Jessye Norman sings Sacred Songs and Spirituals
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Traditional, Anonymous, Charles-François Gounod, César Franck, Franz Schubert, Pietro Yon
Magazine Review Date: 6/1985
Media Format: Vinyl
Media Runtime: 0
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: 412 654-1PM3
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| I couldn't hear nobody pray |
Traditional, Composer
Ambrosian Singers Jessye Norman, Soprano Traditional, Composer Vocal Ensemble |
| My Lord, what a morning |
Traditional, Composer
Ambrosian Singers Jessye Norman, Soprano Traditional, Composer Vocal Ensemble |
| Do Lawd, oh do Lawd |
Anonymous, Composer
Ambrosian Singers Anonymous, Composer Jessye Norman, Soprano Vocal Ensemble |
| Ev'ry time I feel de spirit |
Traditional, Composer
Dalton Baldwin, Piano Jessye Norman, Soprano Traditional, Composer |
| There is balm in Gilead |
Anonymous, Composer
Anonymous, Composer Dalton Baldwin, Piano Jessye Norman, Soprano |
| Gospel train |
Anonymous, Composer
Anonymous, Composer Dalton Baldwin, Piano Jessye Norman, Soprano |
| Great day |
Traditional, Composer
Dalton Baldwin, Piano Jessye Norman, Soprano Traditional, Composer |
| Mary had a baby |
Traditional, Composer
Ambrosian Singers Jessye Norman, Soprano Traditional, Composer Vocal Ensemble |
| Live a humble |
Anonymous, Composer
Ambrosian Singers Anonymous, Composer Jessye Norman, Soprano Vocal Ensemble |
| Walk together children |
Anonymous, Composer
Ambrosian Singers Anonymous, Composer Jessye Norman, Soprano Vocal Ensemble |
| Hush! Somebody's callin' my name |
Anonymous, Composer
Ambrosian Singers Anonymous, Composer Jessye Norman, Soprano Vocal Ensemble |
| Soon ah will be done |
Traditional, Composer
Ambrosian Singers Jessye Norman, Soprano Traditional, Composer Vocal Ensemble |
| Give me Jesus |
Traditional, Composer
Ambrosian Singers Jessye Norman, Soprano Traditional, Composer Vocal Ensemble |
| Amazing Grace |
Traditional, Composer
Instrumental Ensemble Jessye Norman, Soprano Traditional, Composer Vocal Ensemble Willis Patterson, Conductor |
| What Child is this? |
Traditional, Composer
Alexander Gibson, Conductor Ambrosian Singers Jessye Norman, Soprano Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Traditional, Composer |
| I wonder as I wander |
Traditional, Composer
Alexander Gibson, Conductor Ambrosian Singers Jessye Norman, Soprano Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Traditional, Composer |
| Let us break bread together |
Traditional, Composer
Alexander Gibson, Conductor Ambrosian Singers Jessye Norman, Soprano Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Traditional, Composer |
| Panis angelicus |
César Franck, Composer
Alexander Gibson, Conductor Ambrosian Singers César Franck, Composer Jessye Norman, Soprano Royal Philharmonic Orchestra |
| Messe solennelle de Sainte Cécile, Movement: Sanctus |
Charles-François Gounod, Composer
Alexander Gibson, Conductor Ambrosian Singers Charles-François Gounod, Composer Jessye Norman, Soprano Royal Philharmonic Orchestra |
| Repentir (O Divine Redeemer) |
Charles-François Gounod, Composer
Alexander Gibson, Conductor Charles-François Gounod, Composer Jessye Norman, Soprano Royal Philharmonic Orchestra |
| Ave Maria, 'Ellens Gesang III' |
Franz Schubert, Composer
Alexander Gibson, Conductor Franz Schubert, Composer Jessye Norman, Soprano Royal Philharmonic Orchestra |
| Gesù Bambino |
Pietro Yon, Composer
Alexander Gibson, Conductor Jessye Norman, Soprano Pietro Yon, Composer Royal Philharmonic Orchestra |
| Sweet Little Jesus Boy |
Traditional, Composer
Alexander Gibson, Conductor Ambrosian Singers Jessye Norman, Soprano Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Traditional, Composer |
| There's a man going round |
Traditional, Composer
Jessye Norman, Soprano Traditional, Composer |
| Were you there when they crucified my Lord? |
Traditional, Composer
Jessye Norman, Soprano Traditional, Composer |
| Steal away to Jesus |
Traditional, Composer
Ambrosian Singers Jessye Norman, Soprano Traditional, Composer Vocal Ensemble |
| I believe/In this field |
Traditional, Composer
Instrumental Ensemble Jessye Norman, Soprano Laverne Williams, Soprano Traditional, Composer Vocal Ensemble Willis Patterson, Conductor |
| Walk about Elders/Ride on King Jesus |
