Leonard Warren - Lord's Prayer (with piano)

The greatest Verdian baritone of recorded history, Leonard Warren, sings a tear jerking rendition of the Lord's Prayer, from a 1947 (he was 36 years old) recording with Willard Sektberg on piano.

I will be out of town so this will be my last post this week.

Merry Christmas.

...and Happy New Year. May 2009 bring you lots of joy and happiness.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• warren
• leonard
• Lord's
• prayer
• our
• father
• in
• heaven
• Matthew
• 6:9--13
• jewish
• baritone
• american
• opera
• religious

[MaestroJosephShore]

What lukebrainard2006 is saying about the vocal tract is true. Warren had a very large pharyngeal circumference. The longer the vocal tract, the lower the vowel formants. The overall tract (pharynx plus mouth) is what counts. A large curcumference acts the same as length. Warren had very low vowel formants but the vocal fold properties of a tenor, making his exceptional sound. He did not have "tongue tension." He could sing with agility and duration. The term "thickness" is inappropriate.

[GermanOperaSinger]

So, if I understand correctly, had Warren's vocal tract been shorter, he would have been a tenor? Does that also mean, a man with a baritone's vocal cords and a short vocal tract would have a slightly 'tenorial' quality to his timbre?

[pearlmuth3]

Chicago is very big but has very good sound I prefer it to SF calif or say Detroit which has dead spots and Chicago only in a couple of places is dead. I heard Kraus and Jussi and both where not powerful voices but I had no trouble hearing them in the upper balcony yet at the old met some say Jussi sounded very small but I never was in that house. Mac Neil in the new met sounded huge on top and people who heard both tell me Warren was that big also. Chicago SEATS about 3,700, VERY BIG.

[operassassin]

I'd care about religion if it seemed as sincere and gorgeous as this.

[voxpopful]

These great singers took all the time in the world with their phrases. They built the expressive power up gradually and so musically. Above all, there's always, always expression, from the heart, from the soul. He sings the high note at the end as though he had endless reserves of power; you never felt strain or yelling, or faking or rushing. Where are they today, these marvelous artists?

[viewpoints3]

This is so beautiful. viewpoints3

[raphaelhudson]

Beautiful singing. The talk about circumference has some validity. Yet at the same time the width of a voice usually gets much wider with age as the vocal folds thicken. Compare the early gobbi with the gobbi of tosca for an obvious example. circumference is only one factor. In fact I know a tenor who in recordings from his 30s had a very small lyrical soft voice, yet now has an enormous verdi tenor voice.

[Fegen]

What a voice! Leonard Warren was one of the best baritones to ever grace the stage

of the Met Opera House in New York City where he also died during a performance.

[JackOperaMan]

@pearlmuth3 Are you talking about the old opera house in Detroit, or the new one?

[gaytenor]

To say that Tucker lacks some ill-defined "special quality" in his voice does nothing more than illustrate the ignorance of the poster. Tucker was acclaimed a great singer with a voice of ravishingly beautiful tone every where he performed. But here we are told in seriousness that he was merely good! The man was the highest paid tenor of his time and acclaimed the best tenor alive in most of the Italian houses especially La Scala. What could he have accomplished if he was great??? Dumbstruck!!

[hillbillytenorino]

@MaestroJosephShore

I need to go get my pharyngeal circumference measured ASAP so I can stop wasting money on voice lessons if it;s too small. That sure would explain a lot!

[chuckgafford]

The greatest baritone of the 20th century - and maybe ever --

So sad he died too soon at the Met.

[seektheforce]

@pearlmuth3 could you post one of them?