Contralto Eula Beal sings Bach's "Erbarme Dich"

[bodiloto]

Una bellissima donna sensibile e un uomo 'freddo'...

la vita.

[romalisan]

They were so sober at that time. She even does not blink and remain with her hands crossed and he stay still and quiet. And it's not so long ago. Imagine the ancient egyptians, and I think that their habits would be for us as of martians or venusians.

[flutair]

Großartiges Zeitdokument auf diesem Wege der Allgemeinheit zugänglich gemacht! Danke !!

[prototropo]

What a transcendant bit of performance history. I'm proud Yehudi Menuhin was from San Francisco!

[Johammonia]

Symphony Orchestra of Hollywood under Antal Dorati; recorded at the Charlie Chaplin Studios, Hollywood, 1947

[Evilbitch666]

I think Eula Beal is one of the most beautiful contraltos of all time, it's a true shame she didn't continue her career. She's one singer i aspire to be like, so inspiring! Though I have no idea what range I am, i enjoy singing her style, it's just too beautiful!

[coryisawake]

Just gorgeous.

[pelikaaann]

Mit Sir Yehudi Menuhin ist das ohnehin schon sehr schöne Stück,noch schöner....

[TheSmoshmy]

What a beautiful looking man was Menuhin! What a combination! Bach and Menuhin! Of course the contralto is equally wonderful!

[alif131]

wubderbar.

[francesca7564]

Magnifique document, merci beaucoup !

[vivegedda]

@francesca7564 Je serais tombé follement amoureux de cette femme à la première rencontre. Chanter Samson aux côtés d'une Dalida pareille : Le rêve de tout ténor!!!

[MrSetemil]

O momento que que Pedro chora amargamente haver negado a Jesus, é algo comovente. O nos leva a perguirir o quanto de Pedro existe em muitos de nós, cristãos ou não cristãos.

Bach é impressionantemente inesquecível. Excelente interpretação de Eula. E como se a dor e choro de Pedro continuasse em casa um de nós diante de nossas faltas e pecados.

[mizzothify]

Very old fashioned, of course, but I clearly prefer this wealth of sound to the often consumptive "baroque-style" performances.

[sachmetixchel]

No sólo la belleza de su voz, la música y ella misma..también la gama cromática del video, la textura y el contraste me encantan!!!

[iolanthela]

I have an undersized 11-month-old female kitten who just came running in here, top speed, to sniff at the speakers and look at the singing lady! ;->

She's an engaged little cat, but I've never before seen her so enthralled by *anything*.

Lovely. Do we know the year this was taped? The cat has good taste.

[aussiechickdiana]

What a beautiful voice. Perfection! diana

[nddlj]

I love how she sways as she sings. Like she's literally moved by her own voice in a non-snobbish way.

[pelikaaann]

Das rührt die Seele an....

[ItsNowAlways]

Thank you for posting this memory of divinity.

It was also nostalgic to hear the sound of the needle on the vinyl.

[t0esOnFire]

I'm still trying to figure out how anyone can dislike this...

[DCFunBud]

Just perfection! So effortless and unforced! Aside from the fact, Beal was a great beauty and Menuhin was quite dashing.

[Youkali67]

Es una verdadera joya. Una maravilla.

[alerpamo]

perfecto, melancolía, pasión, toda una pieza esculpida. sube tonos tan rápido como los baja.

[CanadaPisces]

Heavenly music! What lovely expression by both Menuhin and Beal!

[CanadaPisces]

Heavenly music! 

[barbi00100]

Wonderful! What time! What music! great!

[CanadaPisces]

A musical gem! Thank you operatribute for the posting!

[gabikollau]

watching in tears .....

[ernest671]

So beautiful, the singer is gorgeous.

[7inga7]

Heavenly performance!

[daschamaeleon]

Out of reach - beyond borders - the heaven on earth. Can ´t stop my tears...Greatest performance I know

[monicaymariovelasque]

Que buenoooo!!! que caudal de voz que tiene Eula...IMPRESIONA!!!!

[Dzifa12]

wow i love the ´old´ sound it really fits the piece!

[kaylashalaylaaaaa]

look at that face...

[sasha42196]

She is very good but Menuhin...extraordinary!

[ladyj4gzus]

she makes it look so effortless!  brava!!!!!!

[trapezoid6]

My God, what a performance.

[rmanzanog1]

Tempo is like  heart beats from an stressed mind.

[miapia12]

This is beautiful. This woman conveys emotion so well it breaks my heart.

