Beautiful Dreamer

Track Listings

1. Beautiful Dreamer

2. Rose of Tralee

3. Annabelle Lee

4. Anchored

5. I Dream of Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair

6. Love's Old Sweet Song

7. Break the News to Mother

8. Danny Boy

9. In the Gloaming

10. Mr. Bear

11. Puzzled

12. Floral Dance

13. Smilin' Through

14. Asleep in the Deep

15. Over the Rolling Sea

16. Lost Chord

Tracks:

Opening Solo Violin
Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair
Hard Times Come Again No More
The Voice Of Bygone Days
Foster Favorites Medley (Ring, Ring The Banjo (1851) Oh! Susanna (1848) Camptown Races (1850)
Open Thy Lattice, Love (1844)
Beautiful Dreamer (1864)
That's What's The Matter
Old Home Medley (Old Folks at Home (1851) My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night (1853)
Molly! Do You Love Me? (1850)
Sweetly She Sleeps, My Alice Fair (1851)
Comrades, Fill No Glass For Me (1855)
Dancing On The River (Nelly Bly (1850) The Glendy Burk (1860) Angelina Baker (1850)
My Wife Is A Most Knowing Woman (1863)
Gentle Annie (1856)
Linger In Blissful Repose (1858)
Ah! May The Red Rose Live Alway (1850)

Customer Reviews:

It's Dreamy.......2007-01-10

This is a very wonderful recording of Stephen Foster by a master singer.
Foster's songs are of a more innocent and naive time in the American psyche, a time that it would not hurt us to remember, given the wretched brutality of American culture today (something you'll appreciate after listening to this recording).

The songs are beautifully sung by Mr. Hamspon, and the musical accompaniment with piano, mandolin, tuba, banjo, etc. seems a perfect setting for this period music. I enjoyed the musical interludes of Foster songs (not sung by Mr. Hampson), such as "Oh, Suzanna", "My Old Kentucky Home", and "Camptown Races." They are foot-stompin' and finger-snappin' good in a non-syncopated way.

Mr. Hampson's voice is so beautiful, and he has done such a wonderful job with these song's you'll just have to hear it, and when you do, tell me that you're not dreaming.

I remember reading a quote by John Phillip Sousa that decried the use of syncopation in American popular music. I never understood it until listening to this recording. The richness and intensity of American popular music (as experienced in the work of Stephen Foster) has been lost.
Everything has to be so cool today, thanks to syncopation, and "cool" really means no emotion.

If emotion is what you want, emotion is what you'll get with Stephen Foster's songs. It was a time when the death of loved ones (especially those who died in their youth) was experienced more often (see "I Dream of Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair" and "Gentle Annie"). And we were not protected from the vicissitudes of fate by myriad government programs, modern medicine and universal prosperity (see "Hard Times").
Husbands and wives had their differences then, as today, (see the amusing song "My Wife is a Most Knowin' Woman") The passion of the Civil War (Foster was a Unionist),is reflected in a wonderful, fun song, "That's What's the Matter."

If you love good music, and you have heart which can be stirred, and you love your country, this is for you.

I love this recording. It has opened up the door to my "beautiful dreams," dreams of bygone days, lost love, and whatever else we pine for.

I wanted to buy several copies for my friends, but somehow I felt that the impact of this recording was so personal, that it could not be shared with others. Not that they couldn't enjoy it, but that I could not begin to share the intense emotion and reverie stirred in my heart by these beautiful songs.

My Favorite Composer of all time.......2006-08-20

Growing up playing his stuff on piano, I love the instrumentality of this CD..the violins give off that wail that he speaks of..I am not sure what it is about Stephen Foster but these verses..grab me like no other..there is so much sensitivity to it..

I dream of Jeannie with the light brown hair
Born like a vapor on the summer air
I see her tripping where the bright streams play
Happy as the daisies that dance on her way
Many were the wild notes her merry voice would pour

but the violins in this CD make this CD the best out there..
FYI should you be into astrology Stephen Foster is definition of Cancer...Sun and Moon conjunct in Cancer with mars in Scorpio..i love his lyrics..almost to the point of obsession..

An American classic from Hampson that brings smiles and tears.......2006-07-17

Stephen Foster was the greatest American composer of sentimental parlor ballads--he so perfectly imitated folk songs that his music wound up turning into them. In an age of home music-making and later of families sitting around the radio, Foster's songs were a staple, often performed by crossover artists from opera like Lawrence Tibbett. Those were plump, ripe styles of singing, highly flavored by church hymns.

In this 1992 collection of 17 Foster favorites, plus a few rareties, Hampson drops the platform manner and goes straight for heartfelt sincerity. His tone is plain yet sweet, his expression intimate. He is accompanied by instruments redolent of the Victorian drawing room (guitar, fiddle, upright piano), and the mood they create brings tears and smiles of remembrance. This music is embedded in America's genes, and it's wonderful to realize that every note is still alive and throbbing with feeling.

OMG!!! More than 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 stars, one of the best album in the world!!!.......2005-11-25

Simply one word, WOW!!!
Thomas Hampson's voice is simply fantasic. His voice is very different from regular operatic baritone voice, very sweet, and rich. I really cant believe an operatic baritone can sing folk song like THIS good, in my opinion he sounds even better than his opera works in this album. His voice and the background music matches perfectly, the outcome would move u to tears, and u can feel the origin of MUSIC. This album really shows what the word MUSIC means, and the songs simply just ALL beautiful. I like his "beautiful dreamer", "my life is well knowing woman", and "jeanie with the light brown hair" the most. When I listen the songs I would just imagine that I am in the world of past USA, and I can feel the life of the ppl in the past USA~ just like watching an old classic movie, it would touch ur heart and fall in love with this album.

