Anytime I can hear or see one of Connee's performances is a treat. Debate all you wish about anyone else and their "take" on this- Connee is the best. Bar none. Thank you Hoopjnky for sharing this!!
i always hate to ask, but because there's such a lack of videos of connee and the sisters around these days, do you know where we could find the rest of connee's shorts? she's a total gem and she deserves to be remembered. thank you for uploading this one! :)
I love this song but have to confess that I like the Bea Wain version best. There was something about her voice and the inflections of words that really gets to me. When Larry Clinton decided to record this song Bea was concerned about singing a love song about a woman, but it turned out great. When they performed it the young men went crazy, especially at the rise in her voice near the end. They loved it, and her.
Connee was all energy and creativity and it's no surprise she wanted to do "Martha." I've always felt Bea Wain's version and Connee's version ended in a tie.
Ah! so pure, ah! so bright Burst her beauty on my sight Oh! so mild, so divine She beguiled this heart of mine 'Reft of aim, ere she came Dark the future seemed to loom Till her clear, brilliant sphere New with light disspelled the gloom Woe! she fled, quickly sped All my joy in fleeting gleams As I wake, hopes forsake Robbing me of godlike dreams, of godlike dreams
The Larry Clinton version more refined? Perhaps. Defintely more commercially accepotable for the times. The lyrics Connie uses are straight from the English translation of the opera. But then again, that's what I like about Connie at her best: she is trying something very different but pulling it off.
Kudos, of course to Bea Wain and the others who made this song swing. But Connie did it first and, for me at least, did it best.
The Miller-Lane recording was waxed 11/29/37 and was not a hit, hence Miller disbanding his orchestra on January 2, 1938. Connee's "Martha," based on Von Flotow's "M'appari Tutt'amour" was recorded Nov 13, 1937 and was already in record stores before Miller's disc hit the store shelves. Connee's recording was such a risk that she had to promise Decca producer Jack Kapp that she would take full responsibility if it bombed. It was a sensation.
"Share thy boon with me" - is that the lyric ? It certainly sounds like that but I am unfamiliar with this phrase. Is it an expression others have heard before?
Yes. The song in the video is Von Flotow's "M'appari Tutt'amor". Connee recorded it first, then Larry and Bea recorded it a few months later. Martha was one of their top 10 hits, as was the swing version of Debussy's "My Reverie".
Swinging the classics and semi-classics was a style that continued for many years.
Larry Clinton hardly rose to fame until he let Bea Wain sing "Heart and Soul" in 1939... The song in the video is hardly a standard, while we all know "Stompin...". What REALLY launched a hundred hits began with THIS song in 1937: My Fine Feathered Friend , by Glenn Miller with a different female vocalist. She also sounded better than this "Martha" somebody...
There were several examples of swinging the classics before "Martha" but the craze that launched a hundred hits really began with this song. Larry Clinton rose to fame on it.
And while I agree that Chick Webb is a classic, are you saying that Stompin' at the Savoy is based on a classical piece?
Ah so mild, so divine, she beguiled this heart of mine.
'Reft of aim, ere she came, dark the future seemed to loom, 'till her clear, brilliant sphere new with light dispelled the gloom. Woe she fled. Quickly sped all my joy and fleetin' gleam. As I wake, hope forsake, robbin' me of godlike dreams, of godlike dreams, oh.
I did a translation of the original German words on the Fritz Wunderlich upload. I now see where I went wrong - and perhaps where Fritz did! .... only joking, I liked it!
I was looking for the original version of this tenor aria, and found this version. I never heard of Connee Boswell (shame on me), and I'm delighted to have found her. As an opera lover, I can only say bravissima! What a treasure, and what a wonderful singer.
Sister Constance had two main influences in her singing: blues singer Mamie Smith and Enrico Caruso. She loved the way Caruso phrased and held a note for what seemed to be an eternity.
The Boswell Sisters trio quoted a significant amount of classical music in their jazz harmonies and this solo is a wonderful extension of that. It is a great homage to Caruso and yet pure Boswell. Glad you enjoyed
I just got home from a gig. It's 2:30am and I stumbled upon this video! I am floored! I love the expression, phrasing, tone of Connie Boswell. Great singing is about conveying the mood of the song into the listeners heart and she does just that! Thanks for this treasure!
Thank you for posting this! I had only been familiar with the Bea Wain/Larry Clinton version so this is educational for me! Connee Boswell indeed was an innnovative performer (along with her sisters, but her especially). Her dog Rebel is great to watch as well!