[angietihi]

And such a young Yehudi Menuhin, how beautiful

[dreamersan1]

Мне так она нравиться!.. Эула Билл - восхитительнейшая, удивительнейшая певица!..

её редкий голос и тембр - тому исключительное подтверждение!!!

:)

[puppi1974]

grandiose!!!!!!!!!!!

[marcelkonings60]

Yehudi and Eula (and colleagues) this is beautiful! This pulls out all available tears. A bonus for me is the English translated version.

Although in this piece, the music actually reflects the feeling better than most words can. Then again, you have the voice as instrument...

[LuniaVideo]

Her voice is nice, but not very deep for a contralto.

[Harlekinopal]

Einfach nur schön!

[mnemily4]

A pleasure and a privelege to hear her sing.. and it does not do her any harm that she is stunningly beautiful.  Yehudi looks pretty good,too.

[necrogoddess]

hermoso.. simplemente hermosoo

[contatolirico]

Perfect!

[shastihaha]

What a treat to come across this performance! Thank you for sharing it with us.

[amyvandraco]

escuchandola a ella, estoy feliz de ser contralto

[MissainBMinor]

Sublime, eternal, transcending to the Heavenly planes. Men does not deserve this type of music.

[starbreez3]

What a perfect tempo!

[yafazudametalero]

Beautiful :'( sooo beautiful

[dgeskargiamindia]

meraviliose

[DONTKAMIZI]

The vocal phrase is beautiful, I wonder why Menuhin doesn't hear her line... The voice is extraordinary! Thanks for posting it!

[abracadabranque]

Très belle voix,equilibrée,une égalité de timbre sur tout le registre,tout à fait indiquée pour cet emploi.Je ne crois pas qu'elle ait chanté de l'opéra,il lui manquerait sans doute une nécessaire démesure.Vraiment très agréable!

[gmarcy]

I was mesmerized, frightened, and taken.

[onixnenaambar]

NI SE ESFUERZA, QUE PADRE!!!!!!!

[sdegrace]

Vraiment beau! Il faut dire que Menuhin fait la moitié du travail

[marywardify]

Between Menuhin's deep-souled sound and the singer's lovely, rare voice, this clip is heartbreakingly beautiful. Interestingly enough, the first time through I didn't even notice the words or the language in which it is being sung at all, rather I was completely captivated by the sound and the emotion alone.

[aidavg]

what a beautiful voice and excellent manage of her entire register, she's more than amazing, that the way every single singer should use their instrument. She does not forces her self to sound like a tenor just to make people belive that she's contralto. Simply love her

[pianomags]

@aidavg know...this just doesn't sound like a contralto at all, but it's gorgeous. I had to go to the piano to check it hadn't been transposed up a third, there's so much height in her voice..It is up from the usual, but only about a tone. Very different. I don't think the label contralto was justified, it's a bit like Arlene Auger, who could sing anything she wanted to.

[violetavalery]

Here I copy the translation of this aria. God bless all of you!

Alto

Have mercy Lord,

My God, because of this my weeping!

Look thou here,

Heart and eyes now weep for thee

Bitterly.

[saxonfield]

@violetavalery Is this the whole song or are there verses?

[ajkaijanaho]

@saxonfield This is the whole aria. The full St. Matthew Passion (of which this aria is one part) takes several hours.

[MrJotemwu]

@violetavalery

Erbarme dich, mein Gott,

um meiner Zaehren willen!

Schaue hier, Herz und Auge

weint vor dir bitterlich.

Erbarme dich, mein Gott.

[whatsername669]

contralto voices shiver me even ..... amazing !!!

[saxonfield]

Outstanding!!!!

[dreioktaven]

This is absolutly breathtaking. She sings this Aria so effortless. Love it.

[KosteckiAdam]

to jest genialne, dziekuje!

[MrJotemwu]

@KosteckiAdam

Zgadzam się. Zagrane jest (Menuhin) i zaśpiewane w sposób przejmujący. Nagranie jest z 1947 i wyobrażam sobie jak słuchacze byli wzruszeni wspominając niedawne przeżycia wojenne. Notabene tekst jest śpiewany po angielsku, pomimo że w oryginale jest przecież po niemiecku. Byłoby to nie do przyjęcia tuż po wojnie przez Niemców wywołanej, śpiewać: "Erbarme dich" co brzmiałoby wtedy jak szyderstwo, kpina z milionów ofiar nazizmu.

[saxonfield]

I must admit this is the best version ever.

[bobon47]

Beautiful in all sences

[Maria34747]

Menuhin is amazing!!

[REAL3007]

love u Eula

[kvonribbenburg]

Shivers down my spine.