It's simply lovely.......2004-12-14

I didn't know Stephen Foster (I thought): wrong: Oh Susanna, etc, I knew, but had no idea who the composer was.

This CD is a revelation. The melodies are so beautiful, as are the poems, and Thomas Hampson just brings them to life as wonderfully as ever. I especially love "Beautiful Dreamer" - it gives me butterflies - and "My wife is a most knowing woman" - the way he makes the voices and the indignation is just brilliant. If one needed reminding what a brilliant singer Mr Hampson is - this disk does it.

Beautiful Dreamer - The Songs of Stephen Foster

Average customer rating:

Moving Modern Update to Classic American Songs
Beautiful Album
One hundered sixty years melted away.
Missing one song
Wonderful eclectic collection

Beautiful Dreamer - The Songs of Stephen Foster
Stephen Foster , and Various Artists
Manufacturer: Emergent
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

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The Unbroken Circle - The Musical Heritage Of The Carter Family
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The Duhks
American Dreamer: Songs of Stephen Foster; Thomas Hampson; Jay Unger; Molly Mason

ASIN: B0002M64Z6
Release Date: 2004-08-24

Tracks:

Beautiful Dreamer-Raul Malo
Slumber My Darling-Yo Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer and Mark O'Connor featuring Alison Krauss
Don't Bet Money on the Shanghai-BR5-49
Nelly Was A Lady-Alvin Youngblood Hart
No One To Love-Judith Edelman
Camptown Races-The Duhks
My Old Kentucky Home-John Prine
Autumn Waltz-Henry Kaiser
In The Eye Abides The Heart-Beth Nielsen Chapman
Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)-David Ball
Oh! Susanna-Michelle Shocked & Pete Anderson
Willie We Have Missed You-Grey DeLisle
Hard Times Come Again No More-Mavis Staples
Gentle Annie-Ollabelle
Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair-Roger McGuinn
Ah, May The Red Rose Live Always!-Suzy Bogguss
Holiday Scottisch-Will Barrow
Comrades Fill No Glass For Me-Ron Sexsmith

Amazon.com

Stephen Collins Foster is sometimes called America's first great songwriter, but you could make the case that he was also the country's first real pop star. Writing songs such as "Camptown Races" and "Oh! Susanna," Foster, a college dropout, was self-destructive, couldn't keep a marriage together, and ended tragically. Living on the Bowery, he gashed his throat in a fatal fall in 1864 at age 37, dying with only 38 cents in his pocket. The idea of a Foster tribute record may seem staid and archaic, particularly as his lesser known tunes are parlor and stylized minstrel songs. But minstrelsy was a lot like rock & roll, and the Pittsburgh native left behind an impressive body of work that draws upon the diverse branches of music brought to America by settlers and slaves from Europe and Africa. Beautiful Dreamer, on which 22 artists celebrate 18 of his compositions, surprises with its breadth of subject matter, tempo, and interpretation, including the use of the glass armonica and santour. Most of all, the album is uncommonly soulful--Mavis Staples's dignified but heartbreaking performance of "Hard Times Come Again No More," David Ball's elegiac "Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)," and the feathery rendition of "Slumber, My Darling" by Alison Krauss, Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, and Mark O'Connor resonate in both the heart and the head. If Foster, the pop star, were alive today, he'd likely sit at the piano in shades and gelled-up hair. But he'd be playing these same songs, timeless and achingly poignant. --Alanna Nash

Album Description

Although America's first great songwriter, Stephen Collins Foster, died 140 years ago, his legacy lives on in the hundreds of songs he left behind. Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen Foster was recorded to celebrate his enormous gift to American culture. Foster's compositions (including "Oh! Susanna," "My Old Kentucky Home," "Camptown Races," "Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair" and "Hard Times Come Again No More") are woven into the fabric of our national identity, yet most music fans today know little about him. Foster has been unjustifiably overlooked in recent decades. No collection of his music recorded by contemporary artists has existed until now. Although tribute albums have become much too common, this project's historical significance distingusihes it from a crowded field.

Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs Of Stephen Foster is a collection of Foster's most beloved compositions - and lesser-known exquisite parlor songs of his day - sung by some of today's most respected musical artists. The album includes songs by: Raul Malo, Alison Krauss with Yo Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer and Mark O'Connor, BR549, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Judith Edelman, The Duhks, John Prine, Henry Kaiser, Beth Nielsen Chapman, David Ball, Michelle Shocked & Pete Anderson, Grey De Lisle, Mavis Staples, Ollabelle, Roger McGuinn, Suzy Bogguss, Will Barrow and Ron Sexsmith.

All of the proceeds from Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen Foster will benefit American Roots Publishing, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving American regional culture through literature and art. Goals are accomplished by supporting artists who honor regional culture through their work and by linking them with communities in focused educational programs.

Customer Reviews:

Moving Modern Update to Classic American Songs.......2007-05-11

This collection is a thrilling and moving presentation of the core of American music, uniquely updated with new rhythms and insturments. The "Hard Times Come Again No More", by Mavis Staples, alone is worth the price. The rest of the songs are free.

