My post of this song two years ago included a YouTube video that no longer exists, so let me repost what I find the most moving of all spirituals—a genre brought to mind by Ben Goren’s comment earlier today. Here is “Deep River,” sung by Paul Robeson, whose voice always makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck.
The original video, now removed, featured Robeson’s performance from the movie “The Proud Valley,” about coal miners in Wales, and it’s sad that that wonderful clip is gone.
His only comparable performance, but not a spiritual, is his rendition of “Old Man River” from Showboat, a song I played at my Ph.D. defense.
Yes! One of the most brilliant musicians since the invention of the recording device. There’s nothing technically to even think to criticize; all is perfect.
And you’re not going to find anybody more musically expressive, though he certainly has equals.
Ye gods, what a Voice….
b&
Um – ye Ceiling Cat!
I urge those who never heard of Robeson to read the Wikipedia entry about him. He graduated Rutgers Phi Beta Kappa, valedictorian, and All-American in football
and those were among his minor accomplishments.
Robeson knew what the River knew and sang it for us. May he keep on rollin’!
Oddly (sadly?), anecdotal evidence suggests a lot of Americans think “Old Man River” IS a classic Negro spiritual, as at least two biographies of Oscar Hammerstein have noted.
It’s world-weary sensibilities seem rather antithetical to those of many African sprituals.
In the original stage musical Showboat, the song acts a lot as Joe’s commentary on the doomed nature of the marriage between Gaylord and Melanie, both re the songs original placement and the frequent refrains of the song right after G & M sing a love duet. Both film versions of Showboat removed this context from the song. The Robeson film removes the many refrains, and the later film (with William Warfield as Joe) actually moves the original location of the song in a way that IMO is damaging.
I am !*fascinated*! to learn that JAC played this at his PhD defense. Tell us more!!!
Yeah, they probably think Porgy and Bess was written by Uncle Remus, too.
Wow. Hearing this again makes me want to march to a Henry-Wallace-for-President rally and to refuse to name names in front of HUAC.
Paul Robeson was a truly heroic radical in a sense not even understood these days. The House Un-American Activities Committee and the J. Edgar Hoover FBI, as well as other “anticommunist” organizations, tried to bring him down and succeeded in destroying his career. His voice is a guaranteed goose-bump producer, and his version of Ol’ Man River by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein will forever be an American triumph, and the version of it any who hear it will remember. Although his health forced him our of his life long activism he remained true to his causes and ultimately received public recognition for his dedication to his political causes. A truly great man.
Thanks for the background and link..
Robeson is one of my favourites, too. An extraordinary man, and an extraordinary voice. I didn’t know about his Welsh connexion – and found, after Deep River finished, a clip of him singing the Welsh national anthem, but, alas, in English.
Robeson, fantastic.
I got to attend a magnificent play about Paul Robeson, “Call Mr Robeson” written and performed by Tayo Aluko, a Nigerian actor/singer and doctor from Liverpool (if you know what I mean) as part of the Wellington fringe festival a couple(?) of years ago.
Though not well advertised, it was absolutely riveting, and we got to socialize with Dr Aluko afterwards. Also being staged in a huge old and rather crumbling house, once belonging to the Wellington Harbourmaster was an added dimension of drama.
Additional NZ and maritime connection: Paul Robeson visited NZ in 1960, spoke and sang with striking dockside workers.
His speaking voice was so deep that he would say singing wasn’t an effort he just talked to Music, and illustrated it at that moment by singin with an affortless transition from speaking, a great great voice.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0638jby
This is the Fourth part of a Series on Classical Voice by Sir Antonio Pappano ,”Baritones and Basses” it is well worth the time to watch, Paul Robeson appears towards the end and illustrates perfectly the point I was making in the previous Post, another highlight is Vladimir Miller one of only 3 Octavists in Russia, A Voice a whole Octave deeper than a Basso Profundo and one of those deep deep Voices you hear in Russian Religious Music, wonderful stuff.
Alas, but this seems to be available only in the UK. I dearly want to watch it, since, though not a singer myself, I often help singers here, in Japan.
Is it not possible for you to download the BBC iPlayer ? I know a lot of people watch the BBc Online,Try this link.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/install
Thank you. I shall try that.