Monteverdi, fer cryin' out loud!

Here's a really nice song from Monteverdi, from before Italian opera got annoying! (link) The soprano is Olga Pasiecznik from the Ukraine, and the group is a Polish chamber ensemble called Altri Stromenti. You can buy their CD here if you want, on Magnatune. That would be cool...

P.S. I got the album image from the Magnatune website.

Here are the words:

Confitebor tibi Domine in toto corde meo, in consilio justorum et congregatione. Magna opera Domini: exquisita in omnes voluntates ejus. Confessio et magnificentia opus ejus, et justitia ejus manet in sæculum sæculi. Memoriam fecit mirabilium suorum, misericors et miserator Dominus, escam dedit timentibus se. Memor erit in sæculum testamenti sui; virtutem operum suorum annuntiabit populo suo, ut det illis hereditatem Gentium; opera manuum ejus veritas et judicium. Fidelia omnia mandata ejus; confirmata in sæculum sæculi, facta in veritate et æquitate. Redemptionem misit Dominus populo suo; mandavit in æternum testamentum suum. Sanctum, et terribile nomen ejus; initium sapientiæ timor Domini. Intellectus bonus omnibus facientibus eum; laudatio ejus manet in sæculum sæculi. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen.

I will thank the Lord with all my heart in the council of justice and the assembly. Great [are] the works of the Lord: [they are] sought out in all his goodwill. his work [is] confession and grandeur, and his justice remains forever. His miracles were made into legends, the merciful and gracious Lord, he gave food to those who fear him. The memory of his promise will be forever; the goodness of his works he will announce to his people, thus let him give that heritage of the Gentiles; the works of his hands [are] truth and justice. All faith [is] entrusted to him; and established forever, made in truth and equity. The Lord sent redemption to his people. he commanded his covenant forever. Holy and frightful [is] his name; fear of the Lord [is] the beginning of wisdom. A good understanding to all of them who act; the praise of him endures forever. Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, and [is] now and always, and [will be] forever. Amen.

Yeah! Balkan Ceilidh!

In Banchory, we saw Jani (Janos) Lang & the Balkan Ceilidh band! I'm all about multicultural fusion music, and this was its acme. The band features Jani on fiddle (Irish, Balkan, Gypsy, Scandinavian, and Scottish styles). I can't find a website for the Balkan Ceilidh, but I did find a sample of one of Jani's songs that they played at the concert: The Wind that Shakes the Paprika. Jani is a funny guy as well as a fiddle genius, and his song introductions and descriptions were the other best part of the show.

Here's the site of his other Hungarian Anglo-Irish band, Fianna (where I got the audio sample, and where more of the same await you), and here's a brief profile of Jani.

Bonus: Here's a whole Fianna song: Da snock oda smaalie. Not very Balkan, though.

John Jacob Niles

Hi! I'm taking this opportunity to link to a song that I think is interesting as a piece of American history. John Jacob Niles (1892-1980, I think) was an American folk musician, composer, and singer. He was actually the author of 'I Wonder As I Wander,' which may surprise you once you hear his eerie vocal style. I've posted about music before, as you'll remember, about Sacred Harp singing, which also had a distinctive sound ('sounds like drunken Gregorian chanting?'). As before, don't expect music that I post to sound particularly pleasant. It's just so cool.

John Jacob Niles - The Maid Freed From the Gallows

PS The link might expire some day.

[update] It's been pointed out that I didn't provide the URL for the music. Here it is!
http://www.redruin.com/2006/03/10/john-jacob-niles-dean-of-american-balladeers/

My musical weekend

	This seems to be rapidly (rabidly?) changing into a PHOTO BLOG. Check back for comments and photos from Scotland, where they do things funny. I'm leaving Saturday...

Sacred Harp!

I have renewed my obsession with Shape Note singing—it must be in my roots. If you want to hear some music that is incomparably passionate, manically enthusiastic, totally unrefined, raucous, poorly recorded, repetitive, and unabashedly white (No complaints now, I gave you fair warning!) while still managing to praise God, go here and click to hear some of the mp3s. If you want to reproduce this type of music yourself, go here. If you're interested in the history, visit this site. Shape note singing is an Appalachian tradition- the notes on the page are different shapes to help people learn to read music. It's generally out of tune (like bluegrass, which is from the same area), because the people singing it aren't trained musicians, and the intervals tend toward open fifths—a very medieval feature. Anyway, if that description doesn't sound interesting you probably won't like it. It sure is very enthusiastic, though.

My new baby

This is it. More to follow.



**Due to requests I have resized the image**

It is a lap steel guitar, by the way.

Low Noises
Our house just got a subwoofer for our new PA system. It's a Mackie 600 watt 15 inch piece of low noise. I've already made people sick, angry, etc. with it. How many more must suffer? It is quite fun to play the bass through, though...

I felt bad, because I had guests over, and we were supposed to be jamming because they think I will fit in well with their progressive rock... But here we were playing techno, rap, and Billie Jean with only a subwoofer and no speakers... Tres gauche...

In other news, Shelley has a blog now.