Traditional, Composer
Instrumental Ensemble Jessye Norman, Soprano Laverne Williams, Soprano Traditional, Composer Vocal Ensemble Willis Patterson, Conductor |
| Calvary |
Traditional, Composer
Instrumental Ensemble Jessye Norman, Soprano Traditional, Composer Vocal Ensemble Willis Patterson, Conductor |
| City called Heaven |
Traditional, Composer
Instrumental Ensemble Jessye Norman, Soprano Traditional, Composer Vocal Ensemble Willis Patterson, Conductor |
| There is a balm in Gilead |
Traditional, Composer
Instrumental Ensemble Jessye Norman, Soprano Traditional, Composer Vocal Ensemble Willis Patterson, Conductor |
| Crucifixion/Hear the lamb's crying |
Traditional, Composer
Instrumental Ensemble Jessye Norman, Soprano Traditional, Composer Vocal Ensemble Willis Patterson, Conductor |
Author: Edward Greenfield
The three records in this lavishly-packaged set (designed for the French market with notes in French only) are strikingly contrasted one with another. Where the record of sacred songs is lush in a warmly old-fashioned, even Victorian, way the earlier of the two records, that of spirituals is brisk and bouncy with stylish backing from the Ambrosian Singers in nine of the 15 numbers and crisp piano accompaniment from Dalton Baldwin in another four, including the deliciously jolly Gospel train.
The newly-recorded LP, also of spirituals, is likely to be the controversial one, if only because of its lack of variety. So long as one adjusts to a very slow pace indeed, the experience is deeply moving, for there are few singers today with the natural weight and gravity in both personality and voice to magnetize the listener in the way that Jessye Norman can. Even with her, I suspect, that modern impatience will have even some of her admirers mentally switching off, but the combination of slowness, total simplicity—most of the spirituals are unaccompanied—and rapt dedication directly refiects a fully religious rather than a musical experience, and in part must be judged as that.
A number of the bands bring a juxtaposition of spirituals. So Side 2 begins with a 10 - minute band which starts with a long unaccompanied cello solo, and later the cello punctuates Jessye Norman's unaccompanied singing ofThere is a balm in Gilead and the separate verses of Sometimes I feel like a motherless child, with the Gilead spiritual repeated at the end. The next band has verses of Crucifixion sung by Jessye Norman interlinked with a simple choral setting of Hear the Lamb's acrying. Amazing Grace—not a spiritual at all, of course, but close enough—provides a coda to the record, a piece that is also included in a faster but just as intense version (accompanied) among the sacred songs. The new record has fine digital recording adding to the sense of presence, but the sound on all three records is first rate.
'
The newly-recorded LP, also of spirituals, is likely to be the controversial one, if only because of its lack of variety. So long as one adjusts to a very slow pace indeed, the experience is deeply moving, for there are few singers today with the natural weight and gravity in both personality and voice to magnetize the listener in the way that Jessye Norman can. Even with her, I suspect, that modern impatience will have even some of her admirers mentally switching off, but the combination of slowness, total simplicity—most of the spirituals are unaccompanied—and rapt dedication directly refiects a fully religious rather than a musical experience, and in part must be judged as that.
A number of the bands bring a juxtaposition of spirituals. So Side 2 begins with a 10 - minute band which starts with a long unaccompanied cello solo, and later the cello punctuates Jessye Norman's unaccompanied singing of
'
Jessye Norman sings Sacred Songs and Spirituals
Discover the world's largest classical music catalogue with Presto Music.
Gramophone Digital Club
- Digital Edition
- Digital Archive
- Reviews Database
- Full website access
From £8.75 / month
Subscribe
Gramophone Full Club
- Print Edition
- Digital Edition
- Digital Archive
- Reviews Database
- Full website access
From £11.00 / month
Subscribe
If you are a library, university or other organisation that would be interested in an institutional subscription to Gramophone please click here for further information.