Performers: Caroline Ashton, Ruth Holton, Olive Simpson, John Bowley, William Lee, Michael McCarthy, John Rowlands-Pritchard, Winchester Cathedral Choristers
Playing time: 79'
Recording date: February-May 1993
Peter Abelard (1079-1142) was one of the most famous scholars, poets, composers, and personalities of the era. Though a large volume of his writing survives, including many hymns, only a handful of his melodies have been reconstructed. In fact, until recently this handful was only two. Now there are a few more. While Hildegard is certainly more famous to us today (and indeed much more of her music has survived), Abelard had far more influence during his lifetime, and would have been the better-known figure only 20 years ago. Their musical styles are broadly similar.
This recording is filled out by some other pieces of the era (genres/sources prefixed before the colon above). All of these pieces are monophonic, though the drama is a bit more complicated in its conception.
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Todd M. McComb