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By Pamela Pike and Rosanne Simunovic
http://youtu.be/T-bbhDaItP8
Pamela Pike’s Recollections
It
is a show tune from the 1959 Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein
musical The Sound of Music and the movie with Julie Andrews in 1965. It
was themed as an inspirational piece, to encourage people to take every
step towards attaining one’s dream.
The muse behind this song
was Sister Gregory; the head of Drama at Rosary College in Illinois who
wrote to Hammerstein after reading his lyrics and described the
parallels between a person’s choice for a religious life and the choices
that humans must make to find their purpose and direction in life. In
doing so, she said the song, “drove to the Chapel”, because the lyrics
conveyed a “yearning that…ordinary souls feel but cannot communicate.”
So
is this where the saying, “you took it to church came from? The
American Idol judges use this quite often in reference to commenting and
judging many of the contestants.
David Archuleta takes every
song he sings to church and give us a yearning our souls feel but can’t
communicate. I have always dreamed of hearing David sing this song with
his stunning voice, his passion for the lyrics and his version on how
he could add to the song.
In his My Kind of Christmas tour in
2011 he purposed “Climb Every Mountain” for the charity Child Fund as an
inspiration and prayer of hope for the future of these needy children
all over the world. And when David lets loose with this song, I almost
just lost it. He delivered an outstanding rendition with cascades of
technique and his connection with his audience was spectacular.
My
eyes watered as the emotions built up within my soul and his
unbelievable notes struck every corner of my being. My soul was
consumed by the overtones and the depth of his emotional performance.
There
are moments where a gift comes along packaged with a soulful voice,
this is David Archuleta who is a reminder that true artists survive
under the scrutiny of the industry and still finds the strength to carry
on the message of passion to all.
It can confidently be said of this
incredible artist, is that his predecessors would be proud, and that
one day in the future, he will be noted with the greats.
http://youtu.be/D61F_fHtSl8
Rosanne Simunovic's Recollections
This
beautiful and inspiring song from Rogers and Hammerstein's "Sound Of
Music" never grows old. It is a song that touches the heart and gives
one hope for the future against all odds. It speaks to our inner
determination to surmount life's obstacles, giving us encouragement and
enlightenment to follow the path to freedom and righteousness.
So,
even before I heard David's performance of this number, I knew that,
given his positive and uplifting nature, built on a spiritual foundation
of love and faith, this rendition was going to be a powerful one.
Also,
given his past ability to re-invent show tunes by giving it a
distinctly current feel (e.g. Think Of Me), I was excited to see how
David would phrase and mold this exquisite melody.
From the
outset, David grounded his voice with superb focus and clarity. This
song requires great range - both vocally and expressively. The first
part of this song sits very low and, if the words are not properly
articulated, the vocal sound loses energy and meaning.
However,
this was not a problem for David, for he always treats his lyrics with
respect, making certain that the delivered message resonates long after
the song has ended.
I was extremely impressed with the length of
his phrase lines - how he was able to draw out the final words in every
phrase so that the song had continuity. There was a lovely forward
momentum in this number that I so appreciated. This was bel canto
singing at its absolute best.
And when he easily sang over that
top note in the word, "live", I smiled at his relaxed, open jaw and the
placement of the "ah" vowel in the center of the word. This approach
was exactly correct, enabling him to sustain that upper note with
resonating freedom.
It helps to add a little bit of the "ah"
vowel to every vowel, thus ensuring the even placement of one's voice
throughout a song. Additionally, it reinforces the circular position of
the mouth which is so necessary for the pitch-centered clarity of the
voice.
However, technical mumbo-jumbo aside, what was at the
heart of this performance - and every performance - was David's
heartfelt, passionate, soulful rendering of this beautiful song. He
digs so deep and comes up with vocal gem after vocal gem, delivering his
message with purpose and drive.
For, with David, the song is
the message to inspire change in the world and his voice is the vehicle,
carrying us all on the right road to hope and peace..
In the
final moments of this song, at the 2:34 mark in the first video, the
camera caught some of the reactions of some of the audience members.
They were noticeably flabbergasted by the powerful sound of David's
voice.
In fact, one male viewer dropped his jaw in disbelief. It
really is a cute moment in the midst of such a compelling performance.
This
was a distinctly David performance and his soulful take on a classic
musical theatre selection was beyond memorable - it was singular and
extraordinary. Bravo David! And God Bless The Children!
Rosanne Simunovic
http://www.masterclasslady.com
http://www.granniethegeek.com
