Sunday morning gospel--some sacred 78s

Ten, to be exact. Everyone from Walter Coon (as Charley Vaughn) to Al Hopkins and His Buckle Busters. With, along the way, four acoustically-recorded versions of Onward, Christian Soldiers, ripped from the other 78s, one of which--Gotham's Favorites on Cameo S-239--was pretty ripped up to start with. I wasn't even sure it would play. It did, and with plenty of hiss, but the performance is great. All but the first in our Onward, Christian Soldiers-athon feature the famous tune by Arthur Sullivan (of Gilbert and Sullivan fame)--it features the almost-as-good tune by William Herbert Jude. Now you know.

The Kanawha Singers sounded an awful lot to me like Carson Robison, and apparently it is indeed him, plus Vernon Dalhart, according to this page. Now you know, Part 2.

Harry K. Shields' 1924 rendition of Charles H. Gabriel and Civilla D. Martin's gospel masterpiece His Eye Is on the Sparrow is a personal recording on the Columbia label. I reckon it's my candidate for the greatest gospel ballad of all time.

To the 78s, all ripped from my collection. Listen, and you'll agree that these are some sacred 78s:

Some sacred 78s


PLAYLIST

ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS (W.H. Jude)--Westminster Choir, 1911.
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW (Martin-Gabriel)--Harry K. Shields, 1924.
FATHER'S A DRUNKARD AND MOTHER IS DEAD--Charley Vaughn (Walter Coon), 1929.
BRIGHTEN THE CORNER (Ogdon-Gabriel)--Earle F. Wilde, 1919.
HE LOVES EVEN ME (Lawrence)--Same.
ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS--Collegiate Choir, 1921.
ROCK OF AGES--Marie Tiffany and Elizabeth Lennox, 1921.
ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS--Gotham's Favorites, 1922.
GOLDEN SLIPPERS--Kanawha Singers, 1927 (Brunswick).
HEAR DEM BELLS--Al Hopkins and His Buckle Busters, 1927.


Oh, and don't miss my own Lenten Preludes (no.'s 1, 2, and 4) in the previous post. Thanks!


Lee

Lenten Preludes 1, 2, and 4 (In mid-fidelity)

When I recorded these at church, I'd left No. 3 at home. The score was semi-legible, so maybe that was for the best (I've touched it up in the meantime, in the hopes I can read it for tomorrow's service). Anyway, these are original Leeworks for Lent. Our church piano is a fine quality instrument, but it requires fairly constant tuning in the lower strings. Some pianos are like that. So be forgiving of some of the lower blends. ("Lower blends"??)

I used my old Radio Shack tape recorder, which is designed for voice but does halfway well with the full audio spectrum. Please note--halfway well. Better than a $50 portable but not as good as a tape deck. I used an external mike, so the machine noise was minimized, along with air "pops" and stuff like that. C+ portable sound, I'd say. Hey, you get to hear me on the piano. (Woo-hoo!)

Enjoy.

LENTEN PRELUDES 1, 2, and 4 (Lee Hartsfeld, on church piano)



Lee

St. Patrick's Day at M(Y)PWHAE--Or, More 78s!

My St. Patty's Day preparation would have been a little better and sooner if I were not suffering from a respiratory virus. But I am. So is Bev, in fact, and Bev very rarely gets sick like this. Just in time for spring!

However... I got some last-minute St. Patty's music together, all of it from 78. And my turntable happens to presently be set up for 78s. Coincidence? I think not.

We start with 1925 square dance music, keeping in mind that Irish, Scottish, and British folk and popular dances of old are part of country music history. These two selections by Judge Sturdy's Orchestra, however, evoke Polish polkas to my ears. Which doesn't have to be your problem, just mine. Those who, like me, are used to laid-back square dance "calls" may be a little surprised by the shouting happening on these sides. I suspect the engineer instructed the caller as follows: "See the microphone here? I need you way over there." And those who imagine that low chord counts started with rock and roll, dig the I/V goodness of Hiram's Valley. Great side, but there's almost nothing to it.

By contrast, there's nothing not-Irish-sounding about the sides by Prince's Orchestra or violinists Charles D'Almaine and Don Richardson (1909, 1907, and 1916, respectively). And Darling Nellie Gray is sort of, maybe Irish. It's old-timey, at least. Works for me.

To the music: St. Patty's Day, 2010

PLAYLIST

OLD DAN TUCKER--COUNTRY DANCE--Judge Sturdy's Orch., 1925.
HIRAM'S VALLEY--QUADRILLE--Same.
HARRIGAN'S REEL--Prince's Orch., 1909.
MEDLEY OF JIGS AND REELS--Charles D'Almaine, violin solo, 1907.
THE DEVIL'S DREAM--REEL--Don Richardson, violin solo, 1916.
MRS. McLEOD'S REEL--Same.
DARLING NELLIE GRAY--Carroll Clark, 1909.


Lee

Sunday morning gospel--The Laymen Singers: Holy, Holy, Holy (1958)

These are gorgeous choral versions of (mostly) standard hymns by the Laymen's Singers of the Laymen's Hour radio show--which, according to Google, is still on the air. Our 1958 liner notes point out that the show is (or at least was) the "radio voice" of the American Baptist Convention.

The performances are as good as they come, and the arrangements are by no less than Ralph Carmichael. The label--Sacred--was kind of cut-rate, but the sound on this ("Spectraphonic," reads a jacket blurb) is perfectly decent. This is an A+ example of its type (men's chorus, standard hymns), and not deserving of its 25-cent Half Price Books price sticker (which covers two earlier tags). However, a great buy is something I never have, and never will, complain about.

The cover image came out quite well for a first try, no? Except that it was my ninth or tenth. (Scanner? What are those?) My favorite track: the anthem Forward to Christ, written in 1932 by Canadian-American composer Geoffrey O'Hara.

To the first-rate choral tracks: Holy, Holy, Holy--The Laymen Singers

TRACKLIST

RISE UP! O MEN OF GOD
GOD OF OUR FATHERS
CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART
IN THE CROSS OF CHRIST I GLORY
BLESS THE LORD, O MY SOUL
YE CHRISTIAN HERALDS
HOLY, HOLY, HOLY
NOBODY KNOWS THE TROUBLE I'VE SEEN
OH LOVE THAT WILT NOT LET ME GO
ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS
BEAUTIFUL SAVIOUR
FORWARD TO CHRIST
THE LORD BLESS THEE



Lee