Search - John Fleagle, Shira Kammen :: World's Bliss - Medieval Songs of Love and Death

Eclectic perfection

09/27/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD makes my heart soar. The immense beauty is almost overwhelming. My two small children are as captivated as I am, and I have been singing a few of Fleagle's songs every day!"

Perfect from beginning to end

Daniel T. Gianola-Norris | Cotati, CA | 04/08/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"John Fleagle's album is simply one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard. Fleagle combines period performance technique with a folk singer's sensibilities, creating a work that brings the powerful emotions of these poems to life for the modern listener. This is a dark, rich, and spellbinding album. The songs are mainly Fleagle's own musical settings of Middle English and traditional poems, and because he immerses himself so completely in the meaning of the text and in the medieval musical style, his compositions ooze authenticity. He is a skilled multi-instrumentalist, accompanying himself gracefully on a variety of instruments. Every track is spellbinding. "The Hern" has the spooky, haunting beauty of a dream that you can't forget, and the sound of Fleagle's gothic harp is the perfect match for the song's poetic imagery. The poems for all of the songs are printed in the booklet, and the Middle English pieces are accompanied by modern translations, allowing a fuller appreciation of their verbal beauty. You will not regret buying this album."

Bringing Medieval Music to life

R. Largess | Boston, Massachusetts United States | 09/25/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was fortunate in meeting John perhaps three years before his death.By chance;I was looking for someone to talk to a class of high school seniors and his name was given to me. He ended up performing for students and teachers several times. It was a glorious,joyous,heartbreaking AND intellectually fascinating experience. John`s gifts were so many and remarkable: the beauty of his voice- his power as an artist. His vast depth of knowledge, of music, language, musicology. He performed medieval music, composed music for medieval poetry, made his own medieval instruments.His generosity and gentleness.Even now,although I hardly knew him outside these performances,the thought of his death is a bitter pang. I only wish more of his remarkable repertoire was recorded."