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From: mytreasure777
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  • Amazing

  • very cool!! lovely sound.

  • Its Nigerian

  • Comment removed

  • Definitely Yoruba!!! Note the intonations will be in an american tone so very difficult to decipher if you don't know the son. Very good job though. Excellent entertainment.

  • The first guy on the bongos looks like stephen colbert.

  • Anybody else thinking Stephen Colbert the first several seconds?

  • Very Beautiful.

  • I can't wait for my school's entire Vocal music department to do this!!!!!!

  • i'm learning this in school and i really like it, but now-a-days kid's aren't into that stuff so i'm one of the only people who like it

  • I'm singing this in my choral group, we only just started;- it's such a fun song to sing- can't wait to perform it in December!

  • That soloist then went on to make love to every single unmarried mormon woman in the audience, simultaneously

  • It sounded okay, but I didn't know they were singing in Yoruba because of the singing and the "Betelehemu". I'm Yoruba, so I was a little confused when I heard it coz it doesn't sound Yoruba at all; it sounds southern or eastern African. Sounds nice but not Yoruba especially the pronunciation of the tenor soloist.

  • We're doing this in chorus. :) Only we added some extra choreography where we all go sprinting out into the aisles. :)

  • Awesome song performed by this choir. Makes me proud of my Yoruba language.

  • I'm going to shit rocks if I dont get this song out my head...i had to sing it in chorus 3 years ago. only the boys. someone said the name now i cant get the song out my head

  • im singing this in my chorus class! its so fun haha

  • Our High School Boys and Girls Choir Sang this for the Holiday season 2007-2008 it was so awesome.

  • 10 Anti Christs hates this vid

  • I heard that Utah State's student section has better choreography than this choir.

  • We did this as a finale for my choir! It was eveyone's favorite! (Mostly because of the insterments)

  • A little to stiff for this song... this is the first time I have not enjoyed something by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir! Still impressive though!

  • i love the drummer guy's face. it's SO awesome.

    and we sang this for our christmas concert last 'semester'. it was really awesome. :D

  • I sang this in 1996 with my middle school advanced choir along with other middle school/jr high choirs and the high school choirs for the County-Wide Choral Festival. We even got to dance to it!

  • We sang this song in my high school choir! :-)

  • Absolutely gorgeous!!

  • It's an amazing song, and mormon tabernacle are great - but I'd really like to suggest a listen to the African Children's Choir sing it... no better way to listen to African music than when it's performed by an African choir!

    I think the only problems I have with this performance are the extra syllable added to the word Betelehemu by the men, and I feel like there's a little too much of a big deal made out of the presence of percussion :-P but sung very nicely, was a treat to hear!

  • WWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWW!!!­!!! This is the BIGGEST choir ive ever seen!!!!!!!! OMG, I'm in a choir of 82 hs students & we did this for our holiday concert, and it looked just like this! Except all the seniors did the A-wa yi-o ri Ba=ba gbo-ju-le solo (in the middle of the song)...ik ima cry when Im a senior.....lol anyways, this is SUCH a fun song & I LOVED this video thanks!

  • We Sung this song at My choir concert! Great Song

  • ?...

  • Love this song- got to sing it in my high-school choir concert tonight and it was a lot of fun x)

  • dang that ending was wicked sweet.

  • ....... and i'm a mormon.

  • This is an awesome song!! Can't wait to play in the percussion section!! I get to play a huge Jimbe!!!! XD it's going to be AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • 0:25 second row up, two in from the left

    ITS PETER GRIFFIN!!!

  • This sounds beautiful, but I don't think they captured the spirit of this song.

    Especially the soloist, who acted like this was his broadway debut.

    A warmer, darker tone would have been better for this song. :)

  • @MajesticTOASTER What the hey! Everyone's a critic. You want a darker tone to commemorate the birth of Jesus??? No way! This is clearly an upbeat, joyful song. If you cant write anything positive ever, don't come back here or click on any of the mormon vids. I appreciate the mormon tab choir for embracing all cultures that tell about Christ, and theri dedication, I'm not even mormon. I'm a Baptist. Appreciate good music people!

