Review: Cold Mountain Soundtrack

Subject: Review: Cold Mountain Soundtrack
From: allanwill
Date: 03 Mar 04 - 02:45 AM

I just did a quick perusal through the main Cold Mountain thread and didn't see much about the music.

I, (or should I say, we, 'cause it was SWMBO who watched the BS Academy Awards and saw "this blonde singing this song" from the movie Cold Mountain and decided she had to have it) went and bought the soundtrack album.

I'll leave it to the experts to describe it fully, but I found it absolutely stunning.

The standout songs, in my opinion, are Track 2 (Reeltime Travellers - Like A Songbird That Has Fallen), Track 4 (the blonde! Allison Krauss - The Scarlet Tide) and above everything else Track 9 (Sacred Heart Singers - I'm Going Home) - this one left me with a lacrymal secretion from my orbits, which is not something I would readily admit to.

This CD is way up there with Songcatcher and Down From The Mountain.

Allan

Subject: RE: Review: Cold Mountain Soundtrack
From: Shanghaiceltic
Date: 03 Mar 04 - 03:03 AM

Totally agree. A really good soundtrack album.

Subject: RE: Review: Cold Mountain Soundtrack
From: Shanghaiceltic
Date: 03 Mar 04 - 03:07 AM

oops, forgot to mention that in the March issue of fRoots mag there is a good article about the music in an interview with Tim Eriksen.

He mentions 'shape note singing'

Can any catters please enlighten me to what this is?

Subject: RE: Review: Cold Mountain Soundtrack
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 03 Mar 04 - 02:48 PM

There are lots of threads discussing Shape Note Singing - basically it is a form of music notation which was used instead of Tonic Solfa or the "standard" sparrows sat on phone lines. Bung "shape note" in the forum search box and you should find plenty of references.
Last week there was a thread linking to a site containing the lyrics of the songs from Cold Mountain ( and lots of other films including Oh Brother Where Art Thou) - can't the thread title, but it's worth checking back for. I'm too knackered to do so right now.
Quack!
Geoff the Duck.

Subject: RE: Review: Cold Mountain Soundtrack
From: Stewart
Date: 03 Mar 04 - 05:30 PM

Shape note singing "sounds like a cross between a steam calliope and a Ukranian peasant chorus." H.L. Mencken

Cheers, S. in Seattle

Subject: RE: Review: Cold Mountain Soundtrack
From:
Date: 03 Mar 04 - 07:06 PM

I'd like to find the lyrics for "I'm Coming Home," from Cold Mountain, but so far, no luck. I was mightily disappointed that at least one of the songs didn't win an Oscar ("Scarlet Tide" would have been my choice, and I was hoping The Sacred Harp Singers would go into a little of "I'm Coming Home" when they were on stage, after harmonizing to Scarlet Tide, but it didn't happen). Any ideas of how I can find "I'm Coming Home"?
JKT

Subject: RE: Review: Cold Mountain Soundtrack
From: TNDARLN
Date: 03 Mar 04 - 07:28 PM

The title is "I'm Going Home" and it's from the Sacred HarP. Again, all shape-note singing is not Sacred Harp. The website to research the tradition is www.fasola.org

The Sacred Harp singers that backed up Allison Kraus were to have sung another song, but 'twas cut due to time constraints.

There's supposed to be an entire cd of Sacred Harp singing released soon. When they recorded the tracks for the movie, they went ahead and recorded enough more to fill a cd. Meanwhile, the fasola website has links to other available [and wonderful: In Sweetest Union Join] recordings, as well as information about singings all over the U.S. and U.K. Chances are you wouldn't have to go too far to find one.   T

And, the NY Times magazine will be doing a feature story on Sacred Harp singing in the next few weeks. They were with us Sunday photographing the singing on Sand Mtn., and were seen shedding more than one tear over the singing...it was Mighty!

Subject: RE: Review: Cold Mountain Soundtrack
From: Eugene Judge
Date: 03 Mar 04 - 07:56 PM

The site mentioned above by 'Geoff the Duck' with lyrics including some from "Cold Mountain" and "Oh Brother" plus many more sountracks is:

http://www.stlyrics.com/c/coldmountain.htm

This will take you to the "Cold Mountain" section but you can sort out where else you want to go from there.


Eugene

Subject: RE: Review: Cold Mountain Soundtrack
From: Eugene Judge
Date: 03 Mar 04 - 08:20 PM

Update

Guest "jtkbook"

The lyrics to "I'm Going Home" are available from the site mentioned in my earlier post above.

Eugene

Subject: RE: Review: Cold Mountain Soundtrack
From: Shanghaiceltic
Date: 04 Mar 04 - 04:43 AM

As I type I am just listening to the Mike Harding show on BBC radio 2, go to 'listen again'. This week it's coming from the North American Folk Alliance event in San Diego.

Good show of US folk music plus a bit on the Sacred Harp and shape note singing.

Subject: RE: Review: Cold Mountain Soundtrack
From: Burke
Date: 04 Mar 04 - 10:13 AM

There have been many threads on Shape Note Singing. The most recently active is this one: Shape Note or Sacred Harp

The Western Mass. Sacred Harp Convention is coming up in just over a week in Northampton. Some of those folks on the stage at the Oscars will be there. It is also right up there as one of the best anywhere in the country. Information here