Anonymous 4
| Company type | Vocal ensemble |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Defunct | 2016 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | North America, international music festivals |
| Products | Medieval and contemporary a cappella music recordings and performances |
Anonymous 4 was a female a cappella quartet from the United States, established in 1986 and headquartered in New York City. Their repertoire centered predominantly on medieval music, while also introducing compositions by modern composers such as John Tavener and Steve Reich.
The ensemble’s name cleverly references the anonymous 13th-century English music theorist Anonymous IV, who is an important historical source regarding the Notre Dame school composers Léonin and Pérotin.
Anonymous 4 embarked on numerous tours throughout North America and frequently participated in prominent international music festivals. Their 2003–2004 season was their final one as a full-time touring and recording group, though they continued to perform and produce recordings alongside pursuing solo ventures.
Notable collaborations included working with the Chilingirian Quartet on the 2003 release Darkness Into Light, partnering with The Mountain Goats for their 2012 album Transcendental Youth, and contributing to Christopher Tin’s albums Calling All Dawns (2009) and The Drop That Contained the Sea (2014).
Their concluding album, 1865, featured Civil War-era songs accompanied by Bruce Molsky on guitar, fiddle, banjo, and vocals. The group officially disbanded following the 2015–2016 season.
Lineup
The founding members were Johanna Maria Rose, Marsha Genensky, Susan Hellauer, and Ruth Cunningham. In 1998, Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek replaced Cunningham. Cunningham returned in 2008 to take over from Rose until the ensemble dissolved in 2016. Genensky was raised in California’s Santa Monica Mountains; Hellauer in the Bronx, New York; Cunningham in Millbrook, New York; Rose in Grand View-on-Hudson, New York; while Horner-Kwiatek originates from Monkstown, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, having obtained a U.S. Green Card through the Diversity Immigrant Visa program.
Discography
| Title | Year | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| An English Ladymass: Medieval Chant and Polyphony | 1992 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| On Yoolis Night: Medieval Carols and Motets for Christmas | 1993 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| Love's Illusion: Music From The Montpellier Codex 13th Century | 1994 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| The Lily and the Lamb: Chant & Polyphony from Medieval England | 1994 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| Voices of Light | 1995 | Sony Classical Records | CD |
| Ancient Voices | 1995 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| Miracles of Sant'Iago | 1996 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| A Star in the East – Medieval Hungarian Christmas Music | 1996 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| Portrait of Anonymous 4 | 1997 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| Hildegard von Bingen – 11,000 Virgins: Chants for the Feast of St. Ursula | 1997 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| A Lammas Ladymass: 13th and 14th Century English Chant and Polyphony | 1998 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| Legends of St. Nicholas | 1999 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| 1000: A Mass for the End of Time | 1999 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| The Second Circle: Love Songs of Francesco Landini | 2001 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| La bele Marie: Songs to the Virgin from 13th-Century France | 2002 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| Darkness into Light – John Tavener | 2003 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| Wolcum Yule | 2003 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| American Angels | 2004 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| The Origin of Fire: Hildegard von Bingen | 2005 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| Carols and Chants for Christmas | 2005 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| Gloryland | 2006 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| Miracles of Compostela | 2008 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| Four Centuries of Chant | 2009 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| The Cherry Tree | 2010 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| Secret Voices: Chant & Polyphony from the Las Huelgas Codex, c. 1300 | 2011 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| Marie et Marion | 2014 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| love fail | 2014 | Cantaloupe | CD (Composed for the quartet by David Lang with texts from writers including Lydia Davis) |
| 1865 | 2015 | Harmonia Mundi | CD |
| Three Decades Of Anonymous 4: 1986–2016 | 2016 | Harmonia Mundi | CD (A retrospective covering their three decades with Harmonia Mundi, featuring selections from 12th-century chant to American folk music.) |
External links
- Archived official site
- SonyBMG Masterworks discography
- Two listings ([ first], [ second]) on AllMusic