  • @88JinKies You clearly did not understand what I was saying.

    Just because the song is "joyful" doesn't mean that the tone cannot be warm. Perhaps I should have said "richer" instead of "darker", because that's what I meant.

    Secondly, if I "cant write anything positive ever"??? WHAT??!

    I began my comment with a positive remark about the choir.

    Calm down.

  • @88JinKies I don't think you understand the meaning of "darker tone." It just means wider vowels. You sing more from the back of your throat.  The result is a deeper, richer tone. Instead of Nee bow la bee bee ee, It's more like Nih boh lah bih bih ih.

  • Yeah, our choir holds over 64 or so kids becuase we have a big school

  • @DeadOakTreeofSummer9 hahaha we have 85 kids and i got this solo!!

  • Love how enthusiastic the percussionists where with what they play.

  • We are doing this song for our Christmas Special in my high school

  • @DeadOakTreeofSummer9 haha same here im sure your high school and mine are going to do awesomee or great haha

  • everything was excellent, especially the soloist. He gave a special color to this song. Congratulations.

  • Great Job MTC! Really enjoyed it.

  • My choir director is "choreographing" our performance off of this one, which is also the basis for our chants and the ending. I look forward to performing this, which wouldn't be so good without this video's existence. Congrats Tabernacle Choir!

  • Love everything else but the soloist. He has a good voice but his voice doesn't fit the song at all. NOT ONE BIT. This is an african spiritual song, not some jazzy or blue song. Its an acquired taste in music, something they should work on. Just because he has a good voice doesn't mean he is good, he needs to interpret the use of it. He sounds like he is singing national anthem. Total wreck. Good song though, i have to say the best song i ever sang with my all state choir.

  • @summerbordom He's not terrible! Considering none of them probably ever heard an actual Nigerian spiritual song, i think they did pretty well. My choir is doing this as well, though i have not yet heard the men's section sing. The women's and men's chorouses are separate, mostly because we're still in school. I will say this: the soloist in this sang much better, with more authenticity, than my choir teacher, who really does sing it like the national anthem.

  • @ThousanFallingHearts Yes, i think the choir as a whole did amazingly well. Just the soloist who was loud but not good. he has more of a voice for "You raise me up".

  • @summerbordom agreed

  • @summerbordom i bet that soloist, all by himself, is way better than your entire ALL STATE CHOIR

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  • @summerbordom Oh, so you have talent to sing in front of 21,000 people and a worldwide audience? No. I didn't think so.

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  • I am Brazilian, a member of this church since 1983, I feel immensely proud to be a Mormon! Sometimes it's hard to believe that I was blessed to be part of it all. I do not know why I was so blessed to know the church with only 16 years at a time when almost no one in my town knew anything about the Mormons. Here I learned the true meaning of faith and especially the love and attachment to family. Oh, how blessed I am! God bless this wonderful church! I am grateful for them and by their examples.

  • @willianprable humility and pride don't mix well... careful not to mistake your need to share that feeling with bragging about it

  • @wibloc do not think you quite understand the kind of pride that I mean, study the subject better. Regarding the promotion of the theme, no problems with it, do it with great joy. Hugs

  • Verdadeiramente tenho ORGULHO de ser mórmon!

  • are these people really mormons?? do you have to be a mormon to join this choir?

  • @popups46okay Yes u have to be a MORON! LOL

  • I did this last year at school!!

  • i remember singing for our choir christmas program

  • Me encantó!

  • Per Excellence

  • I love

    

  • Love it :)! The triumph of the global village. One day we shall be one in heaven. 

  • so niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice!!!!

  • am nigerian and i find this very beautiful... * am all smiling that white people try to sing in my language* so niceeeeeeee, great choir

  • lol white people doing the african

    always funny

  • one of the best choirs I've yet to listen to. Shame on those who think they can outdo the Mormon tab choir.