[errindoores]

This is the one, it captivated me when i was a teenager switching between channels on tv when i came across it on an all night broadcast of Bachs work!

The piece draws me in, it holds me there and it inspires me. Whats more, it is in english!

I always thought in the passing years it was Katherine ferrier that was singing and it was that reason why i failed to find find this recording till now!

[charlie1932able]

Simply beautiful & sublime....

[3232siobhan]

This recording breaks my heart..... it's not just her exquisite voice, but the total honesty and drama of the interpretation and with Yehudi on the violin.... wonderful.

Thank you.

[violetavalery]

@3232siobhan totally agree!

[srverons]

how interesting Don. Your mother is wonderfully beautiful and her voice will live on!

[DonGarnett]

Eula Beal was my mother. Married William Garnett in 1942 who became a world famous areial photographer.

I hope to post more information on her in the future.

Her voice is missed by all of us.

[3232siobhan]

@DonGarnett

More information on your late Mother would be most welcome.  She clearly was a very special musician and singer.

[MousesInHouses]

Please do - I'd love to know more. Such honest and direct singing.

[Paulkazey1]

Eula Beal had both an exquisite voice and great physical beauty. This is a very fine recital.

[VRVashchenko]

DonGarnett,

Such a pity your mother's career lasted for just 10 years or so!!! Eula Beal was my greatest musical discovery in the US. I have heard many great mezzos and contraltos back in Ukraine. Eula Beal is incomparable...

[OlDoinyo]

An amazing set of parents indeed! I have a book of W. Garnett's photos--splendid work which I have always admired. I knew nothing of his bride until hearing this; a wonderfully connected performance.

[misslanvin]

@DonGarnett Your Mother's beautiful and exquisite voice is matched by her physical beauty and presence. Lucky you to have such genes and probably the best lullabies in the world!

[skatesindreams]

@DonGarnett Like many others here, I would be honored to hear more of; and know more about, your mother, I have been stunned by her great gift since discovering the "Concert Magic" film several years ago.

I'm sad for our loss; and joyful when I imagine where she must be singing, now.

My sympathies to you, and your familu.

[ohiogal56]

@DonGarnett Please post more. I just recently (within the past couple of years) came across her. What a lustrous, vital voice she had. Exquisite!

[mezzolaurice]

Just so eloquently done. Absolutely beautiful.

[gondorado1]

Eula Beal (January 25, 1919 July 29, 2008) was an American contralto. During her relatively short touring career, she performed with distinguished collaborators not only in concert on the US West Coast but also in Concert Magic, a 1947 film billed as "the first motion picture concert." -Wikipedia

[saxonfield]

This is the best version I have ever heard. I feel the passion in this one.

[finamaca53]

Does anybody could me advice of lieds for contralto. As well as contraltos singers?Not mezzosoprano. My register is quite "low".. Thank you!!

[monicaymariovelasque]

Imperionante voz, que hermoso que canta esa mujer, que bueno habria sido escucharla en vivo...

[eposz2]

Hmmm how much she resembles Ingrid Bergman... Beautiful performance, but Kathleen Ferrier's is the most moving I have ever heard.

[LunaNOTSims]

I sang this song solo :)

Well, not as good as her thou.. but she is my idol :D

She's magnificent! <3

[stefflo712]

Beautiful!

[straumeeee]

Трагедия в высшем понимаении этого слова...так и вижу дым из труб Аушвица под эту музыку.......Бах...а говорят,музыка спасёт мир...не спасла....

[bobon47]

@straumeeee а кто это о музыке так говорил, не слыхал

[nimroddavidpfeffer]

Absolutely wonderful. Thank you.

[Hisrevenge]

The most effortless and beautiful sounds one could ever hear.

[susieq0789]

I am a contralto too :-D I can sing up to an E3 - A5 but not as good as her lol

[EvaHartwig]

Строго и страстно.

[joanabanyeres]

splendid, sublime Yes she could be a contralto with the right register but with a light colour in the voice Wonderful.

[Apollyon80]

I'm so glad I heard this. It really is beautiful. And yes, she is a contralto - a very good one :)

[tcradical]

Great singer!!!!!!!

[soopsje]

stingabe: There are still people who sing like this, but are never asked. Too natural, too honest.

[7inga7]

How wonderful! This is certainly one of our finest artists.

[stingabe]

Why doesn't anyone sing like this anymore? Awesome!

[Straricc]

I perfectly agree!

[bethrules11]

I'm a contalto too! G3 to E5 though. I could never hit high notes like her.

