Roland Hayes sings "Go Down, Moses." 1922

[SuperLuckydream]

Have never heard his recordings before. Very beautiful singing. He has a lot of talent. Thank you for posting, dear Edmund!

[EdmundStAustell]

@SuperLuckydream Thank you very much, my friend.  Yes, Roland Hayes was very much a gentleman; very elegant in his approach to the music.. He was much admired for both his voice and and the intellectual and stylistically refined handling of the material in concert.

[teearecee]

I lived a few houses away from Roland Hayes from 1958 when I was 6 yrs old til 1972. I remember that he would often stroll up and down the street past my families house all dressed up and he wore a Derby type hat. My brothers and I would always wave and yell hello Mr. Hayes, because my Mom told us who he was, and he would always wave back and say hello.

[EdmundStAustell]

@teearecee Thank you very much for a fascinating personal recollection. Yes, indeed. He was a fine gentleman, and very, very talented! Thanks again.

[rahsun29]

I am

A decendant of this great man! Miss u great great uncle even tho I never met u!

[EdmundStAustell]

@rahsun29 That is most interesting! Thank you very much for your comment. Yes, he was a brilliant artist, no doubt about it.

[fanniterrette]

I love Roland Hayes.

[EdmundStAustell]

@fanniterrette Me too. Terrific singer, and an impressive individual. Classy gentleman, all the way around.

[stevevandien]

I believe Hayes' accompanist here is Lawrence Brown, who worked with Paul Robeson for many years. I first heard this record on a New World Recordings album in 1977. Apparently Hayes was so disappointed with most of his acoustic recordings that he personally destroyed their masters. If so, what a shame, for he was at his vocal peak during the 1920s. So we're lucky to have this one:). Hayes made many records from the late 1930s on. But he was then past his vocal (NOT artistic) prime --

[EdmundStAustell]

@stevevandien Yes, you are right. Lawrence Brown, recorded in 1922.

[inter215]

This is a fine example of not only he fine voice but his great interpretive abilities. This is a song we've heard too many times but Hayes makes it sound fresh and alive. This was obviously a trait that helped set him apart from and above other singers.

[EdmundStAustell]

@inter215 Excellent observation. I absolutely agree.

[operbathosa]

Exceptional.

[EdmundStAustell]

@operbathosa Thank you. Hayes is largely forgotten today, which is a shame. He deserves better.

[sospello]

Roland Hayes was one of the first internationally successful African-American singers of classical music and sang lieder, art songs and other selections in several languages at a time when an operatic career would have been closed to him. There is a small museum up the road in his hometown of Calhoun, GA which sheds light on this aspect of his life.

[EdmundStAustell]

Thank you for the information!

[sospello]

Thank YOU for posting his lovely voice and providing information on his career, Edmund.

[meltzerboy]

While Paul Robeson's recording of this song is more famous, Roland Hayes' is nearly as great. While Hayes had a special affinity for spirituals, did he not also sing lieder? A very fine tenor. Thanks, Edmund, for posting.

[EdmundStAustell]

Yes, Hayes sang (well) in French, German and Italian, skills he honed during his European period. He was, if I am not mistaken, especially successful in the area of German lieder.

[stevevandien]

@EdmundStAustell You are correct again, my friend:). Hayes worked especially hard on his interpretations of lieder and melodies. And it paid off; I've read that French and German critics praised his work during his European tour in the 1920s:) --

[Bivolari]

Thanks for uploading this. Roland Hayes has always been one of the great American singers. He deserves to be remembered.

[EdmundStAustell]

Yes, I think so too.