  • I hate sanitized versions of African spirituals. To militaristic execution here for the natural style of the song itself.

  • men this is so wonderful the choir singing in my native tongue... it is so lovely love it so much.

  • non mi stuferò mai di ascoltare questa performance.... eccezzionale veramente!

  • fills the soul with JOY!!!

  • They did a good job, but this song will always belong to Morehouse College 1st!!!!

    I 1st watch them perform this in 1972 in Spelman Chapel during their annual Christmas concert!!

    The Morman's did a good job, but nothing can top the 1st and the best (Morehouse College, Atlanta GA)!!!

  • 1st- I'm a Morehouse man, and I give madd props to the Mormons. Its not a contest of who can do it best- It is Praises to GOD!! I feel it when we sing it, and most def with this performance.

    2- The fact the the MTC even did this is amazing. Remember they were antiblack becoming members until 1977.

    Lastly, Morehouse Glee Club is good. This performance only shows the talent of both MTC and Morehouse.

  • You Mormons are so awesome

  • @MrJaybart why arent you one?

  • @MrJaybart why arent you one?

  • @awsome001ify  I AM!!! and proud of it! you?

  • @MrJaybart yup. you just sounded like you were speaking like you werent one.

  • @MrJaybart Everyone's a critic. Maybe, you have an iota of talent to sing in front of 21, 000 people and a worldwide audience. No. I didn't think so.

  • @88JinKies ??...

  • @88JinKies What is with the hostility? I was giving a complement... but nice work on using the work iota. We are all very impressed.

  • @MrJaybart hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha­hah. awesome post. seriously. awesome.

  • Good Job...No criticizing !

  • this will always be a BYU Men's Chorus piece...the Tabs did it okay but...

  • Good music- the part right after the solo was a bit odd though.

    And ff we're talking about Mormonism.....

    I talked to some Mormon missionaries in the past month, they gave me the book of Mormon and I read some of it. I'm more convinced now then before I read it that it's a fraud J Smith cooked up.

    It talks about elephants in South America, as well as horse and steel long before the Spanish brought them over. Tons of factual inconsistencies- definitely a scam.

  • What's new? The Bible and Tora and Koran are all scams too. Are you suprised?

  • @MrTongalata

    What kind of ignorant comment is this?

  • my school did this song at our winter music night and it was good just like this one (even though this is much better)

  • they did a very good job with this song!

  • I love this choir.... and I'm so grateful that I have joined The Church, it has shown me true acceptance and love, God Bless LDS!!!!

  • Love this song, my chorus class did this for our christmas concert!

  • ha u kno wats funny there is a black dude toward the end he is in the cornor

  • yeah, Rhynox14--some people aim their whole lives to be accepted by closed minded people who have been taught that they (black people) are not human that they rejoice in being accepted into their group--even if it's way back in the corner--for TV appearances only so that the Mormon/LDS church appears less racist since they do have one black guy---way back there in the corner. Sort of like the plantation owner that boasts "I'm not racist, all my n****rs are black!" smh

  • One of my new Christmas favorites! :) Love the Mormon Tabernacle Choir!

  • my high school did this it was awesome

  • so did mine! for a christmas concert

  • thats awesome its a really fun song

  • Dude, I did it too when I was in chamber singers.

  • Honestly, I think this song loses a lot of its punch if you include female voices.

    Someone needs to put up a recording of when Wilberg directed the BYU Men's Chorus in this song (before he joined Mo-Tab). Much better rendition in my opinion.

  • I don't totally agree. I've seen high schools do this song w/ female voices and it was very good, but I do feel if it's all male voices. Another thing is that the Ambassadors of Harmony do this song every year in their Christmas show and they have 162 men; it's so much stronger than however many people are singing up there, but it looks like more than 162 people. Another thing: they are singing, "Betelehemu-ah," and it should be, "Betelehemu." They are good singers, but it needed to be stronger.

