edward's Paven / Anon. Wode
15.) Lyk as the dum solsequium / Anon. Wode
16.) The Scots Marche / Anon. Eliz. Rogers MS (1656)
17.) Support your servand / Anon. Art of Music c. 1580
18.) My Lord of March Paven / James Lauder 1584
19.) O lustie May / Anon. Wode
20.) Doun in yon bank / Anon. Skene
21.) Branles d'Ecosse / Estienne Du Tertre (pub. 1557)
22.) Joy to the person of my love / Anon. Stirling MS 1639
# Posted on May 24th 2009 by ceolachan
I am also a fan of the viol family, alone and in consort...
# Posted on May 24th 2009 by ceolachan
Interesting comments ceolachan. While not having heard this particular recording I was involved in an on-line spat with one of the members of the ensemble over my review of another recording of early Scottish Music in which the wooden flute was proudly proclaimed to have returned to the Scottish tradition by this particular master. I found the tunes lifeless, the arrangements stilted and forced, the research on provenance seriously flawed and in one rendition of a piobrach the music bordered on the obscene. Needless to say I was publicly hung drawn and quartered and such was my humiliation by this musician that it ended my reviewing career on the spot. This person wields great authority in this country (Canada) but I still stand by my review. People on this side of the pond have much to learn about traditional and non classical European music and for both ensemble and audience their only point of reference is classical music as played in theatres, everything else is interpreted through this prism. By the way, Toronto possesses an excellent early music group in Tafelmusik which has an Irish connection through conductor and violinist Kevin Mellet.
# Posted on May 25th 2009 by Patkiwi
Yes, 'Tafelmusik', I have had the pleasure of an earful of their music, but a long time ago. The fading memory doesn't raise a wince, which is a good. sign.
http://www.tafelmusik.org/ ~ Yes!
http://www.tafelmusik.org/recording/index.htm
Some folks weild more power than sense or even ability. Sad to hear an honest voice was silenced. The lack of balls in general in reviews is why I don't tend to read them. It's too often all sugar syrup and no bite, no real seasoning to make it interesting...
# Posted on May 25th 2009 by ceolachan
I divide the Early Music I've listened to into authentic stuff and surfeit-of-mead-and-lampreys stuff. The former - well, as authentic as keen people can get it, I suppose - I don't find easy listening: the singers seem to aim at hitting notes very exactly, hard and clear like a bell. A laudable enterprise, though. The less said about the other sort the better. Or maybe the monsters that live in the dungeons of my vocabulary just want to take Bank Holiday Monday off.
# Posted on May 25th 2009 by nicholas
You need to lure them out with a good Scotch, or bourbon.
But other things work too, like Slivovic and poteen...
# Posted on May 25th 2009 by ceolachan