E Voce Di U Cumune – “Corsica: Chants Polyphoniques” – [Harmonia Mundi France]

humana   1/21/2015   CD, International

“Chants” is French for songs, but it is also the mode of vocalization of these pieces that make up a mass chanted by “The Voice of the Community”–and the chants are in Italian. The variation in tonality and melodiousness of the Corsican performers (most of whom are under 30) attests to the rich tradition that harks back to the Middle Ages, yet exhibits nuances that have been built into the music in the intervening years. Read the excellent liner notes and let the voices (completely a capela) take you back and forth through time.