  • My high school choir performed this song back in 1998. We sounded ALMOST as good as the MTC. The biggest difference was we didn't have the proper enunciation of the African language. i think our performance was a bit more soulful and ethnic, however, as we were primarily a Black choir. Great performance by the MTC. I'm watching them on TV right now. They have an amazing Christmas special airing.

  • LOL. Mormon church never ceases to amaze me. Their doctrine states black people can't get into Mormon heaven but by the hand of a white Mormon and their book of Nephi is quite racist, but they steal black music and gain noteriety from it LOL

  • They've also sang many Afro-American spirituals. They even recorded with the late great Moses Hogan.

  • yeah--they will gladly get what they want from you--even tell you what you need to hear, but don't truly accept people of color into their salvation or Mormon heaven (where they conceive children for eternity).. smh

  • The ban on African Americans fully participating in Priesthood and LDS ordinances was lifted in 1978.

    All folk doctrines that were in circulation prior to 1978 speculating on why these blessings were denied to blacks are no longer taught in by the LDS Church.

    Your interpretation of Nephi is based on an outdated edition of the book. More recent editions have edited the paragraphs in question to more accurately convey the exact words Joseph Smith wrote.

  • sdr24--the fact that it took your organization 144 years to publicly state that black people are not in fact cursed white people and innate devils says alot for your organization. My interpretation of the book of Nephi is a direct result of the words written, edited, published, approved, promoted and taught by your organization. It is not necessary to try to warp my mind to the low key PR stunt your faith pulled in 1978 to appear less "cultish"it is important to enlighten your mind to the FACT..

  • ..that God is love. God is not discrimination, misinformation, & exclusion. Can u honestly hold faith in an sect that preached particular points of view as the gospel for 144 years & then comes back &says "OOPS, we had that wrong before, what he meant to say was..."? If something is truth, it NEVER changes.

  • Yup. I absolutely can belong to such an organization.

    What nationality are you? And were you planning on renouncing it any time soon?

  • @sdr24 LOL! My nationality is American and I hadn't planned on renouncing something that cannot be renounced. LMAO @ your question :-) But if you need me to be specific, I was born on the west coast of this nation, to parents from the East Coast and the Southern portion of this nation

  • Point being that people belong to organizations and causes that are not perfect all the time.

    I don't expect any church to be perfect. This is a logical conclusion because all churches include people.

    The fact that you expect a church to be perfect shows rather childish magical thinking on your part. I'm not a fundamentalist like you. Nor do I find your personal emotional insecurities about God all that compelling.

    Peace out, ya fundie head-job.

  • LOL! That's crazy! LMAO! First, you compare a religious choice or a faith to a nationality--one, in reality, cannot be renounced. Second, in what way do you come to an inaccurate conclusion of my having "insecurities about God"? LOL Did my saying "God is love" or saying "God is inclusive" bring you to that erroneous statement? LOL...

  • ... As far as "emotional" goes, not in the least. I've been quite amused at your bantor. And finally, "fundamentalist"--not at all. Ive merely mentioned the realities of life, love and faith. If truth offends you, there are compounds throughout Deseret designed to shield you from knowledge--go there and enjoy.

  • @sdr24 now, the fact that belonging to a lie is a comfort zone for you says alot. Either you agree with the lie or you'd rather be lied to than to exposure yourself to truth in knowledge and be free

  • @sugafoot777 nice one. 100% AGREE

  • What is most important is seeking the truth for yourself rather than gulping down force fed doctrine &regurgitating it as your own belief &spiritual connection with God (or Joseph Smith or Elohim or whoever)

  • @sugafoot777

    You have no idea what you are talking about. Hate is easier than education, as proved by your ignorant comments.

