I'm sorry, can we all just give a round of applause for Eric Alatorre. The only bass I know that can balance 10+ voices, yet still has the capability of overpowering a whole choir? Epic. Just simply epic. Not to mention that 'stache. Uhhh, Eric!
I had the marvelous opportunity to hear this in person. When you are in the same room as their bass, you could literally and physically feel the vibrations of his low notes.
I live in the Shenandoah Valley, and this song brings me to tears every time. I can't imagine leaving my home to travel West, and never see this beautiful valley again.
I was in a different tab when the counter tenor started singing. Was not expecting that. And I'm jealous, because he can hit higher notes than I can. :P
A decade and a half ago, my wife (RIP, darling) said. "It's unfair!". And I was... "huh?" "That a male soprano can be that much better than me". And she could sing.
There's a lovely new arrangement by the bass singer Geoff Castellucci. I got to this video from a comment on his. This song is so lovely, I can't decide whose rendition I like best. 💜😏
I was in a choir in 1980 that recorded this exact arrangement in Oklahoma. It's absolutely incredible to hear and very complicated to get this type of blend in it.
I've been obsessed with this song since our music teacher made us learn it in middle school. It never fails to make me cry. I can always picture a Civil War soldier., any soldier really, in a muddy, dirty, camp...hungry, away from his family and friends for so long, no idea if he'll ever make it home. To feel that longing for a place, a memory of good times, people who love and love you and be forced to be separated from your beautiful home. It touches my soul.
How beautifully you caught this in your statement. It's exactly the same for me - school days, theimages you describe, the bitter-sweet impressions. Exactly. Thank you for so eloquently sharing that.
Imagine this is what you hear as you ascend to heaven, you see all your pets you’ve had excitedly waiting for you, your loved ones and ancestors, and there in front of you is Jesus, smiling and he says “Welcome Home.” with a warm smile. A realm of peace and eternal sunrise. To me, that is what I hope heaven to be like, at least initially.
1SeniorSmurf .... Sweetheart, may I be allowed to gently inform you that the word you are looking for regarding the tenor here is "contra"? You are a little off with the word "counter"- tenor. ----- No offense intended. Bless! ... Mesha
Mesha Casteil 1 SENIORSMURF IS RIGT IT IS COUNTER TENOR. A countertenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto, mezzo-soprano or soprano[1] voice types.
This was the favourite song of my late father - Stephen Tobin (1913 - 1988). He was born in West Cork and died in Cardiff where he shares a grave with my mother, Eileen (nee Manning - from Ballinagree, County Cork) and my brother Brian (1940 - 1978)...
What are you talking about..................other people have "thumbed up" this song more than 3,850 times already. What, are you complaining? (8^) (8^) (8^) (8^P (8^P (8^P
One morning my radio alarm clock went off just as this song started playing on the local NPR station. I was waking up from a lovely dream i could not remember. This piece of music was so beautiful that it seemed the dream had left my head and entered the world. It made me remember all the beauty in life that I had forgotten and all the people who had loved me into being who were now lost, and all of the places that I had loved that were gone, forever lost and gone like the snows of years gone by and I wept tears that were both of joy and sadness..
I think I've listened to this about 50 times over the last three days. It's the most beautiful version of this song I've heard. The contratenors really steal the show.
Heard this live circa 2000 with Jay White in the solo. He had a cold, but still rocked it. They came to my college, over a few days did clinicals, and a full concert. Sat next to Joseph Jennings at the concert. When they finished Village Wedding, I turned to him, mouth agape. "Yup" he said. Amazing experience.
It is said that without the 'stache, Eric Alatorre would only be a bass. With it, he's a BASS-bass. I once heard him vocalize down to an A below low C.
@@CheekandBlusterHe's gone below that many times. Here's the F# below the low A in this ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1kzZK2af6fg.html , 9:30 onwards . He holds that note for over 45 seconds with 3-4 breaks in between. Also, this performance is live
For everyone asking about which arrangement this is, as best I can tell, they've very cleverly hybridized arrangements by Bartholomew and Erb, the two most popular settings of this song. The intro, all the way up until the first countertenor solo is Bartholomew's arrangement, in TTBB. After that, it shifts straight into Erb's SATB, with block chords in lower voices and imitation in the upper. Then, the last few bars are back to Bartholomew's arrangement.
You don't often hear a piece with such a big countertenor part. I feel for countertenors, because I'm a contralto, and choral pieces REALLY don't have parts for me. I always end up singing tenor. In college, I took it as a matter of pride to sound as much like a (male) tenor as I could, so we wouldn't sound like a second-rate choir that just couldn't recruit enough men (which was the truth).
Trish O'Connor Actually, contralto (alto) is higher than tenor (not counting falsetto), and there is quite often some overlap between contralto and mezzo soprano, In four part music, the a lot (contralto) is closest to the soprano, sometimes crossing the soprano line and going higher, though rarely above C above middle C.
Gail Williams What you are describing is what every choir I have been in has called "alto." An alto is not the same thing as a contralto. But some people in music essentially do not believe that contraltos exist, even when they hear them. Every contralto I have known has run into this belief at some point. ("If you just had the right training, you'd be singing higher. The low part of your range is useless (because there are men who can sing it).") I suppose some countertenors probably run into disbelief in their existence, but less so.
That's Eric Alatore. Last I knew he was the only contra-bass in Chanticleer. His bass is powerful enough to balance all ten other voices and still solo over the group...now that's an accomplishment
His name is Eric Alatorre, and his voice often brings me to tears, especially in Biebl's Ave Maria. I believe he's been with Chanticleer from the beginning.
Beautiful! The sound quality & mixing is so perfect, I wonder: is this lip sung? Not that it takes anything away, but the basses are so loud that it almost feels like a studio recording.
Long Jon Silver Well, it seems as though over a million people disagree with you, myself included. An assault on the ears you say? I find that statement ridiculous
The "bald guy" is not a soprano - he is referred to as being a counter-tenor - a modern term which originates with the revival of the male treble voice with the late Alfred Deller of Britain.
Sheila, it made me smile to see your comment here. I've been listening to various versions of this song tonight, and linking to them on Facebook. Thought of you, and was betting you would like it. Glad to see you're enjoying. ❤️
@@JRaymondT Thank you Jack. My mother used to sing this to me :) She is gone now, but I will always remember this lovely song, and now Mr. Peebles. And you, of course. :)
This is the only song I tear up from note one. I used to think Melvin Franklin of the Temptations had the only bass voice I'd ever love until I heard Eric Alatorre and the honey dripper he has!
I remember the first time I saw the Shenandoah valley. It was as beautiful as this song. I long to see it again someday. Maybe I can go by there on the way to Quantico where my husband is buried. Someday....
I-81 North, been on that road many,many times and its definitely beautiful in the fall. If you get a chance, stop in Harpers Ferry,WV. Its were the Potomac and Shenandoah River meet and it's a very historical city.
@@barbkeen1221 I have not been to Harpers Ferry but I've been on I-81 many times driving from Va Beach to Blacksburg. I went to Va Tech many years ago.
I think one of the things I like about this video is that each guy looks very different from all the others (except for the tuxes). No attempt to be clones. If you look at their expressions it seems like they are putting everything they have into that song.
I sang this song as a senior in High School chamber choir. It was one of the most moving things I'll ever do. Our choir was really really good so this song was an absolute treat to sing. Brings tears of happiness to my eyes every time I hear it and sing it. If you were wondering, I sang low Bass.
This is such a beautiful arrangement. We use to sing this song in acappella choir in high school. Slightly different but still the most beautiful harmonies ever heard.
