Soprano Alma Gluck ~ My Old Kentucky Home (1916)

By request from "Bivolari" / Soprano Alma Gluck (1884-1938) / My Old Kentucky Home (Foster) / William Hooley - bass; Harry MacDonough - tenor; Lambert Murphy - tenor; Frederick Wheeler - baritone / Orchestra, Walter Rogers - director / Recorded: February 16, 1916 --

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Music

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• Soprano
• Alma
• Gluck
• Stephen
• Foster
• 78
• rpm
• CurzonRoad

[althazarr]

Great version of this classic song! I have this one somewhere in my collection. 5*****

[CurzonRoad]

Hi Lloyd:

And thank YOU!

Doug --

[Labienus]

after his death Foster became classic an in melodic gift compared to Schubert but today he is not PC and young people don't know any classic melodies anyway -very sad

A coordinator of music depts in the NYC schools told me that Foster is just not permitted because of the dialect, vocab etc. although the music is great

This is one of his greatest and is about the poignancy and sadness of slave familes he was a staunch Union man, opposed to slavery

T.Hampson, M. Horne sing Foster

[CurzonRoad]

The wiki article on "My Old Kentucky Home" includes the following: "The abolitionist Frederick Douglass believed the song was sympathetic to slaves. In 1986, the Kentucky General Assembly adopted a version unlikely to cause offense in which the original word 'darkies' was changed to 'people.'"

[Labienus]

There you go...but there would have to be a lot of changes to make Foster's text PC this reminds me of the rewording of Deutschland über Alles or the new version of God Save the Queen although in Foster's case the intent was benign to begin with

Do any of you recall a wonderful PBS documentary some yrs. ago on Foster-with some great old recordings it also goes into his political views, and the sympathetic nature of his songs toward the slaves I have it on tape could find it and get the title

[CurzonRoad]

Haven't seen the documentary, but would like to! There's a Foster biography around here and, if I recall correctly, it was published fairly recently. I'll be taking another look at it soon. Thanks!

[Micelli1947]

SUCH A BEAUTIFUL RENDITION OF THIS FAMOUS SONG!! THANKS FOR THE TUNE!!

[alternatehistories]

Foster's songs should be "mandatory listening" in American schools. These qualify as American folk-songs, there are no others like them anywhere in the world. To censor their lyrics is about as atrocious as deleting material from our history books. It's a sad day when Stephen Foster becomes a victim of "political correctness". Thanx 4 posting...I'm too lazy to get out my own disc and play it ;)

[Beevac]

I like her 1914 take the best. Gluck is my favorite singer period. She is the reason I like classical vocal & opera. I was thinking of my copy of her Carry Me Back to old Virginny at work this a.m. Haven't played it since last year. Her daughter's book tells how she got into these plantation melodies.

[genia106]

My Dear Douglasio,

Her renditon makes this a Masterpiece!

Merci.

[CurzonRoad]

For the chorus in "Carry Me Back," close, with one exception, that being Reinald Werrenrath as baritone instead of Frederick Wheeler. Walter B. Rogers was conductor at both sessions. As far as Alma Gluck's spoken voice, diction, accent, afraid I don't really know; but suppose what we hear in both songs is intended to sound "Southern," though the more classical treatment would certainly have taken the edge off this effect, no? As far as a "hint of NYese".... no idea! Cheers, etc. Doug --