“In a world where we can often find ourselves too busy to just pause, I find Melancolia to be the perfect album to not only sit down and relax, but to really find a moment for personal reflection and meditation, even prayer.“
Our wonderful Sales & Distribution Manager – Amy Nelson – recommends Melancolia, by Música Temprana and Adrián Rodríguez Van der Spoel.
“I fell in love with the album Melancolia the first time that I heard it. The sombre, nostalgic, contemplative melancholy of the music continues to make me stop in my tracks, and even to move me to tears. A personal favourite and recommendation of mine is Track 5, Melancolia. This instrumental piece is so slow, so mindful, that you can’t help but breathe deeply and calmly with the musician playing the recorder, and the desire to perform a slow, yoga routine along to the track is very compelling!
The influence of medieval instrumentation and melody is prevalent throughout the album, and the complicated emotion of melancholy is the main inspiration and theme of the music. That beautiful and poignant combination of human history and human emotion seems to resonate with me every time I listen to it.
The cancioneros draw inspiration from very human experiences and emotions such as heartbreak, tragedy, unrequited and unconsummated love, and even though these songs seem very simply constructed, with limited vocal and melodic range and relaxing rhythmic patterns, their emotional impact is profound. The El Canto de la Sibilia on the other hand is a sacred, religious and very powerful piece of work. Full of history, including lyrics inspired by a sermon dating back to the 5th century, the music itself has been performed in churches throughout Europe since the Middle Ages. Even without knowing the historical and religious significance and context of the work, the music itself is still humbling, haunting, and commands a respect and appreciation due to its magnetic beauty and symbolism.
In a world where we can often find ourselves too busy to just pause, I find Melancolia to be the perfect album to not only sit down and relax, but to really find a moment for personal reflection and meditation, even prayer.”
Amy Nelson, Sales & Distribution Manager
