Negro Spiritual - Roun´about de Mountain - Barbara Hendricks

[walker0762]

Beautiful!!

[LadyNemesis2007]

beautiful. praise the LORD.

[jennaella7777777]

Merci mvbaritone ,c'est encore excellent !

Magnifique association !

[Wally773MTG]

That said I AM NOT IN ANY WAY comparing Barbara Hendricks to lady gaga haha! Just wanted to make that clear.

[TerrancePogue]

@Wally773MTG She's stylistically correct!! the people came before them fought to make the spiritual accepted as a classical Art form...See Fisk University Jubilee Singers as they were some who pioneered it... and also look up these artist Marion Anderson, Grace Bumbry,Shirley Verrett, Kathleen Battle,Martina Arroyo, George Shirley, Simon Estes, Thomas Young, Leontyne Price, Florence Quivar, and even Paul Robeson who all sing the spiritual in their classical voices..

[Wally773MTG]

@TerrancePogue I don't see spirituals as being high art, or as you say a classical art form, I'm sorry. I just disagree. The point of american gospel is that it was for slave class blacks as inspiration that things will get better. Gospel music was initiated by poor uneducated people for poor uneducated people. That is precisely why this genre is so associated with "soul," because naturally it lacked pedagogy. Spirituals epitomize folk music.

[TerrancePogue]

@Wally773MTG I respect your opinion But I respectfully disagree, being a former Fisk Jubilee Singer.... I know a to a GREAT extent the history of the spiritual but to stay on topic is style... this arrangement (sounds like Hall Johnsons's) not 100 percent but the arrangement was meant to be sung in a classical format so she's stylistically correct now if she were singing some kind pop song by gaga, beyonce or jazmine sullivan then i would say Great voice... but not the right style of singing

[Kiarinadia]

@TerrancePogue Please read also my answer to wedidntknow and wedidntknow! This song is powerfull and inpiring enough to have the right to be grippen by a trained voice of the stature of Hendricks. It belong to the soul of humain, slaves or other sufferers and no voice, trained or little trained, who feel this power will denature it. Let us take another exemple : why the song "caruso" should be more authentic or legitimate with the voice of Lucio Dallo (the composer) than the one of Pavarotti?

[wedidntknow]

@Wally773MTG I wouldn't say that. music such as the spiritual and jazz are among the few American born artforms. For that reason alone I consider it a high art form of American music. Most other forms and genres of American Classical music come from a mixture of European music and these Uniquely American forms. It has much pedagogy! The only reason it is questioned in music study is because most; not all, people studying classical voice cant create the sound that comes from the experience.

[Wally773MTG]

@TerrancePogue But in my opinion thats not a BAD thing you know? I HATE how pretentious the classical world of music is. I love all kinds of music that are good. Some kinds of music take little skill, and gospel/ soul/ R&B/ funk/ jazz takes a SHIT TON of skill to do well. I would have dug it way more if it were say Aretha in the 60's doing this song, or like Patty Labelle or something, rather than this this. By virtue of fact this version is not bad at all...just done in poor style imo haha.

[wedidntknow]

@Wally773MTG This is the style meant by the composer. The fact is Aretha or Patty singing this would be in poor style b/c it was not intended by the composer. this is called the classical Spiritual and great A A composers have been composing them since the 1880's. In fact many early gospel songs are from this tradition but through time were sung by untrained singers. go get your AA hymn book and look and the dates and composers. Education is key!!

[Wally773MTG]

@wedidntknow "This is the style meant by the composer." hmm, interesting point. I guess its my taste, idk. I still hear this and think she should have been much more sparse with her vibrato and her diction sounds much to proper. I am reluctant to budge on this for some reason.

I've never heard of the AA hymn book. What is it?

I gotta say that it is so nice, between you and @TerrancePogue, to have a civil and educated conversation about music ha.

And yes I agree that education is key

[wedidntknow]

@Wally773MTG yes it is all your taste. Unfortunately, i didn't have enough space to write what AA meant. the African American Hymnals. Look up spiritual composers/arrangers. Nathaniel Dett, Hal Johnson, Moses Hogan, Margaret Bonds, H.T Burleigh. There are many many more. They composed specifically for the classical voice and I can't hear Patty or Aretha whaling octaves not in their untrained voices. I'm always civil!

[Kiarinadia]

@wedidntknow Please read also my answer to Wally773MTG and TerrancePogue What a interesting and civil discution between the three of you! (for a change in the habits in You Tube) I think the three of you are right...and this song must be accepted in all the interpretation ranges of Art it can inspired, without being wrong.

[Kiarinadia]

@Wally773MTG Please read also my answer to TerrancePogue and wedidntknow! I would like to add that I think the "elitistism" of classical (that's what you mean by "pretentious classical world of music") is a false problem. Because "erudition" is not what makes the world of classical apart, but rather the lack of interest people put in it. It is possible to love the "erudition-way-classical-music­" and understand it without any knowledge at all, just by listening to it more and more...

[Wally773MTG]

She's clearly got a PHENOMENAL voice but this isn't done well. It's much too "proper" for the type of music it is. Its like when pop stars sing the star spangled banner, but from the other perspective. Her vibrato on "mood moves the sinner" or whatever is just bad (again, this is only speaking for the genre). As a huge fan and performer of both african based (jazz, blues, r&b, gospel) and european based (folk, bluegrass, classical) music, this to me is like hearing lady gaga sing Verdi.

[wedidntknow]

@Wally773MTG This arrangement was written to be sung classical style by well known and respected composers/arrangers who knew the negro experience as well as appreciated the classical Artform. Some of the best spiritual arrangers went to some of the best music universities and  music conservatories all over the world. She sung this with beaty and conviction. just be blessed by the soul she brings to the classical form!