Afterpost: Gregg Smith & Co.show us that Ives's "bells-and-whistles" version really adds a dimension to "General William Booth Enters into Heaven"

Choral masterworker Gregg Smith (1931-2016)

Archie Drake, bass; Gregg Smith Singers, Columbia Chamber Orchestra, Gregg Smith, cond. Columbia-CBS, recorded in Legion Hall, Hollywood, May 4, 1966
[NOTE: We're going to hear the performance again, with printed vocal text.]

by Ken

My original plan was just to add what follows as an "afterthought" ("Some Afterthoughts on the Performances") to the post "'Jesus came from the courthouse door': 'General William Booth Enters into Heaven' and other, variously irresistible Ives songs," with a note like this:

I'm sure you're tired of hearing about how I don't have a chance to hear audio clips in their post places until a post is posted, and even then not till I can get past the exhaustion of birthing the post. That said, a couple of thoughts.

So I thought it would be better to spin those performances out into an "afterpost."


SO FIRST, LET'S RE-ROLL OUT THE PERFORMANCES

William Booth (1829-1929), you'll recall, was the first general of
the Salvation Army, which he cofounded with his wife, Catherine.

IVES: "General William Booth Enters into Heaven"

Booth led boldly with his big bass drum.
(Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?)
The Saints smiled gravely and they said, “He’s come.”
(Washed in the blood of the Lamb, the blood of the Lamb.)

Walking lepers followed rank on rank,
lurching bravos from the ditches dank,
drabs from the alleyways, drug fiends pale,
minds still passion-ridden, soul flowers frail:
vermin-eaten saints with moldy breath,
unwashed legions with the ways of Death.
(Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?)

Ev’ry slum had sent its half a score
the round world over. (Booth had groaned for more.)
Ev’ry banner that the wide world flies
bloomed with glory and transcendent dyes.
Big-voiced lasses made their banjos bang;
tranced, fanatical they shrieked and sang:
“Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?”

Hallelujah, Lord! It was queer to see
bull-necked convicts with that land make free.
Loons with trumpets blown a blare, blare, blare,
on, on, upward thro’ the golden air!
(Are you washed in the blood, in the blood of the Lamb,
in the blood of the Lamb, the Lamb, of the Lamb, the Lamb?)

Jesus came from the courthouse door,
stretched his hands above the passing poor.
Booth saw not, but led his queer ones,
round and round, round and round and round,
[or: "round and round the mighty courthouse square,"]
and round, and round and round, and round and round . . .

Yet! in an instant all that blear review
marched on spotless, clad in raiment new.
The lame were straightened, withered limbs uncurled,
and blind eyes opened on a new, sweet world.
(Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?)

-- based on the poem by Vachel Lindsay

First the "simple" voice-and-piano versions:

Donald Gramm, bass-baritone; Richard Cumming, piano. Desto, recorded c1964

Donald Gramm, bass-baritone; Donald Hassard, piano. From their Town Hall (New York City) recital of Feb. 24, 1976

Nathan Gunn, baritone; Kevin Murphy, piano. EMI-Warner Classics, recorded in St. Mary's Church, Highgate, London, Mar. 31 - Apr. 2, 1998

Gerald Finley, bass-baritone; Julius Drake, piano. Hyperion, recorded in All Saints Church (Durham Road), East Finchley, London, Nov. 10-12, 2004

Now the "bells-and-whistles" versions, with chorus and orchestra:

Archie Drake, bass; Gregg Smith Singers, Columbia Chamber Orchestra, Gregg Smith, cond. Columbia-CBS, recorded in Legion Hall, Hollywood, May 4, 1966

Donnie Rae Albert, baritone; Dallas Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, Andrew Litton, cond. Hyperion, recorded in Eugene McDermott Concert Hall, Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, Jan. 19-22, 2006

Thomas Hampson, baritone; San Francisco Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas, cond. RCA, recorded live in Davies Symphony Hall, Sept. 30-Oct. 3, 1999


NOW LET'S HAVE THE "AFTERTHOUGHTS"

Among the solo performances --

Gerald Finley with Julius Drake at the Library of Congress (2020)

Readers aware of my deep appreciation of Donald Gramm -- such a rare combination of such vocal respendence and such deep humanity -- won't be surprised to hear how much I love both of his "General Booth"s, and I love that they're so different! The later one of course has a dozen years' worth of life and performance experience on the earlier one, and it's a treat to hear so much chance-taking and such near-flamboyance -- in such a flamboyant song -- from a performer who was usually so, um, unflamboyant. That said, I continue to be bowled over by the vocal rigor and emotional forthrightness of the studio recording.

As I hope I've already suggested, I was delighted to make the belated acquaintance of Nathan Gunn's powerful yet nuanced performance -- a happy reminder of the fine career he carved out for himself. It was so known for his physical presence (he was, and for all I know still is, pretty gorgeous), so it's nice to be reminded that the fellow could sing!

A natural segue to Gerald Finley, heard here at something like his considerable best. I've remareked in more than one place that 31 songs was an awful lot to undertake for that first Ives CD he did, and wondered whether perhaps the took that into account in preparing 30 more for the sequel, but it sounds pretty clear that one song from the first disc he didn't stint on was "General William Booth," which is not only gorgeously sung but illuminatingly specific about the song's individual moments.

I was all set to say, as I've said before, that the voice-and-piano version is still the way I prefer to hear "General William Booth" --

However, as I said when we first heard the "bells-and-whistles" versions of "General William Booth," Ives was himself definitely a bells-and-whistles kind of guy, and going back to Gregg Smith's recording, boy, do I get it! As I noted before, I really like the bass toughness of Archie Drake's contribution, and maybe because the chorus is Gregg S's own Gregg Smith Singers, its contribution seems to me to really add a dimension. Going forward, when I think of "General William Booth," while I'll think of Donald and Gerald and Nathan, I'll also want to hear Gregg S & Co. again.

The Albert-Litton-Hyperion will also draw me back for its appealing large-scale sonic canvas of the song -- and Donnie Rae Albert delivers a memorable "Jesus came from the courthouse door" too, don't you think? About the Hampson-Thomas performance I no longer know quite what to say. As I think has been clear from the selection of recordings represented in our Ives series, MTT's roots in Ives run deep, but not -- for me -- terribly revealingly.

And I'm kind of tired of beating up on Thomas Hampson, who gives us a solid "Jesus came from the courthouse door." I just get the sense that we're not getting what might have been accomplished with that voice, and that performance-wise it's too much "put on" and showing off the singer's "feelings," not to be confused with the singer's job of finding what in a song will make us in the audience have feelings about it.

I know I'm not explaining this very well. Even limiting it to our Ives performances, though, if you listen to Jan DeGaetani or Donald Gramm -- or Samuel Ramey, if you can listen through the plenitude of vocal oomph he brings so luxuriously to this repertory (is there somewhere a "General William Booth" from him?) -- I think maybe you'll start to hear what I'm talking about.

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