Looking for vocal quartet Christmas CD

Subject: Looking for vocal quartet Christmas CD
From: mousethief
Date: 26 Nov 10 - 09:24 PM

Here's a weird request. I'm looking for the perfect small-ensemble acapella CD.
I have a plethora of huge choirs in drafty churches CDs, jazzy quartets with
swooping notes and avant garde harmonies, Mills Brothers type groups with
schmaltzy background instrumentals and foreshortened lyrics, yada, yada.

What I'd really like is something by a small vocal ensemble, SATB, 4 to 8
voices, sung without weird embellishments or Take 6 harmonies. A mix of sacred
and secular is okay, but include all the verses, not just the first and last.
(This is extremely important of course on things like "Good King Wenceslas" or
"We Three Kings" where if you leave a verse out, you mangle the song!) Oh, and I
don't much like John Rutter.

Is this level of pickiness just impossible to please? Or is there anything out
there that might come close? I have over 50 Christmas CDs but nothing in this
particular configuration.

Thanks,
Alex

Subject: RE: Looking for vocal quartet Christmas CD
From: Artful Codger
Date: 26 Nov 10 - 10:17 PM

The Anonymous 4 have probably put out a Christmas CD. SSAA, of course. They always deliver quality.

Subject: RE: Looking for vocal quartet Christmas CD
From: Artful Codger
Date: 26 Nov 10 - 10:20 PM

One quartet (this time TTBB--and with Take 6 type harmonies) Christmas CD I like is "Nog", by The Blenders. Only seasonal CD of that style I've even considered buying.

Subject: RE: Looking for vocal quartet Christmas CD
From: katlaughing
Date: 26 Nov 10 - 10:34 PM

Not a quarter, but I've always loved Folk Legacy's 'Twas on a Night Like This (A Christmas Legacy) with Cathy Barton, Dave Para and the Paton family.

Subject: RE: Looking for vocal quartet Christmas CD
From: mousethief
Date: 26 Nov 10 - 11:03 PM

Kat, I have that. Lovely CD. We have a couple of Anonymous 4 Christmas time CD's: one is "Legends of St Nicholas", and one is "On Yoolis Night". Never heard of the Blenders. Clever name!

Thanks everyone so far.

Subject: RE: Looking for vocal quartet Christmas CD
From: giles earle
Date: 27 Nov 10 - 03:32 AM

The latest Anonymous 4 Christmas CD is The Cherry Tree - Songs, Carols & Ballads for Christmas.

If you don't mind instruments with your small ensemble – again, as it happens, an ensemble of ladies – Mediva have brought out a CD Gabriels Message - Festive Music From Medieval England

Subject: RE: Looking for vocal quartet Christmas CD
From: giles earle
Date: 27 Nov 10 - 04:02 AM

... oh, and in quite different vein, although maybe too large an ensemble for you - I seem to recall about a dozen singers at concerts - but at least SATB: Stile Antico have made a compilation of Tudor church music, Puer Natus Est: Tudor Music For Advent and Christmas.

It's not carols, but motets and movements of the mass written by English composers: Tallis, Byrd, Taverner, Sheppard and White.

Subject: RE: Looking for vocal quartet Christmas CD
From: scouse
Date: 27 Nov 10 - 06:06 AM

Can't do better than Coope, Boyes and Simpson's (Plus a few Ladies) Christmas Cd.Acapella at it's best.
As Aye,
Phil.

Subject: RE: Looking for vocal quartet Christmas CD
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 27 Nov 10 - 08:07 AM

Finest Kind are just a trio but they may have the sound you're looking for.
Feasts and Spirits is lovely!

Subject: RE: Looking for vocal quartet Christmas CD
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 27 Nov 10 - 08:24 AM

Ramskyte's Dark December is amazing, very trad, some self penned stuff too. Not all acapella as John Thornton supplements some with his concertina.

But still damned good.

Subject: RE: Looking for vocal quartet Christmas CD
From: Artful Codger
Date: 27 Nov 10 - 05:56 PM

Given the size of your collection, you've probably already got these, but just in case:

Nowell Sing We Clear (TTBB quartet, notably with John Roberts and Tony Barrand): hard to go wrong there. Web site: Golden Hind Music

The Boston Camerata: they have at least four xmas releases, three specific to a historic period (medieval, baroque and renaissance), and Sing We Noel, of xmas music from England and Early America. Small ensemble SATB, featuring less often heard music or carol settings, and all excellent.

Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band: several xmas releases.

None of the above are purely unaccompanied (particularly with Prior and co.) and none qualify as an SATB quartet. Odd that that combination, in a trad vein, should be hard to come by.

Subject: RE: Looking for vocal quartet Christmas CD
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 28 Nov 10 - 02:29 PM

Also with instruments - Magpie Lane are well worth a listen.
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Looking for vocal quartet Christmas CD
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 28 Nov 10 - 03:43 PM

Actually a lot of what they do is unaccompanied. Just spotted their Myspace - http://www.myspace.com/magpielane which will give you something to listen to.
Quack!
Geoff.

Subject: RE: Looking for vocal quartet Christmas CD
From: GUEST,DWR
Date: 28 Nov 10 - 07:14 PM

Hmmm... What about Quartette-- Sylvia Tyson, Cindy Church, Caitlin Hanford, and Gwen Swick?

You can listen to an hour concert here.http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/cod/concerts/20081214qrtet You can listen to the entire concert or pick and choose among the tracks as you please.

If you like what you hear, there is a link to their website on the page. They have a couple of Christmas CDs.

Subject: RE: Looking for vocal quartet Christmas CD
From: open mike
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 02:51 AM

if you like topical songs and humor, the BOBs are for you!
with songs such as "the night before the night before christmas,"
"50 kilowatt tree" and others--all accapella voices...Too Many Santas is the name of their christmas album.

Subject: RE: Looking for vocal quartet Christmas CD
From: Wyrd Sister
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 05:22 PM

This is different