Beautiful Album.......2007-04-05

This is a beautiful piece of work, obviously a labor of love for all involved. You can hear for yourself that Stephen Foster practically invented the modern song. How incredibly far ahead of his time he was. What other 19th century songwriter has received this kind of reverent modern tribute in the past 50 years??

My favorite track is No One to Love, which will break your heart.

One hundered sixty years melted away........2007-03-20

The songs of Stephen Foster are as pertinent today as they were when he originally wrote them. "Beautiful Dreamer" and "I Dream of Jeannie with the light brown hair" float you away on a cloud of delight. In most instances, the powerful melodies and charming lyrics are not dated at all. The perfomers are some of the best around from our national treasure and keeper of the folk art, Roger McGuinn to the lesser known Raul Malo everyone brings to the CD the best of their wonderful abilities. The Duhks version of "Camptown Races is great and belies its Civil War era origins and Michelle Shocked and Pete Anderson's "Oh, Suzanna" makes you think it was just written. Buy this one for your collection or just to listen. J.Micheal Lelis

Missing one song.......2007-01-17

This is a very easy album to hear. I do wish "Old Black Joe" had been included. It is such a mournful song.

I read somewhere the short lifetime of Steven Foster's earned him about $15,000.00 for his song writing!

Wonderful eclectic collection.......2007-01-11

I am thoroughly enjoying this CD. Some of the songs are Stephen Foster classics, but others I had never heard before. The artists are quite diverse--again, some are well known (e.g. Allison Kraus) but most are new to me. Many of the arrangements are interesting and original. I especially recommend Mavis Stapleton's rendition of "Hard Times" which is very moving. I bought the CD because I heard this track on the radio.

Average customer rating:

Stephen Foster
Terrific choral renditions
Make the exquisite into the mundane
Great Drinking Music!
One of my favorite CDs

Stephen Foster Song Book

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000003FAZ
Release Date: 1993-05-11

Tracks:

Ring de Banjo
Beautiful Dreamer
Gentle Annie
Way Down in Ca-i-ro
My Old Kentucky Home
Old Black Joe
Dolcy Jones
Thou Art the Queen of My Song
Old Folks At Home
Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming
Oh! Susanna
Gentle Lena Clare
Nelly Bly
Some Folks
Laura Lee
Camptown Races
Traditional:Steal Away
Traditional:Nobody Knows (duh Trouble I See)
Traditional:I Want to Die Easy
Traditional:Dere's No Hidin' Place

Customer Reviews:

Stephen Foster.......2007-05-13

I saw a program on OPB about him so I got this. But, I didn't like it and don't listen to it. It is now under my bed collecting dust.

Terrific choral renditions.......2006-01-27

I own this CD and am especially fond of it for the solos by Thomas Pyle and Clayton Krehbiel, particularly the latter's singing of "I Want to Die Easy." All other soloists and choristers are equally superb, but those two gentlemen, sadly since deceased, were personal acquaintances and musical influences. If you don't have a taste for great choral arrangements, then pass, but you'll be missing out on something special. Enjoy it, you who adore the finest.

Make the exquisite into the mundane.......2004-07-21

Oh, puleeze, this is the sappiest rendition of these gorgeous songs ever recorded, right up there with sing-a-long with Mitch Miller.

I always hate when songs that are meant to be sung intimately as solos or duets are done by 7,000 harmonized voices.

I recommend this recording only to be listened to in a nice comfortable elevator

Great Drinking Music!.......2002-07-20

This CD Kicks ...! BR>The trombone riff in "Camptown Races" is incredible. The screaming axe in "Oh! Susanna" is mind-blowing. The fantastic jamming on this CD reminds me of HMTT. This CD is one monster hit after another. "Steal Away To Jesus", is a real kicker, although not quite as good as "Will You F'n Give Me Jesus".......

Just sit back, pop a cold one, maybe a whiskey shooter , pop this
baby on the victrolla and enjoy.......

Here's to ya Hawks...........

One of my favorite CDs.......2000-08-09

This is one of the best recordings of historic American music that I have heard, along with Joel Cohen's "Liberty Tree." The arrangements and interpretations of the songs are very beautiful. Some of the banjos are cheesy, but it is much much better than every other Foster recordings that I have heard. If you are in the mood to hear great music of Antebellum America, than I highly recommend this CD to you. You won't regret it!

Average customer rating:

not to great
Not so bad, 100 tunes for 4$
You get what you pay for.
Now I know why there were no song samples to listen to ...

100 Favorite Patriotic Songs

Manufacturer: Bci / Eclipse Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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America's Favorite Patriotic Songs
United We Stand: Songs for America
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ASIN: B0000A1HT8
Release Date: 2003-08-12

Tracks:

America the Beautiful
All Quiet on the Potomac Tonight
Ballad of the Green Berets
On Top of Old Smokey
Coyote Warrior
Semper Fidelis
Breeze from Alabama
Onward Christian Soldiers
Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming
Patriot
Sweet Betsy from Pike
Marines' Hymn
America Is
When Johnny Comes Marchin' Home
Happy the Soldier
American Trilogy
Home Sweet Home
Washington Post March
Enraptured I Gaze
Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair
Yellow Rose of Texas
Over There
Simple Gifts
Liberty Bell
Star Spangled Banner

Tracks:

