John Raitt - Soliloquy (1952)

Here is the one and only John Raitt at the General Foods 25th Anniversary Show: A Salute to Rodgers and Hammerstein singing "Soliloquy", the song he made legendary for the Richard Rodger and Oscar Hammerstein II classic and my personal favorite "Carousel".

I do urge you if you liked this video please take the time to watch "If I Loved You" with Mr. Raitt and Jan Clayton the original cast members.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aThs1QIU0w&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL8i5P1CvUE&feature=related

No intention on copyright infringement.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• John
• Raitt
• Carousel
• Soliloquy

[Chriswren9]

Ok Ladies and gentlemen, on this matter of Raitt being a Tenor or a Baritone. I just watched an interview with Raitt where he called himself a "high Lyric Baritone" which is an operatic term. I've heard Baritones hit high B Sherrill Milnes (on his recording of Verdi's Rigoletto). Point is you can be a baritone with high notes. Hell, that's what a baritone is! It's the middle ground between Tenor and Bass and anything is admissible! So Raitt was a Baritone!

[aedb15t]

I have debated this over the years and have come down on the side of John was both baritone and tenor. Hear me out.

Voice type is NOT about range but voice color and tesitura. John was not an operatic tenor nor an operatic baritone. I don't think he could have had a career doing either. What he WAS was a broadway baritone. His voice lies higher than a traditional baritone by 1/2 or 1 step.

[arthusmcgregor]

Back when musical leads required singing

[thespian547]

It also is supposed to say "skinny lipped virgin" not skinny lipped woman. Back when tv was classy.

[Dulcimerea]

Trivia note: the original line was "I don't give a damn what he does". Not "darn". Dammit.

Apparently it was censored for this broadcast version.

[Crwthy]

The best version of the Soliloquy, ever. That final note... !!

[lcowles]

The fantastic thing about this performance is that it's not legit opera. He finds a way to create a mixed tone, especially at the end that's gorgeous, real and accessible without it sounding like typical musical theatre or opera. It's something in between and it's fantastic.

[christianrockr08]

man, when I was watching this I was all like "this is really nice. He's a good singer. Great voice, better than that other version I saw-OH MY GOODNESS THAT LAST NOTE!"

I'd never heard it done that way before. I love this performance :)

[nancypo1]

Wow, he blew that out of the water. In the film version I always loved Gordon MacRae, though he was cuter too :) But what a voice!

[MrCharbonnelWalker]

More John Raitt fans should check out his rendition of Figaro's Aria from The Barber of Seville.

[JCLAWS]

Ahhhh old Broadway voices. I miss them. The Old B-way voices were actually trained, unlike todays broadway singers. These singers just didn't have the volume and girth for Opera but still trained and you can hear it (like the great Gordon Macrae). Now we have crapola on the majority of Broadway stages. Just listen to the placement of the high G on "take it," at the end. That is the most impressive.  The Bb is ok, but the placement of that G on that vowel...WOW