Troika #34: Voice

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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.

  1. "Salve Mater Misericordie" by Trio Mediaeval (Traditional hymn, ‘Holy Mother have mercy’)
  2. "Sleep" by Eric Whitacre
  3. "Boy 1904" by Jonsi and Alex (the last known recording of a castrato singer, fact fans!)
  4. "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap
  5. "Song for the Siren" by This Mortal Coil (yes, this one is a bit cheaty as it has a guitar as well!)
  6. "Who is it (Carry my joy, the left, Carry my pain on the right)" by Björk

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