God Bless the USA
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Katy Cruel
I Vow to Thee My Country
King Cotton
Beautiful Dreamer
America
American Patrol
Mine Eyes Have Seen the Beauty
Mohican Dream
Red, White and Blue
Some Folks
Liberty Song
Pomp and Circumstance
Hail to the Chief
Bennington Rifles
Peace on the Battlefield
I've Been Working on the Railroad
Under the Double Eagle
Red River Valley
My Country 'Tis of Thee
Camptown Races
Wild Blue Yonder
Hands Across the Sea
Fanfare for the Common Man

Tracks:

Stars and Stripes Forever
Living in America
Home on the Range
Old Colony Times
Clementine
Invincible Eagle
Ring Ring de Banjo
Yankee Doodle
Largo from "The New World"
To a Wild Rose
Hail Columbia
Alexander's Ragtime Band
Gettysburg
Carry Me Back to Old Virginny
Capitan
Prairie Daughter
Little Brown Jug
Marching Through Georgia
Entertainer
Steamboat Around the Bend
Revolutionary Tea
Cassions Keep Rollin' Along
Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier
Amazing Grace
Grand Old Flag

Tracks:

God Bless America
National Emblem
Soldier, Soldier Won't You Marry Me
Anchors Away
Oh, Susannah
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp
Toast
Dixie
St. Louis Blues
Appalachian Spring
Bonnie Blue Flag
Old Hundreth
Swanee River
Battle Cry of Freedom
U. S Field Artillery
Sidewalks of New York
Chester
Auld Lang Syne
Kingdom Come
My Old Kentucky Home
Hail to the Spirit of Liberty
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Shenandoah
Abraham's Daughter
This Land Is Your Land

Customer Reviews:

not to great.......2007-04-04

We were disappointed with this CD, but for the price I guess we can't expect much. I didn't care for the new style presentation of the songs. I like a more traditional rendering.

Not so bad, 100 tunes for 4$.......2005-06-22

I red the comments of two other people who have bought this 4 CD BOX SET and it is not really so bad. I will even add that there are some excellent tunes. However, I must agree with the fact that few tunes seem to have been recorded 40 or 50 years ago, mainly when you hear the scratches of an old turntable but it is just 2 or 3 tunes. Furthermore, if you do not know American music, it is a good BOX SET to buy if you consider that you received 4 CD for 4$ including 100 tunes. On these 4 CD, I have heard some orchestration that I have never heard before and I consider that they are different but interesting. Any way, after hearing these 100 tunes, you will say to yourself that you like this tune, this other tune, this other tune and so on and you will be able to buy a more expensive CD with the tunes that you like. However, I have bought many CDs in the last few weeks and as you know, there are always some tunes that you like and some tunes that you do not like on every CD that you will buy. So, don't buy it at 25$ but at 4 or 5$ dollars, it is a very good choice for 100 tunes.

You get what you pay for........2004-07-04

You get what you pay for. The singers put their own spin on the singing of each song. If you didn't hear the words you would not recognize some of them. Even some of the music sounds like a bad recording of music played on a turntable. Definitely not worth the price.

Now I know why there were no song samples to listen to ..........2004-07-04

I wish this review had been here when I was thinking of purchasing it. I guess you get what you pay for. If you are thinking of buying this, you are better off recording your own CDs (or at least buying one that you can listen to a sampling of the songs). This album includes songs that were mere recordings of the songs playing on an old record player. It's almost so unbelievable that it is funny.

Average customer rating:

It's lovely - But not newly recorded!
Yet another compilation
how precious!
Disappointing Duplication
If you like this sorta thing

Song of America
Charles Tomlinson Griffes , Erich Wolfgang Korngold , Charles Naginski , Ned Rorem , American Traditional , Elinor Remick Warren , Kurt Weill , Haydn Wood , Michael Parloff , Jay Ungar , Armen Guzelimian , Craig Rutenberg , David Alpher , Evan Stover , Garrison Keillor , and Mark Rust
Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

The Very Best of Thomas Hampson
Christmas with Thomas Hampson
Long Time Ago - Copland / Dawn Upshaw & Thomas Hampson
American Dreamer: Songs of Stephen Foster; Thomas Hampson; Jay Unger; Molly Mason
Leading Man

ASIN: B000BGR0TW
Release Date: 2005-11-08

Tracks:

As Adam Early In The Morning
Ah! May The Red Rose Live Alway (1850)
Shenandoah (Traditional)
Beautiful Dreamer (1864)
Danny Deever
Roses Of Picardy
Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair (1854)
Hard Times Come Again No More (1854)
Molly, Do You Love Me? (1850)
An Old Song Resung
Tomorrow (When You Are Gone)
The Erie Canal (Traditional)
We Two
The Nightingale (Traditional)
Comrades, Fill No Glass For Me (1855)
Luke Havergal
To What You Said
Look Down Fair Moon
Dirge For Two Veterans
Ethiopia Saluting The Colors

Amazon.com

Thomas Hampson is a persuasive advocate for these treasures from the Library of Congress' vast collections, so this CD's generous sampling leaves you wanting more. It covers the American songbook in all its variety, from traditional "folk" items like Shenandoah to Stephen Foster to the immigrants Erich Korngold and Kurt Weill to Leonard Bernstein and contemporary composers. Hampson adjusts his flexible, light baritone to fit each song. The voice is full and resonant on Danny Deever, simple and direct in 19th-century traditional songs and ballads, and nuanced in songs like Ned Rorem's "As Adam Early in the Morning," one of several on the disc with texts by Walt Whitman. A standout is the last song in this recital, one that leaves you with thoughts about music, history, and our nation's continuing issues, "Ethiopia Saluting the Colors," by Henry Burleigh. Most of the selections are performed with piano accompaniment, but several are with a small ensemble of traditional instruments. A word of caution: everything was recorded in the 1990s and presumably was available piecemeal on previous releases, although few are likely to have more than a handful of these 20 gems. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

It's lovely - But not newly recorded!.......2006-10-04

I don't think this recording deserves One Star ratings or that the artist deserves such crude bashing. And re: Hampson's eye-colour.... Uh, these aren't lenses? He has blue eyes. I met him many times and...indeed, they are dark blue.

