Our Review
Talk about the proverbial "oldie, but goodie"! Maggie Sansone's Sounds of the Season was originally released 18 years ago (in 1988, the same year my adolescent son was born). Apparently, that was a great year for music and boys, for Sounds of the Season has been a perennial favorite for many households over the years, including my own. It's an acoustic gem, a folksy piece of paradise for those who love homespun instrumentals that warm the heart and promote toe-tappin' of the happiest sort.
Maggie Sansone is famous not only for her incredible dulcimer expertise, but also for her wonderful independent label "Maggie's Music" (www.maggiesmusic.com), which has championed excellent Scottish music, Irish music, and early music for those with a discerning ear and a love for folk/Celtic/medieval musicality. In addition to Sansone's warmly textured dulcimer, seven other artists provide their talents, and the result is instrumental bliss. Frankly, I think that the dulcimer is an ideal match for holiday music. It has a slightly "rougher" quality than the harp, and its textures convey bright cheerfulness and soulful warmth in a way that few other instruments do. Sansone goes it alone with her mighty dulcimer on two tracks (What Child Is This, Bridget Cruise), and the sweet simplicity is quite affecting.
Although Sansone is stunning on her dulcimer, my favorite tunes here reflect interplay with other instruments. These tracks surely must include Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming, which shows gentle synthesizer action with the dulcimer, the exuberant I Saw Three Ships with concertina assistance, the richly woven Angels We Have Heard on High with its deep "viola da gamba" (like a cello) foundation, and the stately Wexford Carol.
Sound of the Season is a bona fide classic, through and through. For those who love superbly-crafted acoustic instrumentals with a Celtic bent, this CD should already be in your collection. If you don't own it, you've already wasted 18 good years. Get going!
--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2006)
More
From the liner notes:
Musicians:
Maggie Sansone: Hammered Dulcimer
Sue Richards: Celtic Harp
Robin Bullock: Cittern, Violin, Mandolin, Guitar, Synthesizer, Bass
Carolyn Surrick: Viola da Gamba
Linda Lunbeck: Recorder, Finger Cymbals
Wendy Morrison: Concertina (Finger Cymbals on #16)
Myron Bretholz: Bodhran
Mike Vargas: Dombek (#19)
Arrangements by Maggie Sansone with creative input from off the musicians.
Produced by Maggie Sansone
Maggie Sansone
Sounds of the Season
Order from Amazon
Order from CD Baby
Artist site
Label: Maggie's Music
Length: 58 minutes
Genre: Folk
Release: 1988
Track List
| Song Title |
|---|
| Deck the Hall/Ding Dong, Merrily on High |
| Wexford Carol |
| Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming |
| Gower Wassail |
| O Come, O Come, Emmanual/Masters in This Hall |
| Baloo, Lammy |
| Joy to the World/Here We Come A-Wassailling |
| Christmas Eve Is Here/Fum, Fum, Fum/Christmas Eve Reel |
| Il Est Ne/Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella |
| What Child Is This |
| God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen |
| Personent Hodie |
| I Saw Three Ships |
| Angels We Have Heard on High |
| Scotch Mist/Marquis of Huntley's Strathspey |
| Abbots Bromley Horn Dance |
| Miss Patterson/Johnny's Gone to France |
| Bridget Cruise |
| Ductia |
| Parson's Farewell |