  • @2AequalsFREEDOM4ALL LOL! YOU are crazy!! The information I stated to you is true and documented FACT. I understand your feelings may be a little hurt to first learn somethings about those which you hold dear, but if you actually do your own research rather than autonomously ingest that which you are force fed, you will calm down and see the light. take care and God bless! :-)

  • Im playing the drums for this piece and it is so much fun. Go David Douglas High School!!!!

  • Great song! Our choirs our singing this jointly. I wish we had more practice time though :P

  • I was listenin' both versions from Morehouse College Glee club and Mo -Tab and Morehouse version is definitely more heartful , dynamic...More to the African soul, and therfore more original. While Mo -Tab version is more solemn , dignified at least to me, anyway both versions are amazing... I like to hear female voices as well it kind sounds more versatile

  • Well of course they're gonna have more heart and soul, they're all native african. But I think the MTc had an overall better performance, especially since they had sopranos and altos

  • we sang this song too :) its such an awesome piece, and so fun to sing in a choir <3

  • i love this piece!!!!

  • Thats my language .... Yoruba ))))) i listen to this everyday ))

  • im singing this song in my choir class:) my mother language is english though

  • Great sound. Very even on all SATB parts. Seems a tad slow, but the tone quality is amazing.

  • SMH...NOOOOO!!! Please pay attention to the dialect... and style of of the piece

  • My music teacher gave me and my friend the solo to this song. We harmonize in it sounds so soulful. This song is so beautiful and bringz tears to my eyes because of the deep message. I cant wait to perform it!

  • my high schools top choir that im in is singing this right now! i love it! we're having solo auditions tomorrow, i think. hope i get it!

  • Did the MTC transpose this up a half step? Or is the video warped?? They're singing it in B Major and the song is written in Bb.

  • It can be done either way. The Morehouse College Glee Club- the group that this song was originally written for-is actually performing it in B this year.

  • Yup my choir's doing this as well. XD

  • Us too. Tis a fun song.

  • we r singing it at my high school as well

  • at my high school our chorus is doing this song. It's so amazing :) Me and my friend cannot stop singing it.

  • At 3:56 this guy did an amazing job!

  • =) i iz freshmen and i haz 2 sing dis in choris...same i mite hav a solo

  • My college choir is singing this. It's my favorite song to sing in class and I may have a solo in it (hopefully)

  • my chorus class is singing this!!!! it sounds so pretty when its dun right!!!!!

  • @annakurosaki

    mine too!!! lol

    we just got a new instructor and he picked this as one of our songs!

  • My chorus is singing this......it's horrible.

  • this ia awonderful song and i love how they sing the song me and my choir are singing this song to at chaska high school

  • My chorus class is singing this. :D

  • why Mormon Tabernacle Choir songs be deleted that I celected ??

  • the mormon tabernacle choir is a choir made up of voulenteers who travel the world performing, so they are both profesional and ameteur.

  • Does anyone know if this choir is professional or amateur?

  • my college choir is singing this amazing piece its so BA and just when i thought it couldnt get any more the professor changed the structure so its even longer and more BA!

  • It's true that they are volunteers but you still have to sing at a professional level to be in the choir.

  • BEAUTIFUL!! WONDERFUL !!

    Congratulations to Singers and Teacher !

    GOD bless you!

  • I once watched an hour long special on the auditioning process for this prestigious choir. It is an extremely rigorous process to include several callbacks. A difficult choir to break into to be sure. The combined training of this choir alone would be enough to make your head spin. I don't believe they can be technically matched. As far as interpretation of this selection I have no doubt that Morehouse has an upper hand in that department and rightly so. I applaud Mo Tab for takig on this piece.

  • Hurray MoTabs for doing this one! Nice to hear something rousing, cheerful, out of their usual venue and totally inspirational! The words are beautiful in either language. As far as the controversy, leave that for some other site. Comment on the video, not the church. Three cheers for the MoTabs!

  • I'm afraid of Mormons...

    I'm sorry... I don't understand why... I'm just afraid that I'm always doing something wrong as a Monotheist, and that I could always be attacked for that, EXCLUSIVELY from Mormons...

