For this episode I chose a subject that had too many possibilties, so I’ve ended up with a ‘Double Troika’ like I did with Tearjerkers!
I wanted to look at music that just used the voice, and choose some examples that were just a small part of that huge spectrum. ‘Mouth Music’ has so many variations globally, that it would impossible to cover properly, so instead I’ve picked 6 of my favourites. Starting with the music you might expect (the polyphony of the Trio Mediaeval) and ending with the more modern sound of Björk’s ‘Who is it’ from her vocal-only album, Medúlla.
- "Salve Mater Misericordie" by Trio Mediaeval (Traditional hymn, ‘Holy Mother have mercy’)
- "Sleep" by Eric Whitacre
- "Boy 1904" by Jonsi and Alex (the last known recording of a castrato singer, fact fans!)
- "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap
- "Song for the Siren" by This Mortal Coil (yes, this one is a bit cheaty as it has a guitar as well!)
- "Who is it (Carry my joy, the left, Carry my pain on the right)" by Björk