Concept
Each Adiemus album is a collection of song-length pieces featuring harmonised vocal melody against an orchestral background. There are no lyrics as such, instead the vocalists sing syllables and 'words' invented by Jenkins. However, rather than creating musical interest from patterns of phonemes as in scat singing, the language of Adiemus is carefully stylised so as not to distract the listener's attention from the pitch and timbre of the voice—for example, as in African languages, syllables ending in consonants are rare. The core concept of Adiemus is that the voice should be allowed to function as nothing more than an instrument, a post-modern approach that has become something of a trend in recent choral writing, for example Vangelis's score for the film 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992). The word Adiemus itself sounds like (but is spelt differently from) a Latin word meaning 'We will draw near'; Jenkins claims to have been unaware of this.
Instrumentation and Performers
The session singer Miriam Stockley performed the vocal parts on the first four albums. Additional vocals were provided by Mary Carewe on all but Dances of Time, which saw the introduction of the Finnish Adiemus Singers (who would later reappear on Vocalise). Extra vocals and the chorus effects were created by overdubbing multitracked recordings of the singers (in some cases up to forty times) and varying the speed of the tape. Stockley was described by Jenkins as central to the Adiemus project due to her range and intonation, however for reasons that remain unclear she was not re-engaged for Vocalise.
The Songs of Sanctuary orchestra consisted of a string section augmented by various ethnic percussion instruments, with occasional further additions such as bells, a recorder and a quena. Mike Ratledge, with whom Jenkins had played in Soft Machine, contributed to the first album as well. Jenkins added brass and woodwind for Cantata Mundi, and continued to add more diverse instruments such as acoustic guitar on later albums. From Songs of Sanctuary to Dances of Time, the London Philharmonic Orchestra was used; Jenkins later formed his own Adiemus Orchestra to perform on The Eternal Knot recordings, returning to the LPO for Vocalise.
Musical style
Though there has been considerable evolution over the course of the project, the musical language of Adiemus draws heavily on classical and world music. Jenkins follows conventions of tonality up to a point—his harmony is derived from gospel and African music, decorated with functional dissonances such as suspensions and with greater freedom of movement between loosely related key areas. He often employs unusual time signatures, with a slow 3/2 being very characteristic along with 6/8, 9/8 and even 5/8 (Cantus Inaequalis from Songs of Sanctuary). The percussion section, when used prominently, typically gives the pieces an upbeat, tribal-like rhythm.
The underlying mood of Adiemus is energetic and uplifting, complemented by pieces with what Jenkins describes as an ecclesiastical mood. Many listeners identify the sound of Adiemus with New Age or Celtic music; indeed The Eternal Knot is an explicitly Celtic-themed album that formed the sound-track for the S4C documentary The Celts. In classical music circles Adiemus has struggled to distance itself from the chill out quasi-genre, but the earlier albums are considered important crossover works nonetheless.
Audience
Songs of Sanctuary was a huge commercial success, topping classical album charts. It is considered by critics to be the quintessential album, on which Jenkins' vision succeeds to the greatest extent with the fewest resources. Though none of its successors has achieved the same critical acclaim, Adiemus acquired a cult following and maintained a place in mainstream consciousness through its use in TV commercials, in particular the track Adiemus in a Delta Air Lines commercial, and Cantilena from Cantata Mundi in a recent Cheltenham & Gloucester commercial. The Adiemus track is also used as the soundtrack behind the Kubla Khan pillar show at the end of the big room cave tour in Kartchner Caverns State Park in Arizona. Additionally, Adiemus was used in the trailer to Invisible Children's documentary movie. It is also used in the New South Wales Tourism TV commercials (Australia).
Hi friends,
<br />
<br />thanks for sharing!
<br />
<br />Latest news:
<br />
<br />1. New ART OF INFINITY imagetrailer "Musik zwischen Zeit und Raum" is now online on MySpace and YouTube:
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<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPlvy3K9st4
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<br />2. ART OF INFINITY's new album ENDLESS FUTURE is available worldwide on CD and by download: ENDLESS FUTURE - Taking Space Pop on to a New Level
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<br />Many thanks for beeing a friend.
