How Sweet the Sound: A Charm of Spirituals
2011; Routledge; Volume: 68; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
2769-4046
Autores Tópico(s)Poetry Analysis and Criticism
ResumoHow Sweet The Sound: A Charm of Spirituals. Darryl Taylor, countertenor; Brent McMunn, piano. (Albany TROY 1244; 69:03) Margaret Bonds (arr.): Peter, Ring dem Bells, Ezekiel Saw the Wheel, Go Tell it on the Mountain, Reach to Heaven. Maria Thompson Corley (arr.): Steal Away. Hale Smith (arr.): Amazing Grace, Want to Die Easy. George Walker (arr.): Mary Wore Three Links of Chain. Moses Hogan (arr.): Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child, He Never Said a Mumblin' Word. Jacqueline Hairston (arr.): Lord, I'll Go, Guide My Feet. Harry T. Burleigh (arr.): Deep River. Deon Nielsen Price (arr.): Nobody Knows the Trouble I See. Betty Jackson King (arr.): Climbing High Mountains. Roland Carter (arr.): Is There Anybody Here? Thomas H. Kerr Jr. (arr.): Git on Board. Robert Morris (arr.): This May Be My Las' Time Lyric Suite). Hall Johnson (arr.): Cannot Stay Here by Myself, Got to Lie Down (Son of Man). Quite a surprise awaits anyone who listens to this recording without reading the fine print of the liner notes. Neither the front nor back cover of the disk give any indication that Darryl Taylor happens to be a countertenor, and an impressively gifted one at that who manages to breathe invigorating new life into the chestnuts that we've heard many times before. But what is equally compelling about this release is the attention it pays to some rather obscure spirituals, and to the wide array of arrangers, both familiar and unfamiliar, whose good work is presented here. Among the lesser known arrangers is a woman named Margaret Bonds who, according to the liner notes, collaborated extensively with Langston Hughes in the mid twentieth century. Her arrangements seem to lie especially well for Taylor, including the crowning climax of Reach to Heaven. The two jazzy settings of Hale Smith also fit Taylor like a glove, both vocally and stylistically. The first on the disk does not really belong, since Amazing Grace is only a spiritual if one stretches the proper definition beyond recognition; nevertheless, his arrangement is refreshingly light and appealing and it would be a shame not to have it here. Want to Die Easy is even more impressive, and is crafted with the kind of care one associates with sophisticated art songs. The intriguing harmonic palette Smith uses is what first catches our attention and holds us captive until the final chord dies away. Another exciting highlight is an arrangement by the late Moses Hogan, whose fame rests most securely on his many superb choral arrangements. His treatment of He Never Said a Mumblin' Word demonstrates how assured his work was even when it involved the relative simplicity of a single voice. …
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