plainchant recommendation? (and general medieval music recs.)

[serendipitous journey]

I'd like to have a CD or two of Gregorian/plainchant/non-accompanied chant.  This for us to listen to during our day and in the car, for exposure and joy.  I just don't know where to start! 

 

Just a little nice thing -- I came across this short section of chant on Youtube, performed by Chinese singers & also including women.  I think the music is so beautiful! (esp. given the tinny nature of my laptop speakers) and am entranced and touched to see this tradition expanding. 

 

One resource I'm trying to use is study.com's Medieval Music plans from Chapter 18 of their Intro. to Humanities.  I'd be very grateful for any CD/music suggestions that I could use with the syllabus, though I am limited by my budget so can't get CDs for everything I'd like. 

 

The topics are:

Gregorian/plainchant/early medieval church music.

Medieval & Renaissance singing and polyphony

Motets: characteristics and composers

Courtly love songs (medieval)

Medieval Composers: Hildegard von Bingen, Guillaume de Machaut, Leonin & Perotin

Leonin and Perotin: musical contributions, polyphony and Ars Antiqua

Guillaume de Machaut: musical contributions, Ars Nova

 

Thanks in advance!

[serendipitous journey]

This might be more formal than you're looking for, but you might check out Professor Carol's website: https://www.professorcarol.com/discovering-music/

 

Have you used any of Professor Carol's materials?  I'm looking at these for our next round through, or maybe next year at the earliest, and would be glad of a  BTDT perspective. 

 

Right now, I need actual music more than instruction.  We're using Harmony Fine Arts as a rough spine, but I much prefer the approach taken by the study.com materials for music history (for the medieval era) and am hoping I can get some music in our ears to go alongside it. 

Edited March 12, 2018 by serendipitous journey

[2Peanuts]

The vocal group Anonymous 4 was famous for performing chant. 4 women. Gorgeous sound.

 

Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols uses Old English texts and, while Britten was a modern composer, the Ceremony of Carols uses many musical devices that were characteristic of medieval music.

 

I'll post more if I think of them but these 2 should give you a good start for building a library of beautiful music to listen to.

 

Carol

[Gabrielsyme]

Ooh this is my wheelhouse! The Tallis Scholars, Academy of Ancient, City Waites, Taverner Consort and Players, Gothic Voices (Christopher Page.) Chanticleer is very approachable and while they do their own stuff they also record a lot of period music.