  • well why aren't you afraid of methodists or luthrans or baptists? mormons are the nicest people on earth.

  • I...

    I guess I forgot about those types of Christians... I sort of generalized all critical conservative yahoo's into one group...

    Heh... :/

  • dude the whole mormon internal conflict is most certainly not my area of expertise I am simply a music lover, spectacular performance, encore!

  • I am so pleased to see the Church moving away from the idea that there is only one approved way to be spiritual -- and that way is the white American 1950's way. I am hopeful that the realization that other cultures (as well as people within our own) express their spirituality in different but equally valid ways will move to our sacrament meetings and our hymnbook. We are so dry....

  • Comment removed

  • These men said what they meant and meant what they said. Whether or not their writings ever became official church doctrine is irrelevant. The attitude of the church was perfectly aligned with these writings for decades. Period. Again, things have changed for the better, and we are all pleased by that change. But please don't try to tell me that the Mormonism has been an inclusive faith since day 1. I know better.

  • golfnut0703: Until 1978, black males were not allowed to hold the Priesthood--with a few early exceptions. No news here. However, every person of every color has always been welcome to join the LDS church and to participate in regular Sunday worship services. And it was always believed that ALL of God's children would eventually have access to ALL of His blessings.

    Again, the writings of these men were never official sources of LDS doctrine--regardless of how prevalent those views were.

  • golfnut0703: One more thing. Thanks for a response that was civil. How rare it is these days, unfortunately, for there to be a discussion without name calling, direct or implied slurs or insults, or other childish attempts to discredit and/or disrespect others. So, I say kudos to you for that.

    Peace..

  • i agree.

  • So, please feel free to continue blissfully in your ignorance, but do not malign me because I know better.....

  • Or, LDS Patriarch Eldred G Smith said this in 1964: I had a young lady who was blonde, a[n]d no sign or indications visibly of the Negro line at all, but yet she was deprived of going to the Temple . If they have any blood of the Negro at all in their line, in their veins at all, they are not entitled to the blessings of the Priesthood . No limit as to how far back so far as I know ("What is a Patriarchal Blessing?," speech at LDS Institute of Religion, Salt Lake City, Jan. 17, 1964, p. 8).

  • golfnut0703: Is school still in session? I'll alleviate some of your own ignorance. Those quotes you presented DO NOT represent LDS Church doctrine that is binding upon the membership of Church. Those quotes reflect those men's thinking and understanding at that time.

    If you don't know that (unless you do and are just being contentious), then you deserve to educate yourself on what are the official sources of LDS doctrine and on how Mormons view the role of Apostles and Prophets of God.

  • I did not say that the above posted comments represented CURRENT church doctrine. In fact, if you read all of my posts you will see that I acknowledge that the church has come a long way since 1978. The very fact that the MoTab is singing a Nigerian Christmas Carol written by an African American is testimony thereunto. But I do take issue with anyone explaining away the written and stated positions of some of the church's most senior elders as mere personal musings in a bygone era.

  • If you look at the date this was posted it was four years ago... I am a proud LDS and i have many black friends from the church and not from the church please get your infomation correctly before posting that nonsense

  • Actually, maybe you need to check YOUR facts. Following is a direct quote from your own Apostle Joseph Fielding Smith in 1935: "Not only was Cain called upon to suffer [for killing Abel], but because of his wickedness he became the father of an inferior race. A curse was placed upon him and that curse has been continued through his lineage and must do so while time endures. Millions of souls have come into this world cursed with a black skin and have been denied the privilege of

  • his wickedness he became the father of an inferior race. A curse was placed upon him and that curse has been continued through his lineage and must do so while time endures. Millions of souls have come into this world cursed with a black skin and have been denied the privilege of Priesthood and the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel. These are the descendants of Cain. Moreover, they have been made to feel their inferiority and have been separated from the rest of mankind from the beginning.