[vesterico]

Wow, está increíble esta interpretación. Superb!!! Thanks for posting it.

[madaboutvoice]

What a treasure, thank you so much!

I wish she had sung it in the original German, but fine performance nevertheless.

[Kievest]

Thank you for posting this soulful prayer!

The rich sonority in Beal's voice is utterly

divine. She more than holds her own

in the august company of Menuhin and

Dorati. The total performance has a

reverent simplicity that is never overdone!

[vstasov]

How can she be so fantastically beautiful and sing so beautifully as well??

This is a sacred document of art.  Thank you so much.

[paulostroff99]

Two of the very greatest musical artists!

[elisabeta13]

Thank you so much for sharing this with us !

[HowardJohnstone]

This was the favourite piece of music for

Yehudi Menuhin, or so he said. We all

agree don´t we ?

Eula Beal performs very well as part in

the series "Concert Magic" from 1948.

This is interpretation is common to most

performances before the seventies.

[HowardJohnstone]

This was the favourite piece of music

for Yehudi Menuhin, and we all understand

why, don´t we ?

Eula Beaul with a very good classical

interpretation of this work.

[seahyimin]

thanks for uploading the full piece!

[LeeEnKamon1989]

Antal Dorati is Fantastic pianist.

[lexigore]

Exquisite!

[artsong2]

Awesome.

This wonderful singer had everything.

Thanks to whomever posted this video here!

[Nadzerat]

Que bella...

[wattever333]

wow! she was great!

[nickwallacesmith]

used to hear Menuhin quite a lot when i lived in london - lovely to come across him again here

[EmilyGreene1984]

I also love Mr. Menuhin's performance on the violin!

[PIPZZZ02]

Supremely moving and beautiful.

Thanks for posting

[EmilyGreene1984]

This is one of the few pieces where a woman who is a contralto can show off her top register.

[EmilyGreene1984]

Well I personally think both have their own inherant beauty - but the problem comes when women, who are contraltos, are forced to play "bitches, witches, or in breeches" and sopranos get to play all the feminine roles.

[andangeles]

Contraltos, in my humble opinion are better than sopranos. There voices are so warm and beautiful.

[ForeverAnalog]

I agree ! They're about the only female voice types I can stand. The rest are so high and screechy .

[EmilyGreene1984]

I disagree.

[paddycayo]

Transcendent.

[juggalo9956]

wunderbar

[megansspark]

lovely! musically outstanding, and visually pleasing as well. :)

[Alicia7777777]

Wonderful. 5*. Thanks for sharing.

[paulostroff99]

Absolutely divine! Brava! Bravo!! TY

[CanadaPisces]

Beal + Menuhin = an awesome combination! TY!

[Marielegoth]

I thought she was a soprano!!! they are some singers with an amazing vocal range, she is asome!!! and beautiful!!!

[EmilyGreene1984]

Not all contraltos have to have that heavy dark color - some, like Eula Beal and Marian Anderson, can, provided they have a healthy and natural techinque, have high tessituras making them sound sopranoish. And others like Ewa Podles have large ranges even all the way up to soprano high C6.

[donaldrose]

That fiddle player seems kinda useful too :) I think he went on to some sort of career. G'donya Yehudi!!!

[MrCafiero]

Both of them are fantastic.

[ixsingxtenor]

It's not surprising to me that she has a nice high register. Some contraltos have a high c. To me, what we're hearing is that her high register is extremely free. This is the result of a singer who strengthens her entire voice rather than her preference.

[donaldrose]

A well-trained singer male or female should have a 3 octave range most of which is useful. A good example of the value of this is when a Tenor can sing down to the C or D below the bass clef which will add richness to his voice in the middle part of the tenor range.

[EmilyGreene1984]

Once a singer has strengthened her entire voice, she can then choose pieces as per her preference.

[highnote32]

Yes... she is Contralto. There is the classification of Dramatic Mezzo-Soprano, possibly.

[bobzeschin]

(Continued) While raising their 3 sons, she ran the business end of his photo endeavors. "She was truly the woman behind the man," said a daughter-in-law. She continued to sing with local orchestras and choral groups, and in later life, she & Dr. G. ,who died in 2006, grew grapes for Napa Valley wineries. She said she never regretted giving up her career. Sounds like hers was a long, happy, and varied life, but, oh, the listening pleasure generations of music lovers missed out on!

[bobzeschin]

Every time I saw one of these clips on Classic Arts Showcase, I wondered why this beautiful woman's warm, luscious voice wasn't as famous as Marian Anderson's or Kathleen Ferrier's. Her obituaries told the tale: After a career lasting barely a decade, she retired to full-time wifedom & motherhood. In 1942, she married William Garnett, later a professor at Berkeley, and the man who turned aerial photography into an art form. His book "Extraordinary Landscapes" is exactly that.

