10 Influential Albums: #1 Music of the Gothic Era — David Munrow

This was arguably the best recording of medieval music that was available when I was in college and first encountered music before Bach. When I was in my late teens, I had an encyclopedic knowledge of contemporary music (Stravinsky and beyond), an obsession with Zappa and Beefheart, knew some avant-garde jazz (Coltrane, Roland Kirk, Ornette), had a working knowledge of classical and baroque, and barely knew (or was interested in) Romantic music.

Munrow’s recording, especially of Perotin, was a giant treasure box of new sounds. I fell in love with this music, with its contradictions — it was both still and intense,, emotional and transcendent, complicated and direct — and have never fallen out of love. It holds all the power and visceral thrill of rock and roll, but happily, it lasts so much longer.

Aside from some modal procedures, I don’t use too many of the techniques of early music. I’m not sure why I don’t, to be honest. In any event, the best of these composers — and Perotin is as great as it gets, up there with Monterverdi, Beethoven, Stravinsky, and Bach — write music that is tough, angular, dramatically intense and simulatneously lyrical and beautiful. There is so much to learn from them.