Music in the Spanish Speaking Caribbean - Sine Nomine
Description:
This curated playlist features acapella music. The Cuban vocal band, Sine Nomine heads the playlist which spirals down into a tangent of wonderfully delightful acapella music. This playlist will send you on a musical rollercoaster that makes you want to dance, makes you swoon, or makes you listen in awe and delight. This playlist makes reminds us that "voice" is the first instruments which all other instruments were invented to imitate. I hope you enjoy this playlist as much as I do.
Featured Artists: Sine Nomine
Sine Nomine (Latin for "without a name") was formed in 2003. These talented singers comprise of male voices which sings tenor, alto and soprano. As a matter of fact, it's been said that their soprano voices can be compared to that of boys choirs. This group perform pieces in a variety of tempos and volume. This group performs pieces that reflect their cultural heritage with a hint of classical style. Polyphonic musical arrangement, acapella singing, and vocal percussion are some of the elements to listen for from this group, here on this playlist and beyond should you choose to continue your exploration of this talented group.
Playlist:
Cuban Choir Sine Nomine - Mambo
Now, let's begin this journey with a beautiful selection by Sine Nomine. This piece is called Mambo. In the beginning Sine Nomine display their musical talent in creating percussing sounds with their voices. They were accapella at that time, although sounded like a complete musical band. As the music progresses you will notice how jubilant this piece is. Insruments are eventually added to the piece, but it doesn't distract the audience from the sheer talent of the voices, rather it embellishes the voices and adds more cultural appeal to the piece. Sine Nominee plays with meter, tempo and modulations to make this piece unpredictable, and captivating. It's like a box of chocolates. In the words of Forest Gump; "You never know which one you're gonna get." The style of singing reminds me of Olive Walke's choir, La Petit Musical.
Camerata Vocale Sine Nomine-El Mansiero
Here is Sine Nomine again, but this time with just a fraction of their members. It's interesting that this piece has a few sliding notes here and there, giving the feeling of flightliness as if daydreaming. Again, Sine Nomine display their musical talent, singing every note in proper pitch and never failing to hit those soprano notes accurately and confidently. One thing that's for sure, Sine Nomine will enjoy the music they sing and will sway to its tempo. They live within a lively culture, and their music and dance reflects as much. Again, I am remind of Olive Walke's La Petite Musicale in this piece. Perhaps a collaboration between the Sine Nomine and La Petit Musical is in order because their styles of singing with regards to musical arrangement and harmonies are quite similar.
Acapella Soul- The Lion Sleeps Tonight
You are listening to my childhood. I had the lion king on reply on video casette. Yes, you read correctly, VIDEO CASETTE. I see the resemblence between Acapella soul and Sine Nomine. For one thing they will sway to their music--they are their own fans. To add to that, Acapella soul has a beautiful double bass instrument supporting them and the song itself descends from an African zulu speaking musical choral group, all of whom were men. This piece was originally entitled "mbube." The "wimoweh" which we hear repeated in the song comes from the zulu word "uyimbube" which means "you are a lion" in zulu.
Pentatonix- Hallelujah
Here is one of my faves. Hallelujah by Pentatonix is a harmonious treat. These singers share the same talents of Sine Nomine, although this genre is far from what Sine Nomine performs. This isn't the song to dance to, but it's definitely one to listen in awe and appreciation. This song has the power to put its audience into a state of pensiveness and deep reflection. Sine Nomine have at times created percussive sounds with their voices, and you would notice one of the members of Pentatonix does exactly the same in addition to keeping 4 clean registers. Listening with headphones is a must for this piece.
Now, earlier you listened to the Kings Return, but many people call Boys 2 Men the undisputed uncontested kings of acapella. I wished I could find more from them than this medley, because to me, this is only a tease. If you an 80's or even a 90's baby, you know about some Boys 2 Men, and what you will hear here is a taste of some of your favorite songs by them. Boys 2 Men are known for singing on pitch and also for their melisma runs which seem to last forever, an example of which you can here at 20 seconds to 28 seconds on the word "rain." Expect to hear ad libs from Boys 2 Men. Expect to be thoroughly charmed. These are the songs that made wives forgive their husbands--with a little help from flowers and apologies of course. Enjoy.
Catlin, R. (22 February, 2015). Camerata vocale sine nomine harmonizes at church of the epiphany. Washington post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/camerata-vocale-sine-nomine-harmonizes-at-church-of-the-epiphany/2015/02/22/e98721b2-bab5-11e4-9dfb-03366e719af8_story.html
Phillips, L. (8 May 2023). The lion sleeps tonight: One song's journey from 1930's south africa to disney money-spinner. The guadian. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/may/08/mbube-the-lion-sleeps-tonight-lion-king
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