Anyhow, this is what Hampson is focusing on right now, American song. While those aren't exactly my thing I have to say that he sings them beautifully. I wish he'd stick to that rather than heavy Verdi and Wagner which his voice isn't right for.

Yet another compilation.......2006-06-13

I am a huge Tom fan. I go to his concerts and buy all of his CDs. I must say that I have been disappointed by this CD because it's entirely made of old recordings. There's a new photo on the cover, but that's all that is new here. So if you've bought your share of Tom CDs over the years, you want to check out the track info before you guy this one.

Now, Tom has been on tour and I STRONGLY recommend that you go see him next year when he comes through your city.

The other thing really annoying is that on the CD where you'd expect information about the music or the recording co., you instead get a large warning label from the FBI on pirating.

how precious!.......2006-05-08

Thomas Hampson swoons and croons to monotonous effect throughout this tired collection; again displaying his ego and faux scholarship in ample measure. Oi-vay, what a disaster! And what is with the blue contact lenses in the Jacket phot? Hampson's eyes are brown. What an unbelievably vain Diva!

Disappointing Duplication.......2006-01-17

I have not even heard the album, and I will not. Although I revere Mr. H. in just about everything he does, especially in song and Lieder, I am very disappointed that so many of these songs appear on other cds of which I already have about 19 of him. I think he and the producers should have chosen totally NEW material for this instead of drawing on his past achievements. I have no reservations about his performances, for I have seen him at the Met in opera and at Carnegie Hall in Mahler. I value them and all of his past cd productions.

If you like this sorta thing.......2006-01-17

Here Mr. Hampson is in his element. Unlike his less than viable attempts at Opera, Mr. Hampson is a thorough and intelligent singer of songs. His affectations, so fully inappropriate in bigger operatic literature, work well with the intimate nature of these sweet and personal songs. If you are Hampson fan, this album will thrill you.

Average customer rating:

Excellent intro to Foster and Sousa
march review

Stories Of Foster And Sousa

Manufacturer: Vox (Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000001KDF
Release Date: 1995-04-16

Tracks:

Old Folks At Home
Oh ! Susanna
Old Black Joe
Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair
My Old Kentucky Home
Old Folks At Home
Camptown Races
Massa's In De Cold, Cold Ground
Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming
Beautiful Dreamer
The Stars And Stripes Forever
The Crusader
Offenbach: La Vie Parisienne
The Belle Of Chicago
The Gladiator
Semper Fidelis
Washington Post
High School Cadets
The Thunderer
Semper Fidelis
Washington Post
Hands Across The Sea
El Capitan
Stars And Stripes Forever
Semper Fidelis
Washington Post March
The Thunderer
High School Cadets
El Capitan

Customer Reviews:

Excellent intro to Foster and Sousa.......2007-02-25

This is a tremendous value considering the price and the number of tracks that you get. The renditions are not bad, but I have heard better Foster. There is a lot of narration, which makes this a great teaching tool to introduce Foster and Sousa. The narration is a bit more for Foster than Sousa. Some of the Foster songs seem to be cut a little short, giving you what is really more of a sampler than a rich collection of complete Foster songs. The Sousa marches seem to be a little longer and don't have quite as much narration. Even though both men were well known American composers, their type of music was quite different, so it's kind of an odd paring on this album. It's a pleasant listen, but not a "must have" item unless you don't have much Foster or Sousa in your music collection; it's a good starter album. Great for kids who might be interested in learning about these two famous composers.

march review.......2001-05-10

this cd gas a great selection of music on it. the sound of the music is perfectly clear and i definately reccomend it. it is an ideal disc for all march fans. two of the greatest american composers on one disc. this is also a great deal considering the amount of songs on this disc. definately but this cd.

Average customer rating:

Time Capsule
Unexpected
An album to treasure
A classic recording of American songs
The sessions of sweet silent thought stirred

Songs by Stephen Foster, Vol. 1-2

Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Polkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Stephen Foster Songs: Parlor & Minstrel Songs, Dance Tunes & Instrumentals
Stephen Foster Song Book
American Dreamer: Songs of Stephen Foster; Thomas Hampson; Jay Unger; Molly Mason
Swanee: The Music of Stephen Foster
DOO-DAH: Stephen Foster and the Rise of American Popular Culture

ASIN: B000005IYE
Release Date: 1992-05-28

Tracks:

