Kim Bates wrote this review which first ran on Green Man Review.
Altramar is a medieval music ensemble consisting of Jann Cosart (crwth, vielle), Angela Mariani (voice, medieval Celtic harp, cruit, percussion), Chris Smith (cruit, gittern), David Stattelman (voice), who play on period instruments made specifically for this project. Celtic Wanderers is the second album in a Celtic trilogy celebrating the Celtic music of the middle ages, when isolated Ireland sent many “peregrini” or religious pilgrims to Europe. Many founded monasteries on the continent, many perished on the road, but their influence on continental life is undeniable. Big Earl Sellar was just as impressed by the first installment in this project, Crossroads of the Celts, as I am by Celtic Wanderers. As he points out, the form of music we know today as Celtic has developed in the past 500 years; before that, the sound and delivery of the music is difficult to decipher without a great deal of scholarship, dedication, and — in Altramar’s case — talent. If your exposure to medieval music comes from the Renaissance Festivals, where pomp and circumstance triumph, Altramar may be a surprise. With its emphasis on contemplative, monastic sources, this album is a far cry from much of what passes for medieval music.
This is a lovely album, filled with spare, dramatic arrangements that seem to owe as much to stillness as to melody. All songs are sung in Latin — the common language of educated Europeans — although pronunciations vary to reflect the different origins of the songs. Many of the melodies sung here are derived from the structure of Irish devotional chants, giving the melodies sense of quiet power. Altramar have put together four such devotional chants together in a set called “Antiphones for St. Killian.” Mariani’s vocals evoke the chapel, and the minimal instrumental accompaniment heighten the power and beauty of the words. The tale of the biblical Samson’s downfall, “Samson du fortissime” is also notable. Apparently one of the more popular pilgrim’s songs of the medieval period, it is associated with the Irish St. Columbanus, who was told to remember Samson’s fate when tempted by the pleasures of the flesh. Stattelman delivers a fine performance, backed by slightly dissonant strings that create a dramatic background for the story. Several of the instrumental pieces were created by Altramar, based on fragments of music found in medieval manuscripts. “Ducta Angloram” is my favorite — lively yet haunting, it is easy to imagine pilgrims warming a cold night with this music — but only if they have devoted a lifetime to musical pursuits as part of their cloistered lifestyle!
The liner notes for Celtic Wanderers are actually a 25 page booklet describing the music, the instruments, and even pointing the way to scholarly sources on everything from the traditions of pilgrimage to the making of the instruments. I can’t recommend this album highly enough for anyone seeking serenity without overproduction; beauty without artifice, and a sense of the quiet, but intense spirituality.
(Dorian, 2002)
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