Music for Joan the Mad

by La Nef

Overview

The daughter of King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile and the mother of King Charles V, Joan the Mad (Juana la Loca in Spanish) was a Spanish queen who lived from 1479-1555. She is believed to have suffered from mental illness -- possibly, she experienced what is now called schizophrenia -- and was confined to the historic castle at Tordesillas. A fascinating CD, Music for Joan the Mad was inspired by the life of the Spanish queen, who was believed to be a major music lover. La Nef didn't claim that Music for Joan the Mad was an exact re-creation of Spanish music from the 15th and 16th centuries -- the Quebec-based ensemble takes its share of liberties. On this enriching CD (which contains Spanish and French lyrics), listeners will hear elements of both European/Catholic and Middle Eastern music. In fact, Music for Joan the Mad is full of what is known as "modal" or "scalar" playing -- Arabic, Jewish, Armenian, Greek, Indian, Turkish, and North African music are all modal-oriented, and in the 1960s, modality was embraced by such jazz innovators as John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Pharoah Sanders, and Yusef Lateef. This album takes us back to a time when a lot of European folk was greatly influenced by Jews and Arabs, both of whom were violently forced out of Spain in the name of Christianity. Music for Joan the Mad is an enriching gem that lovers of world music should make a point of obtaining. ~ Alex Henderson

Product Details

Release Date:	03/28/1995
Label:	Dorian / Dorian Discovery
UPC:	0751758012820
Rank:	164368

Tracks

1. Dame la mano (La Sirena)
2. Una Matica de ruda
3. Poco le das
4. Dunula
5. Dame la Mano
6. El Mi querido
7. Dolores tiene la Reina
8. Por all¿¿ pas¿¿ un cavallero
9. Los bilbilicos
10. Marcha sobre "Dame la mano"
11. La Canela
12. Maria Dios te salve
13. O Se¿¿or Dios
14. Triste Espa¿¿a sin ventura
15. Work(s)~Alta / O Gloriosa Domina
16. "Acu¿¿rdate de Andaluc¿¿a..."
17. Pas¿¿abase el Rey Moro
18. O Gloriosa Domina
19. !Levanta, Pascual!
20. Mille regrets
21. Si je perdais mon amy
22. Adieu corage, adieu
23. De tous bien playne
24. "Todas estas canciones..."
25. Con que la lavar¿¿
26. L' Homme arm¿¿ / Credo in unum Deum

Album Credits

Performance Credits

La Nef   Primary Artist,Ensemble
Sylvain Bergeron   Musical Direction

Technical Credits

Philippe Soldevila   Text Translation
Sylvain Bergeron   Editing,Arranger,Composer,Artistic Director,Post Session Producer,Concept
Claire Gignac   Artistic Director
Andrew Bergeron   Text,Composer
Alain Bergeron   Text,Liner Notes
Andre Defossez   Engineer
Josquin Des Prez   Composer
Alexander Agricola   Composer
Francisco de la Torre   Composer
Juan del Encina   Composer
Bernard Guay   Assistant
Judith Cohen   Consultant
Katherine A. Dory   Editing,Booklet Preparation
Anonymous   Composer
Michel Robitaille   Assistant
Viviane LeBlanc   Artistic Director
Juan Vasquez   Composer
William Cornish   Composer
Corrie Castello   Text Translation
Denis McCready   Photography
Jean Turgeon   Session Producer,Executive Producer
Nancy Oehler   Assistant,Liner Note Translation
Brian C. Peters   Mastering Engineer