Songs By Stephen Foster: Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair
Songs By Stephen Foster: There's A Good Time Coming
Songs By Stephen Foster: Was My Brother In The Battle?
Songs By Stephen Foster: Sweetly She Sleeps, My Alice Fair
Songs By Stephen Foster: If You've Only Got A Moustache
Songs By Stephen Foster: Gentle Annie
Songs By Stephen Foster: Wilt Thou Be Gone, Love?
Songs By Stephen Foster: That's What's The Matter
Songs By Stephen Foster: Ah! May The Red Rose Live Alway
Songs By Stephen Foster: I'm Nothing But A Plain Old Soldier
Songs By Stephen Foster: Beautiful Dreamer
Songs By Stephen Foster: Mr. & Mrs. Brown
Songs By Stephen Foster: Slumber My Darling
Songs By Stephen Foster: Some Folks
Songs By Stephen Foster: We Are Coming, Father Abraam, 300,000 More
Songs By Stephen Foster: Linger In Blissful Repose
Songs By Stephen Foster: There Are Plenty Of Fish In The Sea
Songs By Stephen Foster: Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming
Songs By Stephen Foster: The Soiree Polka
Songs By Stephen Foster: Better Times Are Coming
Songs By Stephen Foster: Katy Bell
Songs By Stephen Foster: The Hour For Thee And Me
Songs By Stephen Foster: Summer Longings

Customer Reviews:

Time Capsule.......2006-11-30

The voices and instruments, like the songs, are straight from the mid-19th century. If you want to be transported back in time 150 years to a wonderful parlor performance of Foster's songs, this is the album to do it. The voices are marvelous and trained, and one must imagine that the strict phrasing and style are what one would have expected at the time. The cheap upright piano is perfect.

But the one perfect moment for me is the ONLY good extant rendition of "Was My Brother in the Battle?". Accompanied on a harmonium or pump reed organ, if this song doesn't tempt a tear, you simply aren't a romantic.

Very highly recommended.

Unexpected.......2005-11-26

Quality of this recording is fantastic! Performances are superb! However, they don't fit being an example of Foster's music and times. I was expecting banjos and a Mississippi Sound - therfore, very, very disappointed in this CD and consider and a waste of money. Be sure to LISTEN to a few examples to match what you are looking for and what the CD offers. I, unfortunately did not listen before I bought. I rate this low only because my expectations were shattered. This IS a fine CD if opera styles are ok for an example of this southern, 1800's composer's work.

An album to treasure.......2004-09-23

The landmark Library of Congress album, now on enhanced CD. Years
ago, I went on a six-months field assignment to a remote area of
Africa, where I could take only what music I could carry in a vest
pocket. I chose a tape player and two albums: a recital by Perlman
and this album on tape, and was content. If you love American
music, sung poetry, beautiful singing and deeply moving musicality,
this is an album you will treasure for a lifetime.

A classic recording of American songs.......2004-08-22

What can I say that hasn't already been said below? I only wanted to reiterate how wonderful this album is and assure the reader the sound is spectacular on CD. This is a live recording, and intentionally so, as the idea was to create a "parlor" experience as these were parlor songs to be sung by family and friends around the old upright piano. I especially liked the comment about the upright piano which, indeed, does croak and clank throughout the performance adding a note of "authenticity" without becoming obtrusive.

If only Ms. DeGaetani had graced my parlor...

The sessions of sweet silent thought stirred.......2003-11-22

I have never heard such unadulterated extraworldy sound emanate from two human voices and what would otherwise be firewood (the period instruments played by Gilbert Kalish). It stirs profound patriotism and a deep sentimentality for our early days when a civilized people pined to find virtue by examining its own body-- the north and the south, the small town, the simple flag, and the beauty of gentile manly and womanly love expressed through equisite song. There is no other music I would rather hear 'when summoning up the remembrance of things past.' The ghost of the early American parlor will prick your skin through these simple hymns and you may escape for a moment our troubled and busy times.

Average customer rating:

Canuck Brass' Salute to the States
Fun
Fun

Red, White & Brass

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
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Canadian Brass: More Greatest Hits
Basin Street
Ragtime!
Bolero & Other Blockbusters
The Canadian Brass: Greatest Hits

ASIN: B00000414O
Release Date: 1991-10-11

Tracks:

Voluntary On Old Hundredth
American Patrol
George M. Cohan On Broadway: Give My Regards To Broadway - Forty-Five Minutes From Broadway - Mary's A Grand Old Name - You're Grand Old Flag - The Yankee Doodle Boy
Westward Ho
Salute To John Philip Sousa: Semper Fidelis - Manhattan Beach - The Liberty Bell - Hands Across The Sea - The US Field Artillery March - The Stars And Stripes Forever
Alexander's Ragtime Band
Grand Circus Fantasia: 1. Entry Of The Gladiators, 2. The Squealer, 3. Skater's Waltz, 4. Three-Ring Finale: Rolling Thunder - Czardas - Entry Of The Gladiators
Shaker Suite
An American Theme And Variations - Beautiful Dreamer

Customer Reviews:

Canuck Brass' Salute to the States.......2004-03-03

CBrass has for some years now been one of the premiere brass units in the world. Having seen them twice in person, they are true showmen and ambassadors for their country, their music and instruments.

Here is a CD that is needed in our time: a collection of patriotic, good ole' American music.

This is 4th of July clap your hands firework watching music at its best. In fact, that is exactly what listening to this collection does for me: it takes me to the excellent Greenfield Village at Henry Ford's annual 4th Fireworks Concert.

This is good stuff, well done by early CBrass.

Fun.......2002-01-29

The Canadian Brass never fail to please, and this CD really lives up to that reputation. Even with the added orchestra, the songs never get bogged down or unevenly weighted. This was one of the first CB CD's I bought several years ago, and still one of my favourites of theirs.

