By Sergey Lenkov "Serge" (Mother Russia) - See all my reviews

This is the album by Ensemble De Organographia (Gayle Stuwe Neuman and Phlip Neu
man). Probably you had heard thier CDs "Music of the Ancient Greeks" and "Carnev
ale! Festive Music of 16th century Italy".
Disc consists of 3 sets of Antique World music. Ancient Greek Music newly founde
d at Oxyrhinchus in Egypt (world premiere recording); music from ancient city Ug
arit (XIII century B.C.) - Sumero-Babylonian music (including oldest notated mus
ic in the history of humankind); music of the Egyptians reconstructed after desc
riptions by Plutarch and Apuleius.
Ensemble De Organographia re-creates this music with such love and unerstanding
of the ancient cultures, that you nearly feel the breezes of the Mediterranean s
ea and see the landscapes of its shores. They perform it as a music of still liv
ing folk tradition.
Of course you wouldn`t find here ancient analog of the 5th Beethoven`s symphony:
)
The value of this music is that you could understand internal world and spiritua
lity of the ancient people. It`s a miracle...
I had heard different "restorations" of the Music of the Ancient World - and thi
s work by Ensemble De Organographia is simply the best!!! A must for the lover o
f the Antique culture.
And it`s hard for me to understand why works by Synaulia and Atrium Musicae De M
adrid are so popular.
You could find CDs by Ensemble De Organographia on website by North Pacific Musi
c. There you would find sound samples.
My real rate of this CD - 10 stars!!!!
De Organographia:
Philip Neuman, Gayle Stuwe Neuman combine astute musicology, performance practic
e and instrument crafting in the realization of this amazing collection of music
from 1950 BC to 300 AD. From the world's oldest notated music, vocal renderings
are accompanied with performed lyres, kithara, pandoura, double reed pipes, flu
tes and other ancient instruments.
Track Titles
1. Musical Excerpts....Anon. (2nd c. AD)
2. Lament...Anon. (2nd or 3rd c. AD)
3. Fragment 1...Anon. (2nd c. AD)
4. Paean...Anon. (3rd or 4th c. AD)
5. Trochaic fragment....Anon. (3rd c. AD)
6. Four settings of a line from "Epitrepontes" by Menander...Anon.(3rd c.AD)
7. Excerpts mentioning Eros and Aphrodite...Anon. (2nd or 3rd c. AD)
8. Musical excerpt...Anon. (3rd c. AD)
9. Hypolydian excerpt...Anon. (2nd or 3rd c. AD)
10. Fragment 3...Anon. (3rd c. AD)
11. A zaluzi to the gods...Anon. (c. 1225 BC)
12. Hurrian Hymns 19 and 23...Anon. (c.1225 BC)
13. Hurrian Hymns 13 and 12...Urhiya/Anon. (c. 1225 BC)
14. Hurrian Hymn 2...Anon. (c. 1225 BC)
15. Hurrian Hymn 8...Urhiya (c. 1225 BC)
16. Hurrian Hymn 5...Puhiya(na) (c. 1225 BC)
17. Hurrian Hymns 4, 21 and 22... Anon. (c. 1225 BC)
18. Hurrian Hymns 7 and 10...Anon. (c. 1225 BC)
19. Hurrian Hymns 16 and 30...Anon. (c.1225 BC)
20. Musical Instructions for "Lipit-Ishtar, King of Justice" (c. 1950 BC)
21. Trumpet call...Anon./Plutarch
22. Isis sistrum rhythm...Anon./Apuleius
23. Theban banquet scene...Anon. (14th c. BC)
24./25. Harp pieces (A) (B)...Anon. (7th or 6th c. BC)