<br />
<br />All the best, Thorsten
<br />------------------------------------------
<br />ART OF INFINITY
<br />Space Pop on a New Level
<br />-------------------------------------
<br />Website: www.art-of-infinity.com
<br />MySpace: www.myspace.com/artofinfinity
<br />iTunes: www.itunes.com/artofinfinity
<br />Label: www.bscmusic.com
<br />E-Mail: info@art-of-infinity.com
<br />------------------------------------------
<br />
Latest news: Art of Infinity are represented on a new compilation CD titled 'The Art Of Sysyphus Vol. 47' which has been produced by the German music magazine Eclipsed (November 2008 issue) with the track Utopia (edit). As well as the Art Of Infinity track, 'The Art Of Sysyphus Vol. 47' also features music from bands such as Yes, Marillion or The Legendary Pink Dots.
ART OF INFINITY's new album ENDLESS FUTURE is out now.
ENDLESS FUTURE - Taking Space Pop on to a New Level
Please listen to the exclusive "Endless Future-Medley" at ART OF INFINITY's official MySpace site.
Many thanks for beeing a friend.
All the best, Thorsten ------------------------------------------ ART OF INFINITY Space Pop on a New Level ------------------------------------- Website: www.art-of-infinity.com MySpace: www.myspace.com/artofinfinity iTunes: www.itunes.com/artofinfinity Label: www.bscmusic.com E-Mail: info@art-of-infinity.com ------------------------------------------
ART OF INFINITY's new album ENDLESS FUTURE is out now.
ENDLESS FUTURE - Taking Space Pop on to a New Level
Please listen to the exclusive "Endless Future-Medley" at ART OF INFINITY's official MySpace site.
Many thanks for beeing a friend.
All the best, Thorsten ------------------------------------------ ART OF INFINITY Space Pop on a New Level ------------------------------------- Websites: www.art-of-infinity.com www.myspace.com/artofinfinity Label: www.bscmusic.com E-Mail: info@art-of-infinity.com ------------------------------------------
I'm touring in Norway with "Off The Wall". World-music with electronic instruments, mixed with acoustic original instruments from Africa. Kouame Sereba (Dodo/vocal/percussion) Together with Erik Wøllo (www. wollo. com) (electronic instruments and guitar) and Uriel Seri (el.drums/percussion). This year we will play 75 concerts at junior high schools in Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger and N. Trøndelag
Hey Adiemus, I'm worth $3041! <br/><a href='http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=361263053'>Click here to find out how much YOU are worth!</a><br/><br/><a href='http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=361263053'><img src='http://cdn1.slicezero.com/oyf_prod/images/ffs_directory.png' border='0' /></a><br/>
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Due to space litigation that has unfortunately done things to us of which we are not allowed to speak. I am forced to send you this note with no useful information. Our mind control (another thing that I am technically not supposed to be mentioning, not due to legalities, but due to your fragile frightened minds -- which we will soon totally own) project is running into even more difficulty than we were prepared for. We went into this with a “what doesn’t kill them makes them stronger” philosophy. Now, humbled greatly in our quest for "musical" success, we are taking a “whatever you do, try not to kill our potential fan base” tack. I know that I shouldn’t have told you any of this, but this gag order is really driving me insane lately. And don’t worry, the stuff that I can’t *legally* tell you is much more frightening than localized accidental fan-base genocide.
Thanks for your interest in our noise and mind control projects! Looking forward to your drone phase!
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Hi there, I'm back again. And I have a new Flash Player on my page. You can find it after the slide-shows. It's about Christmas, of course. Enjoy! And please read the words above the player. Hope you'll like those old and new songs. May this winter be good to you! mael
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If you plant honesty, you will reap trust. If you plant goodness, you will reap friends. If you plant humility, you will reap greatness. If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory. If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony. If you plant hard work, you will reap success. If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation. If you plant openness, you will reap intimacy. If you plant patience, you will reap improvements. If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.
Hope you will have a beautiful and peaceful week filled with everything that puts a smile on your face and warm loving feelings into your heart!!!
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