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Track Listings
| 1. The Mirror Of Narcissus: Dame, de qui toute ma joie vient - ballade |
| 2. The Mirror Of Narcissus: Foy porter - virelai |
| 3. The Mirror Of Narcissus: Dame, je sui cilz-Fins cuers doulz - motet |
| 4. The Mirror Of Narcissus: Tuit mi penser - virelai |
| 5. The Mirror Of Narcissus: Dame, mon cuer en vous remaint - rondelet |
| 6. The Mirror Of Narcissus: Dame, a qui - virelai |
| 7. The Mirror Of Narcissus: Biaute qui toutes autres pere - ballade |
| 8. The Mirror Of Narcissus: Je vivroie liement - virelai |
| 9. The Mirror Of Narcissus: Rose, liz, printemps, verdure - rondeau |
| 10. The Mirror Of Narcissus: Dame, a vous sans retollir - virelai |
| 11. The Mirror Of Narcissus: Amours me fait desirer - ballade |
| 12. The Mirror Of Narcissus: Douce dame jolie - virelai |
| 13. The Mirror Of Narcissus: Inviolata genitrix-Felix virgo-Ad te suspiramus - motet |
Product Description
Review
GRAMOPHONE CRITICS' CHOICE This is an exceptionally fine and important record. It makes Machaut s music sound more consistently pleasing and acceptable to a wider public than any to date --Gramophone
Superb --BBC Record Review
Superb --BBC Record Review
Product Description
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Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Utterly Beautiful,
By
This review is from: The Mirror of Narcissus - Songs by Machaut (Audio CD)
This is one of the best recordings of Medieval choral music I've ever heard. The textures are perfect. The intonation is perfect. The emotions are perfect. Gothic Voices have it down to a tee.
Each word fits perfectly with its melody, that was Machaut's gift. I don't know whether to call it recitative or just beautiful choral music but the pronunciations and melodies are one. I highly recommend this product.
3 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Master of polyphony, but...,
By E. L. Wisty "If you hear about C. P. Snow exp... (Devon, UK) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 500 REVIEWER)
This review is from: The Mirror of Narcissus - Songs by Machaut (Audio CD)
Machaut was certainly a master of polyphonic composition, but the solo pieces here feel somewhat ordinary by comparison. Not even the likes of Emma Kirkby can lift up this disc as a whole on the quality scale.
For other, overall much better showpieces of Machaut's art, try Machaut: 2 Polyphonic Lais and Machaut: Chansons.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews) 34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
They just don't write songs like this anymore!,
By Nelson R. Willis "Rob Willis" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Mirror of Narcissus - Songs by Machaut (Audio CD)
Guillaume de Machaut was a very interesting figure. He was born around 1300 and lived to be quite old, especially considering that life expectancies were much shorter then than now. And even though there were no sound recordings at the time, there was written music for those who could afford to study music. In his old age Machaut was saught out by a groopie of sorts. A young woman came to admire him when she learned some of his music. The two met in person and actually had a relationship for a while. Enough gossip, though. Guillaume de Machaut wrote some of the finest medieval music I've ever heard. Indeed, he wrote some of the finest music I've ever heard, period. This album is so beautiful; it takes you to a place that one might mistake for heaven. You will think that you are listening to angels singing in French when you hear it. The entire album is _a capella_; that is to say that the only instruments you will hear are human voices. Some of the tracks such as "Foy Porter," and "Tuit Mi Penser" are monophonic; that is to say that only one voice is present, sometimes male, sometimes female. These monophonic songs are extrememly pretty; they have very pleasing and interesting melodies and rhythms -- just as sophisticated as anything one might hear in later periods, but different in style both compositionally and in terms of performance. The singing on this album is world-class. The singing style and technique is very interesting and pleasing to the ear. The range of pitches is pretty wide, yet even the higher registers are smooth and natural, not overwhelming or grating like some opera sopranos can be at times. The best material on the album, though, is polyphonic; that is music with several voices which create harmonies and counterpoint. There are four- and five-part harmonies that are out of this world, mixing male and female voices in a manner one might describe as an otherworldly, Francophonic, medieval barber shop quartet/quintet. If the Beach Boys had grown up in 14th-century France, they would have been performing music like this. "Dame, Je Sui Cilz/Fins Cuers Doulz," and "Dame, Mon Cuer En Vous Remaint" are two such songs, and my personal favorite is "Dame, DE Qui Toute Ma Joie Vient." The counterpoint and counterrhythms are as sophisticated and impressive as the harmonies. It's really quite stunning, ethereal, beautiful music. If you like early music, you will love this. If you are not yet familiar with much early music, this album would be a wonderful introduction. 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great musicianship and purity of tone,
By S. Jacobson - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Mirror of Narcissus - Songs by Machaut (Audio CD)
This is one of my favorite early music CDs and perhaps my favorite Machaut CD. Wonderful material, intelligently presented, sung by gorgeous voices with perfect pitch control. Groups like Gothic Voices are sometimes criticized for being too perfect (i.e., real medieval musicians wouldn't have been this good and/or polished), but to my ears this is wonderful stuff. Highly recommended.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unmatched Machaut,
By Giordano Bruno - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Mirror of Narcissus - Songs by Machaut (Audio CD)
I'd forgotten this disk in a corner of my collection until I heard an concert by another group, Liber UnUsualis. I reviewed their CD "Unrequited" quite enthusiastically, but then I searched for "The Mirror of Narcissus" and listened to the two head-to-head. Results: both good, but "The Mirror" is more intense, more passionate, and more artful in articulating the hockets and other effects of Ars Nova heterophony. If Gothic Voices ever had a reputation of being "academic but dull", that was a bad rap. This performance is fiery.
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