Customer Rating: 
Summary: Timely Beauty
Comment: Just the title of this CD, THE BLACK MADONNA Pilgrim Songs from the Monastery of Montserrat (1400-1420) is timely, given the current interest in Gnostic scriptures, Mary Magdalene, the Cathars and the Knights Templar.
The image of Montserrat's particular Black Madonna is believed by some to be a hidden representation of Mary Magdalene, who is supposed to have fled to (what we now call) France, where she bore the child of her husband/lover Jesus. A few people (myself included) have formulated a connection between the ancient Egyptian Mother Goddess Isis, the Gnostic Sophia, the Christian Virgin Mary, and (also Gnostic) Mary Magdalene. According to the Isis theory, the esoteric color of The Goddess was black because it represented the mystical mound (pyramid) of Egypt and the spiritual center of the world. The metaphysical connection between Isis and the Virgin Mary (in her form as The Holy Mother) has been commented upon at great length and detail by many people.
Altered Images: Was an Egyptian Goddess Transformed into the Virgin Mary
The Thousand Faces of the Virgin Mary (Zacchaeus Studies: Theology)
Isis Mary Sophia: Her Mission and Ours
Signs On The Earth: Deciphering The Message Of Virgin Mary Apparitions, UFO Encounters, and Crop Circles
The CD includes an informative booklet that mentions the fact that the Monastery was built over what used to be a Temple of Venus. Venus is a form of Isis in her role as Hathor, goddess of love, music & dancing. There is also a connection to Mary Magdalene, the alleged prostitute--and temple prostitution was a common practice during the Pagan era. It's interesting that music & dancing continued to be associated with this historically rich site.
Incubation Or The Cure Of Disease In Pagan Temples And Christian Churches
King Solomon's Temple and Christianity
This music on this CD is wonderful, performed by the equally wonderful Ensemble Unicorn. I've just become musically acquianted with this company and have obviously become an enthusiastic fan.
The booklet informs us that these and other sacred & quasi-religious songs were collected by King Alfonso X el Sabio in the hybrid language Galego, a fusion of Galician and Portuquese. The monarch included some of his own tunes as well. This 12 selection CD is a sampler of about the 400 various sings & dances collected--and never fear, the booklet translates the songs.
For people familiar with the CARMINA BURANA by Carl Orf, the subject and overall sound of the music are very similiar. As a matter of fact, Ensemble Unicorn has their own version of CARMINA BURANA that I prefer over Orf's work. To be fair, it makes a big difference who directs & performs Orf's BURANA. It is open to a wide range of interpretation.
Carl Orff: Carmina Burana
Orff: Carmina Burana / McNair, Aler, Hagegard; Slatkin
Carmina Burana
This BLACK MADONNA is a masterpiece performed by masters of the genre. In the opening and other sections, the music is so accessible that it has a "New Age" or very contemporary feel. The songs are joyous celebrations of The Holy Mother & the pilgrims love for her & belief that though her intercession with Christ she can grant hope for the hopeless and perform miracles to help people in the daily struggle for existence. The material also celebrates the pleasure of every day living. There is a pagan quality both in the prayers and the composition of the sometimes stately, sometimes rambunctious, percussion.
The vocals are fantastic.
As a side note, this type of music & dance probably did represent residual memories from the pagan past & the Church couldn't have prevented its continued appreciation by the people even if it tried to do so. As time went on, however, the music played in church became ever more elaborate, highly orchestrated productions. It reached a point where you had to wonder if people went to church out of religious conviction or just to hear a good concert and/or dance a jolly jig. When musical performers & instruments began to take up more space than parishoners, The Church finally intervened & put a stop to the practice, particularly secular performances.
I've often thought that music appreciation and history should be combined in a sort of mega-class that would extend from kindergarten through university even beyond. This particular CD would demonstrate the universal, fun-loving quality of people thoughout the ages--and their simple piety. Music was a source of strength & renewal for them, as it still is for us today.
Oh yes--check out the price for this gem! It's more than fair, considering the CD's content & production values, it's almost a freebie.
Codex Faenza: Instrumental Music of the Early 15th Century
Customer Rating:
Summary: Ensemble Unicorn is unmatched.
Comment: This is flatly the best early music recording I have ever encountered. The strength and musicality of the performance is unmatched anywhere else; Ensemble Unicorn introduced me to the notion of following an ensemble's discography rather than pursuing recordings of particular compositions.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Bursting with Visceral Life and Earthy Joy!
Comment: Hard to believe we can buy this precious gem for under $10 -- and what a gem it is! Easily my favourite medieval music CD. This isn't museum music, or a cerebral esoteric dip into European medieval cultures. This music leaps out and grabs you -- recalling images of everything from the still smile of a 13th-century Madonna to the chaos of Breugel and Bosch. Belinda Sykes' voice is alive with earth, grit, heat, and a transcendent beauty that needs to be experienced to be believed. The musicians are magicians: they'll have you dancing, singing, praying -- getting your bare feet soiled in the hot holy dust of a pilgrim's trail: enjoy!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Unexpected delight
Comment: Not sure what I was expecting, but this is a very refreshing collection. Hypnotic and robust at the same time. Two thumbs up -- 'at's all I got.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Would be Worth Buying at Three Times the Price
Comment: One of the hidden gems of the Naxos catalog are the series of recordings of Medieval music by the Ensemble Unicorn with Michael Posch. The music they choose to record here comes from the 14th century Llivre Vermell de Monstserrat preserved there in an codex of five parts. The book resulted from an attempt to set contemporary popular music to spiritual texts to help to reach out to a wider audience.
This CD is exemplary in every possible way. The liner notes written by Michael Posch himself are superb. Furthermore, the recorded sound quality is pretty much audiophile grade and runs rings around those produced by major record labels for the fraction of the price. The music making is beautiful, evocative and fascinating with all performances having the intensity and brilliance you can always count on from this superb ensemble.
Very highly recommended.
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