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Gothic Voices

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Gothic Voices is a British vocal ensemble that sings medieval music. The group was founded in 1980 by the scholar and musician Christopher Page. The repertoire runs from the eleventh to the fifteenth century and includes work by composers such as Guillaume de Machaut, Guillaume Du Fay and Hildegard von Bingen, and other music from the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance. Sometimes the group also sings contemporary pieces with a medieval sound.

Music and breakthrough

The sound comes from Page's research into performance practice. He concluded that the accompanying lines in medieval scores were intended for lower singing voices and not for instruments. He demonstrated this in 1981 in broadcasts on BBC Radio 3. The group recorded twenty-three albums for Hyperion, Avie and Linn, three of which won a Gramophone Award.

Influence

The first album was A Feather on the Breath of God, with hymns and sequences by Hildegard von Bingen, which became one of Hyperion's biggest commercial successes. It was followed by, among others, The Mirror of Narcissus with songs by Machaut, The Garden of Zephirus, The Service of Venus and Mars and Music for the Lion-Hearted King. With these records a broad public got to hear medieval music, in a clear, pure style without instruments.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to A Feather on the Breath of God by Hildegard von Bingen, performed by Gothic Voices, and notice the soft, sustained singing voice. Hear how a long melodic line stands on its own without accompaniment.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists