Gothic Voices

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Gothic Voices
Vocal ensemble
Genre Medieval music
Notable members
Director Christopher Page
Label Hyperion
Website www.gothicvoices.co.uk

Gothic Voices is a United Kingdom-based vocal ensemble specialising in the performance of music of the Medieval era. The group was originally formed in 1980 by the scholar and musician Christopher Page. [1]

Contents

Repertoire

The choir's repertoire is mostly music from the 11th to the 15th century, encompassing works by composers such as Guillaume de Machaut, Guillaume Du Fay and Hildegard of Bingen, and other music from the European Medieval and early Renaissance eras. As well as performing medieval repertoire, the group sings contemporary music, particularly pieces with medieval associations, and commissions new works from composers such as Joanne Metcalf and Andrew Smith. [1] [2] [3]

The distinctive sound of the Gothic Voices is attributable to Christopher Page's musicological research into Medieval performance practice, from which he concluded that the lines of musical accompaniment in Medieval scores were intended to be sung by lower voice parts, rather than played by instruments. [4] Page presented his findings in 1981 in broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 prior to the release of the Gothic Voices' first recording later that year. Their performance style has been influential on a number of noted early music vocal groups such as Sequentia. [5]

Members

Following the retirement of Leigh Nixon in September 2014, the current singers in Gothic Voices are Catherine King (mezzo-soprano), Steven Harrold (tenor), Julian Podger (tenor) and Stephen Charlesworth (baritone), a line-up which has been consistent since 1995.[ citation needed ] Other notable singers who have performed and recorded with Gothic Voices include Emma Kirkby, Emily Van Evera, Margaret Philpot, Evelyn Tubb, Howard Milner, Charles Daniels, Rogers Covey-Crump, James Gilchrist, Paul Agnew, John Mark Ainsley and Peter Harvey. [5]

Recordings

Gothic Voices have recorded 23 albums for the Hyperion [6] , Avie and Linn [7] record labels, three of which have won the Gramophone Award given by Gramophone magazine. The group's first disc, A Feather on the Breath of God – Hymns and Sequences by Abbess Hildegard of Bingen was one of Hyperion's biggest commercial successes and remains one of the best-selling recordings of pre-classical music ever made. [8] The album was selected in 2020 by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". [9]

Among Gothic Voices' more recent recordings are a disc of the complete works of the relatively obscure 14th-century composer Solage coupled with works by Machaut and a disc entitled A Laurel for Landini - 14th Century Italy’s Greatest Composer, with music by Francesco Landini. [2] [10] Their 2023 album, The Splendour of Florence, features music of early Renaissance Italy, including a motet written by Dufay for the consecration of Florence's new cathedral in 1436. [11]

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References

  1. 1 2 "About Us". gothicvoices.co.uk. Gothic Voices. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Recordings". Gothic Voices. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  3. ↑ Knighton, Tess; Skinner, David (2020). Music and Instruments of the Middle Ages: Essays in Honour of Christopher Page. Boydell & Brewer. p. 1. ISBN   978-1-78327-556-4.
  4. ↑ Taruskin, Richard (7 September 1995). Text and Act: Essays on Music and Performance. Oxford University Press. p. 347. ISBN   978-0-19-535743-1 . Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  5. 1 2 Epp, Maureen (5 July 2017). The Sounds and Sights of Performance in Early Music: Essays in Honour of Timothy J. McGee. Routledge. p. 271. ISBN   978-1-351-54046-9 . Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  6. ↑ "Gothic Voices on Hyperion Records". Hyperion Records. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  7. ↑ "Gothic Voices". www.linnrecords.com. Linn Records. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  8. ↑ Clements, Andrew (31 July 2023). "At last, Hyperion recordings are streamable. We pick some of the standouts". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 February 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  9. ↑ "National Recording Registry Class Produces Ultimate 'Stay at Home' Playlist". Library of Congress . 25 March 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  10. ↑ Duffin, Ross W. (2000). A Performer's Guide to Medieval Music. Indiana University Press. pp. 241, 563. ISBN   978-0-253-21533-8 . Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  11. ↑ Maddocks, Fiona (14 January 2023). "Classical home listening: Das Lied von der Erde for piano; The Splendour of Florence with Gothic Voices". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2024.

See also

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