[.ca] Lily A/T Lamb

The disc's title refers to Mary and her son, the Christ, which is the general theme of the medieval chant, polyphony and poetry that forms this program. The selections are ordered around three 13th-century "sequences" that describe Mary's experiences at the foot of the cross. You can get deep into the mechanics and musicological aspects of this fascinating music, or you can just listen. This is music that speaks to everyone, and the mere sound of these voices, whether in their incredibly pure and perfect unison or multi-coloured polyphony, can touch places within that otherwise rarely resonate. There's also something reassuring about connecting in this way with struggling souls of the distant past whose cares and hopes were much like ours. They survived largely due to their faith and its proclamation through music such as this. --David Vernier

Unearthly Beauty:
As a lover of music - though I prefer Blues to opera - I found this CD a classic to rank with the best of chant (my second favorite vocal genre). The voices are sublime, both in themselves and in their unison. This is absolute proof that the human voice is a beautiful instrument. The recording is live and present, very real. The music is eternal and transcendent. Can't say what spiritual connection there is for me - I belong to an older faith - but there is a spiritual grandeur in this music, just as in Gregorian or Byzantine chant, in Bach, or in any music that speaks from a depth. If you need music to remind you that there is much in the cosmos that is greater than the daily trudge, that there is beauty that endures, this is a good choice.

Stirring and profoundly spiritual:
As a lover of classical music and opera in particulaur I heartily recommend this album. The voices are unearthly in their beauty, and the subject matter of the songs demands thought if you are one who thinks of yourself as Christian. While religous it is also intimate and human, a quality often lacking in "chant" albums. The soft voices of these delightful sopranos feels like a blanket wrapping you up in the love of God. How's that for an endoresement?

Astonishing beauty:
Like several other of the Anonymous 4 CDs, this one entitled 'The Lily & the Lamb' is a collection of chant and polyphony from medieval England. 'The Lily' is a reference to the Blessed Virgin Mary; the Lamb, of course, is the Christ. Mary was a very popular subject in medieval Britain - perhaps two-thirds of all the music that survives from this period is dedicated to her, or involves her as a subject. Included in this piece is a processional hymn and other pieces (conductus, sequences, hymns, motets and a concluding antiphon). The sequence is a liturgical form that are often monophonic. The conductus, on the other hand, has many voices, but usually declaiming the same text. Hymns are strophic, with verses repeating to the same music. The motets here involve somewhat strange pairings of chant and songs overlaid on each other. This is a disc from the midpoint of the career of Anonymous 4, and their voices are in perfect sync with each other. According to the American Record Guide, 'The singing is absolutely gorgeous. Not only do the 4 sound like angels; they phrase and inflect seraphically as well. You need go no further than the 'O Gloriosa Domina' Processional that starts the program to hear their clear, handsome, seemingly effortless unanimity in action.' The beginning with the processional is significant, for in live performances the Anonymous 4 often incorporated this to echo a liturgical feel to the music. -- Liner Notes -- This text accompaniment to this disc is very full, so much so that the booklet is not contained within the jewel case, but rather within a slipcover in which both the CD/jewel case and the booklet reside. The liner notes include a description of the work, a brief piece about the quartet, and the lyrics of the songs both in original language and in translation - all repeated in English, German, and French sections. -- Anonymous 4 -- Contrary to the implication of their name, the Anonymous 4 are not anonymous. This is a vocal quartet made up of Ruth Cunningham, Marsha Genensky, Susan Hellauer, and Johanna Rose at the time of this recording (Ruth Cunningham will later go on to a solo career early, and another member will join - Jacqueline Horner). They came together as a formal group in 1986, and have been ensemble-in-residence at St. Michael's Church in New York City, giving concert series in New York as well as throughout North America. They have been featured a number of times on national media in North America as well as Germany. They then went on to yet more success, eventually performing more that 1000 concerts worldwide. Their specialty is working with chant, monophonic and polyphonic music, and working with medieval texts. According to one source, 'The group takes its name from an anonymous music theorist of the late 13th century, Anonymous IV, who is the principal source on the two famous composers of the Notre Dame school, Léonin and Pérotin.' The group ended a touring career of nearly two decades in 2004.

• Processional Hymn: O gloriosa domina
• Hymn: The milde lomb isprad o rode
• Conductus: Ave Maria gracia plena
• Conductus: O Maria stella maris
• Sequence: Stabat iuxta Christi crucem
• Sequence: Stillat in stellam radium
• Sequence: Salve virgo singularis
• Sequence: Stond wel, moder, under roode
• Sequence: O Maria virgo pia
• Hymn: In te concipitur
• Sequence: Jesu Cristes milde moder
• Motet: Veni mater gracie - Dou way, Robin
• Motet: O mors moreris - O vita vera - Mors
• Conductus: Salve virgo tonantis solium
• Sequence: Miserere miseris
• Conductus: Ave Maria salus hominum
• Conductus: Memor esto tuorum
• Antiphon: Ave regina celorum