Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Here in 21st century America, we think of St. Nicholas as a generally sympathetic character -- you know, a "right jolly old elf." In medieval France, there was a legend concerning St. Nicholas that cast him in a somewhat different light. It seems that in the 11th century, the liturgy of St. Nicholas (which included some plainchant tunes that remain familiar Christmas melodies today, such as "Intonent Hodie" and "Exultemus et Letemur") became popular in churches throughout Europe, but the Prior of one particular monastery in France would not allow the newfangled music to be sung in his chapel, despite the entreaties of his monks. So St. Nicholas appeared to him in the middle of the night, dragged him out of bed by the hair, and beat the living crap out of him while teaching him every hymn, responsory, and conductus in the cycle. The next morning, the Prior announced his change of heart, and the St. Nicholas liturgy was sung regularly in his monastery from that day forward. The music itself is quite gentle and lovely, as the a cappella female vocal quartet Anonymous 4 demonstrates handily on this lovely disc. The pieces of the liturgy are mainly monodic plainchant, but there are some eerily lovely pieces of early polyphony here as well, and the members of the group include their own melodic readings of early St. Nicholas legends in the program as well. The vocals and blends are exquisite, as always, and the Mont La Salle Chapel in Napa, California provides a beautifully reverberant acoustic. Very highly recommended.
© TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From $17.49/month
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Anonymous 4, Performer
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Album review
Here in 21st century America, we think of St. Nicholas as a generally sympathetic character -- you know, a "right jolly old elf." In medieval France, there was a legend concerning St. Nicholas that cast him in a somewhat different light. It seems that in the 11th century, the liturgy of St. Nicholas (which included some plainchant tunes that remain familiar Christmas melodies today, such as "Intonent Hodie" and "Exultemus et Letemur") became popular in churches throughout Europe, but the Prior of one particular monastery in France would not allow the newfangled music to be sung in his chapel, despite the entreaties of his monks. So St. Nicholas appeared to him in the middle of the night, dragged him out of bed by the hair, and beat the living crap out of him while teaching him every hymn, responsory, and conductus in the cycle. The next morning, the Prior announced his change of heart, and the St. Nicholas liturgy was sung regularly in his monastery from that day forward. The music itself is quite gentle and lovely, as the a cappella female vocal quartet Anonymous 4 demonstrates handily on this lovely disc. The pieces of the liturgy are mainly monodic plainchant, but there are some eerily lovely pieces of early polyphony here as well, and the members of the group include their own melodic readings of early St. Nicholas legends in the program as well. The vocals and blends are exquisite, as always, and the Mont La Salle Chapel in Napa, California provides a beautifully reverberant acoustic. Very highly recommended.
© TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 24 track(s)
- Total length: 01:09:35
- Main artist: Anonymous 4
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: harmonia mundi
- Genre: Classical
1999 harmonia mundi usa
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.