Fun.......2000-10-24

This cd is a lot of fun to listen to, mainly because of the entirely too impressive trumpet playing. While the quintet may be a bit trumpet heavy, it does not detract from music in this corny, showy style. It is a lot of fun to listen to, and I highly recommend it to those who love brass music.

Average customer rating:

The best is wonderful, but there are a few duds
Beautiful Voice, Bad Choices
A Great Showcase of Hampson's Voice and Artistry
Comprehensive coverage of Hampson's range in song

Thomas Hampson - A Portrait

Manufacturer: EMI
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Soundtracks | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Opera & Vocal | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
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Leading Man
The Very Best of Thomas Hampson
Christmas with Thomas Hampson
Song of America
Verdi - Rigoletto / Domingo, MacNeil, Cotrubas, Diaz, Levine, Metropolitan Opera

ASIN: B000024D1I
Release Date: 1997-01-01

Customer Reviews:

The best is wonderful, but there are a few duds.......2006-07-17

No portrait of a singer can satisfy all cmers, so EMI has shrugged its shoulders and tossed a bit of everything into the pot. (Without including any bonus tracks, one should note.) Hampson is without a doubt the successor to Fischer-Dieskau as the world's most famous operatic baritone. His strengths, like F-D's, are in song, especially American song. Seven of the 19 cuts here are American songs, which isn't enough. We don't really need Hampson's rather plodding and earnest Viennese operetta aria, nor his duet, "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better" with the shrill Kim Criswell (to tell the truth, neither does very well). Two small slivers from Schumann's Dichterlieve cycle seems rather silly, too.

But that leaves a lot that's wonderful--all the American selections, the Rossini and Liszt songs, the aria form Korngold's Die Tote Stadt, and above all Hampson's rollicking, let-'er-rip rendition of Figaro's aria form the Barber of Seville. If this omnium gatherum entices listeners to bu the complete recordings, it will serve a very good purpose.

Beautiful Voice, Bad Choices.......2003-11-25

Short and Sweet.

I love listening to this beautiful baritone's voice, but I really don't like his choice of songs on this album. Beautiful Dreamer is so hackneyed and I can't stand to listen to it (also why I didn't buy the Stephen Foster album). I did like is choice of two classic lieder by Schumann. I would have chosen more lieder for a different album, he does great things with it. The Live recording of Largo al factotum from Barber is distracting with audience claps and poor mics for the recording. You can hear him walking away from the mics (fading in and out). The absolute worst choice is "Anything You Can Do" from Annie Get Your Gun. It sounds nice but I hate this song. The rest of the songs swing from Sappy awful to beautifully sung.

Bottom Line: Inconsistent and Not worth your money. He can do much better

A Great Showcase of Hampson's Voice and Artistry.......2002-02-23

Thomas Hampson is definitely one of the greatest artists on today's musical scene. This CD displays the beauty of Hampson's voice and the intelligence and artistry that he brings to a great variety of musical styles (German, French and Italian Opera; Italian, French and German art song, and American music). Among the highlights are the first selection, the beautiful "Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen" from DIE TOTE STADT by Korngold, sung with great control and melting pianissimos. The same can be said of the aria from TANNHAUSER. His live "Largo al Factotum" from IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA is just virtuosistic, with effortless high notes (even a cadenza up to high C) and energetic vocal acting. In the art songs he is no less impressive, with total involvement in the style and mood of the songs, being particularly impressive "Oh, quand je dors" by Lizt. The American repertoire is also a delight. Hampson displays all kind of nuances for this repertoire, from the estatic quality of "Beautiful Dreamer" to the humor and bawdiness of "Where Is The Life that Late I Led". In summary, this is a delightful and eclectic souvenir from one of the most charismatic and intelligent singers of our time.

Comprehensive coverage of Hampson's range in song.......2001-11-01

This EMI disc, "Thomas Hampson, Portrait" is an excellent example of the wide range of this melliflous baritone. From the first German aria, Korngold's "Mein Sehnen, mein Wahnen" one of my personal favourites, to Jerome Kern's "The Last Time I saw Paris" you have great variety of opera, lieder and popular song offering you examples of Hampson's great talent. Buy and enjoy! Jill Whitburn

Average customer rating:

SImply Untrue
an extra star for all the guest artists
An Homage to a Great Artist
superb vocals

The Very Best of Thomas Hampson
Marc Barrard , Thomas Hampson , Csaba Airizer , Georges Bizet , Charles Wakefield Cadman , Stephen Foster , Charles Gounod , Edvard Grieg , Charles Tomlinson Griffes , Imre (Emmerich) Kalman , Erich Wolfgang Korngold , Franz Lehar , Gustav Mahler , Jules Massenet , Giacomo Meyerbeer , Gioachino Rossini , Franz Schubert , Robert Schumann , Johann II Strauss , Ambroise Thomas , Giuseppe Verdi , Richard Wagner , Carl Maria von Weber , Antonio de Almeida , Antonio Pappano , Eugene Kohn , and Fabio Luisi
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Song of America
No Tenors Allowed: Famous Duets for Baritone and Bass
Arias - Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert
Christmas with Thomas Hampson
Samuel Ramey - Operatic Arias

ASIN: B0006VYEI2
Release Date: 2005-04-26

Tracks:

