An Ancient Muse
Encyclopedia
An Ancient Muse is the seventh full-length studio album of the Canadian
singer, songwriter, accordionist, harpist, and pianist, Loreena McKennitt
. It was released on November 20, 2006 internationally, and November 21, 2006 in the United States and Canada. It was her first studio album after a 9-year gap. It has now sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide
, Turkey
, the Middle East
and the Far East
. Most of the tracks, with the exception of three revealed at the mid-September concerts in the Alhambra
of Granada
in Spain, were completely unknown until the release.
An Ancient Muse debuted on the U.S. Billboard 200
at number 83, with about 19,000 copies sold in its first week. This was also its peak position on the chart.
Also:
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
singer, songwriter, accordionist, harpist, and pianist, Loreena McKennitt
Loreena McKennitt
Loreena Isabel Irene McKennitt, CM, OM, is a Canadian singer, composer, harpist, accordionist and pianist who writes, records and performs world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern themes. McKennitt is known for her refined, clear soprano vocals...
. It was released on November 20, 2006 internationally, and November 21, 2006 in the United States and Canada. It was her first studio album after a 9-year gap. It has now sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide
Overview
Work on An Ancient Muse started in 2005. According to reports on McKennitt's Quinlan Road website, most of the inspiration for the tracks of the album came from the music of GreeceGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
. Most of the tracks, with the exception of three revealed at the mid-September concerts in the Alhambra
Alhambra
The Alhambra , the complete form of which was Calat Alhambra , is a palace and fortress complex located in the Granada, Andalusia, Spain...
of Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
in Spain, were completely unknown until the release.
An Ancient Muse debuted on the U.S. Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
at number 83, with about 19,000 copies sold in its first week. This was also its peak position on the chart.
Track listing
- "Incantation" – 2:35
- "The Gates of Istanbul" – 6:59
- "Caravanserai" – 7:36
- "The English Ladye and the Knight" – 6:49
- "Kecharitomene" – 6:34
- "Penelope's Song" – 4:21
- "Sacred Shabbat" – 3:59
- "Beneath a Phrygian Sky" – 9:32
- "Never-ending Road (Amhrán Duit)" – 5:54
Also:
- "Raglan RoadOn Raglan Road"On Raglan Road" is a well-known Irish song from a poem written by Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh named after Raglan Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin. In the poem the poet, walking on a "quiet street", recalls a love affair he had with a young woman...
" – 6:12 – an unreleased track on a bonus disc exclusive to Barnes & NobleBarnes & NobleBarnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest book retailer in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores headquartered at 122 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District in Manhattan in New York City. Barnes & Noble also operated the chain of small B. Dalton... - "Beneath a Phrygian Sky (Gordian version)" – 9:25 – exclusive iTunes StoreITunes StoreThe iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
remix
Personnel
- Tal Bergman – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(2, 3), percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
(5, 8) - Stuart Bruce – vocal droneBumbassThe bladder fiddle is a folk instrument used throughout Europe. The instrument was a simple large monochord made with a long stick, a thick gut string, and a pig's bladder. It is bowed with either a notched stick or a horsehair bow...
(1, 8), percussion (5) - Clive Deamer – drums (8)
- Panos Dimitrakopoulos – kanounKanun (Instrument)The Qanun is a string instrument found in the 10th century in Farab in Turkestan...
(2, 3, 5, 7, 9) - Nigel EatonNigel EatonNigel Eaton is an English hurdy gurdy player. He originally played the piano and cello but switched to the hurdy gurdy in 1981 when his father, Christopher Eaton, began making them. He performed as part of the dance band Blowzabella from 1985 and recorded five albums with them before their split in...
– hurdy gurdyHurdy gurdyThe hurdy gurdy or hurdy-gurdy is a stringed musical instrument that produces sound by a crank-turned rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar to a violin...
(3, 5) - Ben Grossman – hurdy gurdy (5)
- Ed Hanley – tablaTablaThe tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
(5), udu drum (5) - Jason HannJason HannJason Hann is a American percussionist.-Early life:Hann grew up in Miami, Florida. He studied music in Ghana, Haiti, and Korea.-Career:Hann was a member of The String Cheese Incident, an American jamband. In 1999, Hann performed on the '2001' by Dr Dre....
