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Part of the Medieval collection. Customers who bought John Fleagle also bought: American Bach Soloists, Philharmonia Baroque, Lara St John, Monks and Choirs of Kiev Pechersk Lavra, Rob Costlow, Jeff Wahl, Falling You, Vito Paternoster, Shira Kammen, Ambient Teknology.
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| - Worlds Bliss - Medieval Songs of Love and Death | play hifi lofi, license, BUY |
His contemporary style of interpretation breathed life into poems some seven or
eight hundred years old--be they in Old French, Latin, Middle English or Gaelic.
He fashioned compelling arrangements of his songs on beautiful reconstructions
of medieval stringed instruments: lute, gothic harp and hurdy-gurdy, which he
also designed and built.
Fleagle is well known to radio audiences here and abroad for his epic musical
storytelling adventures, including the Voyage of Saint Brendan and the Roman de
Silence. He can be heard, as well, on Erato, New Albion and BMG records.
Of his dramatic approach to performance, the Boston Globe wrote:
"John Fleagle, that solitary singer, was marvelous (indeed almost literally
so) in evoking the atmosphere of a time when our ancestors gathered 'round of an
evening to hear of striking deeds and distant places, of magic, danger, evil and
piety, of a world in which anything might have a religious import and miracles
did happen."
Magnatune musician Shira Kammen performs on this
album with John Fleagle (she was a close friend, and was willed Fleagle's lute).
After Fleagle's death, Kammen purchased the rights to this recording back from
the record company, and has graciously allowed Magnatune to re-release this
important recording. Note that proceeds from this recording will go to Kammen.
John was a native of Woodstock, Connecticut. He played drums in a rock band in
high school and then went to the Berklee College to study string bass. His work
with the late Marleen Montgomery in the 70s is what transformed him into the
singer and storyteller that touched the lives of so many around the world. He
delved into the music and lore of the middle ages, learned to build his own
instruments - harp, psaltery, hurdy gurdy - and traveled extensively in search
of songs and tales that had been lost for centuries. Over the years his work
with such groups as Alexander's Feast, the Ensemble Project Ars Nova and, most
recently, Fortune's Wheel brought his gfits to the astonished attention of
audiences from Germany and Holland to Mexico and Vancouver, BC. He appeared
frequently with the Boston Camerata and the Christmas Revels.
His uncanny voice, with its extraordinary range, brought vivid life to these
ancient songs of love and death, magic and mysticism. He seemed to have stepped
directly into this world from the 13th century, to walk lightly among us and, in
his singing, to direct our attention to concerns and questions still unanswered
at this brutally prosaic end of the millenium. He was a quiet, unassuming soul;
his gifts were not marred by excessive ambition or ego. He was unique. There is
simply no one who can replace him.
Biography courtesy of Sheldon Brown.
Singer/instrumentalist John Fleagle created some of the most lyrical and
inventive performances of medieval song. With a background in jazz and
traditional singing, his voice captivated audiences at festivals around the
world.
On Monday, May 17th, 1999 the music world was stunned by news of the death of
John Fleagle after having lived with cancer for over two years. John was our
bard, our master singer; his loss is incalculable.