(More)

[violadude2]

It's probably the recording, but if you close your eyes the violin sounds like a Mexican trumpet.

Great performance though. I really like contralto singing, its very warm.

[misshotbeauty]

she has got definilly the best contralto voice ever!! fantastic, and yes she is contralto with a high vocal range... Amazing!!

[99Isher]

She is really not a Mezzo. In my view, she is a Contralto, with a very beautiful voice full of light,

[KTeKanawa]

would also love to hear Isaac Stern- he and Menuhin are my favs! Would shudder to hear how Perlman would dramatize....

[kinparlink]

божественно!

[PhillipLWilcher]

Really we have here three artists of immeasurable elegance, Beal, Menuhin and Dorati all intoning the greatest artist of all , Bach, at his most soulfully elegant. Thank you for this!

[PhillipLWilcher]

Superb in every possible way!

[KeithRetro]

how can you say you dont think she's and contralto?

if she's hardly a mezzo-soprano then what is she? because she's surely not a soprano. I think you might have things mixed up. the term contralto is used to refer to the deepest female singing voice.

mezzos being middle and sopranos being highest

[raigekimaru]

I think he means she's is on the high end of the mezzo soprano range.

[Ocean92Soul]

I really don't think she's a contralto... but beautiful voice!!!

[bakanbi]

i just watched this on cuny channel in nyc

[PennyDreadfulness]

Wow. This leaves me totally without words, its warm darkness and heavy sadness. I'm trapped somewhere between goosebumps and tears, which is an oddly thrilling feeling. This is the kind of thing — along with the _Chaconne_ — that gets me thinking seriously about my lifelong dislike of Bach, and deciding that maybe I've been wrong to write him off as too complicated to understand and appreciate. Thank you so much for sharing this.

[themontyshow]

menuhin kicks ass..

[tynzer]

beautiful with a stunning voice... *swoons* *sighs*

[idefix99]

wow, wonderfull, what an amazing big eve's apple she has and how nice it jiggled up and down during vibrato, amazing

[frenchcaronte]

Oui, la voix est MERVEILLEUSEMENT PLEINE. C'est une authentique voix de tête. Il n'y a ici absolument aucun poitrinage, même dans le bas-médium.

Pour un vrai contralto, l'air est relativement aigu. Je pense que la tessiture réelle d'Eula BEAL est plutôt une VOIX INTERMEDIAIRE entre contralto et mezzo-contralto.

Chez Yehudi MENHUIN, encore bien jeune, il y a ça et là, une discrète tendance au "savonnage" (habitudes des rues type Europe Centrale)...

Difficile de tout détacher !

[SMMHELDENTENOR]

she has great diction and line too

[SMMHELDENTENOR]

wow! what a wonderful voice, and Yehudhi playing as well...ah to have such a peer goup [not to mention Dorati]

[raigekimaru]

I'm not defining what a soprano, mezzo, or contralto look like themselves, but the characters they usually play. sopranos usually play heroines, innocent little girls or hot chicks. Mezzos tend to play mother figures, middle to older aged women, or villainesses. Contraltos tend to play old women, witches, and matriarchs. based on the above descriptions, Eula looks like a soprano character.

*these are general roles. there are a number of exceptions including Carmen and Queen of the Night.

[KasiaGliwski]

I don't think she's contralto!

[raigekimaru]

I'm gonna have to agree. her middle says mezzo and her top says soprano. I can't say for sure though. If you listen to her "None but the lonely heart" she sounds low as hell. but in this song she sounds like a lyric soprano. maybe she's one of those voices that can sing from contralto to soprano.

[sasha42196]

She actually made it sound lovely in English...

[mariasarda]

Quelle pâte dans la voix !! De la crème, intense, savoureuse... quelle musicalité et quelle profondeur !!! Des abîmes belles comme le jour !

[KyotoMelody]

Beautiful! Thank you.

[SiEtIn1]

beautiful woman beautiful voice

[raigekimaru]

she has the high range of a lyric soprano, yet she is a contralto. how amazing is that (she also looks more like a character that a soprano would play lol)

[idefix99]

wow, she has a nice big pronounced larynx jiggle in her throat

[DeHeld8]

Huh?!?! English!?

Hmrrr well hmrrr... what to say... not how I like it...

[MusicalArtists]

This was from a Hollywood movie, so it's not surprising, at least to me, that it was in English.