Jack Kapp (head of Decca) told Connee not to record Martha - he said it would flop and make opera lovers angry. Connee said if it flopped she would take out a full page ad in Variety taking the blame for it. Well, there were no ads in Variety and Connee started a whole new trend. This clip features a recording from the 50s, orchestra unknown. You need to hear it with Bob Crosby and his Bobcats backing her. No direspect to Bea and Larry, but nobody does it like Connee.
I prefer the 1937 record, too, but this is such a treasure, seeing Connee sing this. Thanks for posting!
stanbrown32 2 weeks ago
GET BOZZED
BY
THE BOSWELL SISTERS
yenerowna 7 months ago 2
Anytime I can hear or see one of Connee's performances is a treat. Debate all you wish about anyone else and their "take" on this- Connee is the best. Bar none. Thank you Hoopjnky for sharing this!!
dieselheart001 1 year ago
que desastre un ariaq tan linda, eso no se vale.
Jogab37 1 year ago
@Jogab37
Es una hermosa aria, no menos tan cuando Connee lo canta en un estilo de jazz
hoopjnky 1 year ago
Always a delight to see and hear Connee Boswell
grenadian11 1 year ago
i see where ella gets her vavavoom from love it
whitneylilucious 2 years ago
Nice! I'd never heard of a "Snayder Telescript" before. Do you know when this video was made, and what other songs she recorded?
Shushmuckle 2 years ago
This video was made in 1952 along with four others:
Nobody's Sweetheart
I Don't Know Why (I Just Do)
Exactly Like You
I Know What It Means to be Lonesome
hoopjnky 2 years ago
Wow. I can see why Ella Fitzgerald was such a fan.
extasisencantada 2 years ago 2
i always hate to ask, but because there's such a lack of videos of connee and the sisters around these days, do you know where we could find the rest of connee's shorts? she's a total gem and she deserves to be remembered. thank you for uploading this one! :)
clattermachine 2 years ago
I love this song but have to confess that I like the Bea Wain version best. There was something about her voice and the inflections of words that really gets to me. When Larry Clinton decided to record this song Bea was concerned about singing a love song about a woman, but it turned out great. When they performed it the young men went crazy, especially at the rise in her voice near the end. They loved it, and her.
DPerson626 2 years ago
Connee was all energy and creativity and it's no surprise she wanted to do "Martha." I've always felt Bea Wain's version and Connee's version ended in a tie.
waynebrasler 2 years ago 2
Certainly a lot better than what we now have.
BayAreaBiker2001 2 years ago 2
Ah! so pure, ah! so bright
Oh! so mild, so divine
She beguiled this heart of mine
Martha, Martha, thou hast taken
Ev\ry bliss away with thee
Canst thou leave me, thus forsaken?
Come and share thy boon with me
Share! share thy boon with me!
Yea, with me
moxee33 2 years ago 2
moxee33 2 years ago 2
I nteresting!
paulostroff99 2 years ago
This is so beautiful. I love Connie! Her voice sounds a little hoarse here, maybe she had a cold.
sydgrrl44 3 years ago
Only one word for that ... brilliant perfrormance.
rexbonitas 3 years ago
the lyrics in Bea Wain's version seem are more refined... this version is interesting, but Bea's is the keeper
BernardProfitendieu 3 years ago
The Larry Clinton version more refined? Perhaps. Defintely more commercially accepotable for the times. The lyrics Connie uses are straight from the English translation of the opera. But then again, that's what I like about Connie at her best: she is trying something very different but pulling it off.
Kudos, of course to Bea Wain and the others who made this song swing. But Connie did it first and, for me at least, did it best.
hoopjnky 3 years ago
@BernardProfitendieu
Listen to a much younger Connee singing the 1937 record, it's way better.
BetsyBooth22 3 months ago
The Miller-Lane recording was waxed 11/29/37 and was not a hit, hence Miller disbanding his orchestra on January 2, 1938. Connee's "Martha," based on Von Flotow's "M'appari Tutt'amour" was recorded Nov 13, 1937 and was already in record stores before Miller's disc hit the store shelves. Connee's recording was such a risk that she had to promise Decca producer Jack Kapp that she would take full responsibility if it bombed. It was a sensation.
TheSwingShift 3 years ago
Share thy boon with me hoopjkny!!!!
JeriLynnKarr 3 years ago
"Share thy boon with me" - is that the lyric ? It certainly sounds like that but I am unfamiliar with this phrase. Is it an expression others have heard before?
rexbonitas 3 years ago
boon 1 |boōn|
noun
1 a thing that is helpful or beneficial : the navigation system will be a boon to both civilian and military users.