La Ran La Lera...Largo Al Factotum
O Sainte Medaille...Avant De Quitter Ces Lieux
Ce Breuvage...Vision Fugitive
C'est Toi...Au Fond Du Temple Saint - Placido Domingo
La Fatigue Alourdit Mes Pas...Comme Une Pale Fleur
Ecoute!...Dieu, Tu Semas Dans Nos Ames
C'est Mon Jour Supreme
Tout Est Desert...Son Regard
Ove Son Io?...Vada In Fiamme
Perfidi! All'Anglo Contro Me...Pieta, Rispetto Amore
Di Provenza Il Mar, Il Suol
E Sogno? O Realta?
Komm!
Der Garten Des Herzens
Lied Des Venezianischen Gondoliers
Le Lazzarone
L'Ultimo Ricordo

Tracks:

Mein Sehnen, Mein Wahnen
Wo Berg' Ich Mich?...So Weih' Ich Mich Den Rachgewalten
Wie Todesahnung...O Du Mein Holder Abendstern
Gruss Op.48 No.1
Im Wunderschonen Monat Mai
Aus Meinen Tranen Spriessen
Die Rose, Die Lilie
Ich Will Meine Seele Tauchen
Ich Grolle Nicht
Gute Nacht
Die Post
Blicke Mir Nicht In Die Lieder
Ich Atmet' Einen Linden Duft
Ich Bin Der Welt Abhanden Gekommen
Von Der Schonheit
O Vaterland, Du Machst Bei Tag
Als Flotter Geist
Komm, Zigany
An Old Song Re-Sung
At Dawning (I Love You) Op.29 No.1 - Armen Guzelimian
Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair
Beautiful Dreamer

Album Description

Details TBA. EMI. 2005.

Customer Reviews:

SImply Untrue.......2006-08-16

The previous review is simply a gross falsification. I have been an obsessed opera fan for a long time, and Thomas Hampson is a truly special singer. He is not the possesor of the largest or most interesting voice, which he will tell you and indeed says so all the time. His commitment to text, his willingness to search out parts to fit his voice, and his dedication to art song make im invaluable to Americans as a ture Troubador. His light Baritone was ideally suited to Figaro and to Valentin and the art song he loves. He must stretch to sing Verdi, where his voice sounds dry and small but many singers have chanced Verdi at their peril, and his innate ablity to inhabit a song, here evidenced in Di Provenza overcomes fact that it is out of his fach. You misinformed opinion of Hampson is mean and strangly bitter. I love Opera, but I do not love every singer, which doesn't mean I debase their very artistic existance. I have seen Hampson live, and have loved him (in Thias) and somewhat disliked him (in Simon Boccanegra) As for him being pretentious, somwetimes I find him mannered, but always charming. SOmetimes Intellectualism can appear pretentious, but surely you wont hold an opera singer to the charge that he must be unintellectual. what a vitriolic review, please buy this Cd, it merits repeated listening to a true American SINGER,

an extra star for all the guest artists.......2006-05-08

The title of this album is an oxymoron. Or a sick joke. I can't decide. Sure he has made millions by luring the uninitiated listener into his web of deceit and conceit, but don't be fooled any longer. How fortunate Hampson has been to sing for and with great artists to shoulder his heavy load.

An Homage to a Great Artist.......2005-10-30

EMI is wisely creating a series of recordings to gather the moments of artists that showcase the very reasons they become so highly regarded. Usually these collections are produced late in careers or even posthumously, but in the case of THE VERY BEST OF THOMAS HAMPSON the artist is still one of the more active and premiere singers of our day. Yet while he doesn't still perform all of these inclusions, it is wonderful to have excerpts from various successful recordings to remind us of the artistry that Hampson represents.

The two disc set includes arias from operas: Rossini's 'Il barbière di Siviglia', von Weber's 'Euryanthe', Gounod's 'Faust', Massenet's 'Hérodiade', Bizet's 'Les Pêcheurs de perles' (in duet with Placido Domingo), Thomas' 'Hamlet', Verdi's 'Don Carlo', 'Il Travatore', 'Macbeth', 'La Traviata', and 'Falstaff', Korngold's 'Die Tote Stadt', and Wagner's 'Tannhäuser'.

But the rewards of a Hampson recording must include his impeccable career as a lieder stylist and on this recording are excerpts from Schumann's 'Dichterliebe', Schubert's 'Winterreise', Mahler's 'Rückert Lieder' and 'Das Lied von der Erde', as well as songs by Meyerbeer, Rossini, Grieg, Kalman, and Lehar. And very importantly there are examples of American songs that Hampson has always emphasized in his recitals. Works by Stephen Foster, and two extraordinary works with the brilliant accompanist Armen Guzelimian - 'An Old Song Re-sung' by Griffes and 'At Dawning' by Charles Wakefield Cadman - round out this fine survey.

Not usually a collector of such 'recombinations', for this listener this album is so very fine that it deserves the attention of all those who appreciate the artistry of Thomas Hampson - then and now. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, October 05

superb vocals.......2005-08-07

Mr.Hampson really gets the chance to showcase his wonderful baritone voice in this "Best of" collection which includes excellent selections from his various other CDs. I like the diversity of the selections featuring operatic arias,works from classical composers, and folk songs. For Thomas hampson fans, as well as fans of the baritone voice, this CD is for them.

Music Review:

Music Review

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Music Review

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1. Beautiful Dreamer
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6. Love's Old Sweet Song
7. Break the News to Mother
8. Danny Boy
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12. Floral Dance
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14. Asleep in the Deep
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