– percussion (8) - Steáfán Hannigan – Turkish clarinet (1, 5, 8), vocal drone (1, 8), uilleann pipesUilleann pipesThe uilleann pipes or //; ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland, their current name, earlier known in English as "union pipes", is a part translation of the Irish-language term píobaí uilleann , from their method of inflation.The bag of the uilleann pipes is inflated by means of a...
(8, 9) - Brian HughesBrian Hughes (musician)Brian Hughes is a Canadian guitarist whose work draws from both the smooth jazz and world music genres. Not restricted entirely to conventional guitars, Hughes has also been known to employ the oud, bouzouki and balalaika...
– electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
(1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9), guitar synthesizer (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9), vocal drone (1, 8), oud (2, 3, 5), Celtic bouzoukiBouzoukiThe bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
(2, 3, 5, 8), nylon string guitar (5, 8, 9) - Charlie JonesCharlie Jones (musician)Charlie Jones is a British bassist, songwriter and record producer. He has toured and recorded with Robert Plant, Page and Plant, The Strange Sensation, Goldfrapp and many others. He was married to Robert Plant's daughter Carmen Plant, they divorced in 2010....
: acoustic bassAcoustic bassThe term acoustic bass may refer to one of the following bass instruments:*Double bass - an upright contrabass violin*Acoustic bass guitar - the acoustic version of the bass guitar...
(5, 6) - Manu KatchéManu KatchéManu Katché is a French musician of Ivorian origin, born in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés on 27 October 1958. He is a drummer and songwriter.-Career:Session musician...
– drums (5) - Georgios Kontogiannis – Greek bouzouki (2, 3)
- Tim LandersTim LandersTimothy Gerard Landers is an American bass guitarist, composer and record producer.He graduated from Brockton High School in 1975 and attended the Berklee College of Music from 1976 to 1977, studying under Neil Stubenhaus and Whit Browne...
– bass (2, 3, 8) - Caroline LavelleCaroline LavelleCaroline Lavelle is a British singer-songwriter and cellist who has created three solo albums and contributed vocals, music, and production help to many other artists and bands.-Career:Lavelle studied at the Royal College of Music in London...
– celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
(2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) - Rick Lazar – percussion (1, 5, 8)
- Annbjørg LienAnnbjørg LienAnnbjørg Lien is a Norwegian musician. She plays the hardingfele , violin, and nyckelharpa....
– nyckelharpaNyckelharpaA nyckelharpa , sometimes called a keyed fiddle, is a traditional Swedish musical instrument. It is a string instrument or chordophone. Its keys are attached to tangents which, when a key is depressed, serve as frets to change the pitch of the string.The nyckelharpa is similar in appearance to a...
(6) - Hugh MarshHugh MarshHugh Marsh is a violinist from Toronto, known for his electric violin sound. Marsh was nominated for a 2007 Juno Award in the best contemporary jazz album category.-Early days:...
– violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
(3, 5, 6) - Loreena McKennittLoreena McKennittLoreena Isabel Irene McKennitt, CM, OM, is a Canadian singer, composer, harpist, accordionist and pianist who writes, records and performs world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern themes. McKennitt is known for her refined, clear soprano vocals...
– vocals (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9), keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9), accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
(3), harpHarpThe harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
(4), percussion (5), pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
(8) - Marco Migliari – vocal drone (1, 8)
- Donald QuanDonald QuanDonald Quan is a Canadian composer of film and world music, best known for writing the scores to television shows Relic Hunter and Mutant X.-Career:...
– violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
(1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9), vocal drone (1, 8) - Hossam Ramzay – percussion (2, 5)
- Sokratis Sinopoulos – lyraLyraLyra is a small constellation. It is one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union. Its principal star, Vega — a corner of the Summer Triangle — is one of the brightest...
(2, 3, 7, 8) - Haig Yazdjian – oudOudThe oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
(2, 3, 5, 6, 7) - Choristers of Westminster Abbey; Alex Pott, Elliot Thompson and Nicholas Morris – vocals (4)
Chart performance
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Germany Albums Chart | 15 |
| Spain Albums Chart | 26 |
| Belgium Albums Chart | 46 |
| France Albums Chart | 41 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 45 |
| Austria Albums Chart | 59 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 11 |
| Danish Albums Chart | 25 |
| Canadian Albums Chart | 9 |
| US Billboard 200 | 83 |