2 archaic a favor or request : may I have the inestimable boon of a few minutes' conversation?
adjective
(of a companion or friend) close; intimate; favorite : he debated the question with a few boon companions in the barroom.
walt1896 2 years ago
Yes. The song in the video is Von Flotow's "M'appari Tutt'amor". Connee recorded it first, then Larry and Bea recorded it a few months later. Martha was one of their top 10 hits, as was the swing version of Debussy's "My Reverie".
Swinging the classics and semi-classics was a style that continued for many years.
hoopjnky 3 years ago
Larry Clinton hardly rose to fame until he let Bea Wain sing "Heart and Soul" in 1939... The song in the video is hardly a standard, while we all know "Stompin...". What REALLY launched a hundred hits began with THIS song in 1937: My Fine Feathered Friend , by Glenn Miller with a different female vocalist. She also sounded better than this "Martha" somebody...
1940spianoman 3 years ago
Nice song, but she wasn't the 1st to swing the classics. Judy Garland recorded "Stompin at the Savoy" in 1936...
1940spianoman 3 years ago
There were several examples of swinging the classics before "Martha" but the craze that launched a hundred hits really began with this song. Larry Clinton rose to fame on it.
And while I agree that Chick Webb is a classic, are you saying that Stompin' at the Savoy is based on a classical piece?
hoopjnky 3 years ago
Ah so pure, Ah so bright
bursts her beauty on my sight
Ah so mild, so divine, she beguiled this heart of mine.
'Reft of aim, ere she came, dark the future seemed to loom, 'till her clear, brilliant sphere new with light dispelled the gloom. Woe she fled. Quickly sped all my joy and fleetin' gleam. As I wake, hope forsake, robbin' me of godlike dreams, of godlike dreams, oh.
That's mostly it
hoopjnky 3 years ago
Hoopjnky delivers :O
A million thank yous, dear~
AnonymousLolita 3 years ago
I can't find the lyrics to this song, it's driving me bananas!
Also, Rebelpuppy seems to enjoy Mama Connee's crooning.
AnonymousLolita 3 years ago
I did a translation of the original German words on the Fritz Wunderlich upload. I now see where I went wrong - and perhaps where Fritz did! .... only joking, I liked it!
Glenmed 3 years ago
I was looking for the original version of this tenor aria, and found this version. I never heard of Connee Boswell (shame on me), and I'm delighted to have found her. As an opera lover, I can only say bravissima! What a treasure, and what a wonderful singer.
MusicaParola 3 years ago
Sister Constance had two main influences in her singing: blues singer Mamie Smith and Enrico Caruso. She loved the way Caruso phrased and held a note for what seemed to be an eternity.
The Boswell Sisters trio quoted a significant amount of classical music in their jazz harmonies and this solo is a wonderful extension of that. It is a great homage to Caruso and yet pure Boswell. Glad you enjoyed
hoopjnky 3 years ago
Wonderful! Brava! TY.
paulostroff99 3 years ago
I can't stop watching this! Thanks so much for posting it!
norfolk03 4 years ago
She use to come to Houston all the time and her dog always traveled with her. She was a wonderful lady!
hrncir 4 years ago
Awesome vocal!Bravo.
paulostroff99 4 years ago
Thanks Hopinky, I'd never seen this before!! love that Connee! Emailing it to the girls..
Holleybe 4 years ago
I just got home from a gig. It's 2:30am and I stumbled upon this video! I am floored! I love the expression, phrasing, tone of Connie Boswell. Great singing is about conveying the mood of the song into the listeners heart and she does just that! Thanks for this treasure!
BocaChicaGirl 4 years ago
Thank you for posting this! I had only been familiar with the Bea Wain/Larry Clinton version so this is educational for me! Connee Boswell indeed was an innnovative performer (along with her sisters, but her especially). Her dog Rebel is great to watch as well!
Kind67 4 years ago
Jack Kapp (head of Decca) told Connee not to record Martha - he said it would flop and make opera lovers angry. Connee said if it flopped she would take out a full page ad in Variety taking the blame for it. Well, there were no ads in Variety and Connee started a whole new trend. This clip features a recording from the 50s, orchestra unknown. You need to hear it with Bob Crosby and his Bobcats backing her. No direspect to Bea and Larry, but nobody does it like Connee.
hoopjnky 4 years ago