Album Notes

Review by Richard Banks, Christmasreviews.com:
Waking up early on an October morning, months before regular people begin listening to holiday music but at least a month beyond when I should be, I am pleased to listen to John Garvey's A Christmas Motley, an engaging and unusual set of Christmas tunes, layered throughout with strange and wonderful extra-musical sound effects. Although this is a pretty high-brow set, Garvey carries off the project with good-natured finesse and down-to-earth humor. His ability to imbue each selection with an emotional patina is what sets this record apart from so many completely electronic efforts. The comical special effects aren't overused; rather, they occur with just the right frequency, giving the listener that "what did I just hear?" feeling, and engaging the ear and mind with what might otherwise seem to be just background music.
(http://www.christmasreviews.com/wjohngarvey.shtml)

Editor's Pick: listed in Recommended Classical: Renaissance
(http://cdbaby.com/picks/346?skip=40)

Description:
Combine three bright, infectious Renaissance dances that will have you improvising your own galliard and branle. Stir in some wassails, one a less-familiar traditional followed by two old favorites in a merry medley inspired by Beautiful Downtown Burbank. Divide an unfamiliar Elizabethan Christmas song into three equal parts and flavor the first part with sugarplum fairies, the second with a sprinkling from a foppish powdered wig, and the third part with a pinch of Tudor melancholy. Add to mixture and set aside. Combine chanting monks and angel choirs and mix until voluminous. Fold into mixture and top with sacbut, cornamuse, piccolo, sleighbells, saxophone, strings, toy robots and cell phones. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Track notes:

Jouissance Vous Donnerai
Music: Thoinot Arbeau, 16th century
A courtly basse dance arranged for guitar, recorders, cello and snow flurries.

King of Denmark's Galliard
Music: John Dowland, 16th century
A spritely court dance arranged for recorders, violin, guitar and cello.

Mixed Branles
Music: Claude Gervaise, 16th century
A suite of short line or circle dances arranged for guitar, recorder and cello.

Somerset Wassail
Music: English traditional
An arrangement for pipe and tabor, voices, harp, and English horn.

Ringtone Wassail / Burbank Wassail
Music: Californian traditional
DUI while wassailing among the palms so green...

Christmas Is My Name
Music: English, early 17th century
The music travels back in time from the Victorian to the Baroque to the Elizabethan.

Da Pacem Domine
Music: Gregorian chant
Arranged for monastic voices.

Angelus Ad Virginem
Music: English, 13th century
Performed by a clerestory choir of angels.

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Music: Felix Mendelssohn, 1840
A quiet guitar solo.

Angels We Have Heard on High
Music: French carol
An oboe solo accompanied by warm vocal harmony.

Ode to Joy
Music: Ludwig van Beethoven, 1824
Monks and angels perform excerpts from the 9th Symphony, Fourth Movement.

Blyssid Be That Mayde Mary
Music: English traditional
Arranged for guitar, sacbut, harpsichord, cornamuse and piccolo.

Bring a Torch, Jennifer, Ashley
Music: French, 14th century
The simple message of Christmas is sometimes lost in all the holiday activity.

Am I Under the Right Tree?
Music: John Garvey, 2007
An old-fashioned toy piano surrounded by electronic toys and gadgets.