Rivers of Delight / Folk Hymns

Word of Mouth Chorus (Artist), Larry Gordon (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Larry Gordon
• Audio CD (May 7, 1992)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nonesuch
• ASIN: B000005IVY
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #149,761 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Northfield

2. Soar Away

3. Cowper

4. Evening Shade

5. Windham

6. White

7. Eternal Day

8. Sweet Prospect

9. North Port

10. Greenwich

11. Wondrous Love

12. Peace and Joy

13. Parting Friends

14. Weeping Mary

15. Alabama

16. Milford

17. New Jerusalem

18. The Better Land

19. Kedron

20. Idumea

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

American Folk Hymns from the Sacred Harp Tradition - Word of Mouth Chorus Includes - Northfield - Soar Away - Cowper - Evening Shade - Windham - White - Eternal Day - Sweet Prospect - North Port - Greenwich - Wondrous Love - Peace and Joy - Parting Friends - Weeping Mary - Alabama - Milford - New Jerusalem - The Better Land - Kedron - Idumea - Morning for a total of 21 selections.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shape-note perfection, July 29, 2002

By 

David A. Beamer (Clawson, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rivers of Delight / Folk Hymns (Audio CD)

The Word of Mouth Chorus, from Vermont, started out as a "normal" choir, doing standard church choir repertoire. They started singing "shape-note" music shortly after their founding, but the performances sounded like a normal church choir. A few years later, some of the choir members were inroduced to the "real McCoy" at a singing convention in Georgia. The "performance practice", for lack of a better term, of the folks in Georgia had a profound effect on them.

The result was that they completely rethought and relearned how to perform this music. They don't sound like a normal church choir here; they sound raucous and untutored, with loud nasal voices sticking out of a group of other loud, raucous voices. The effect is exhilerating; the drive and energy are like nothing you've ever heard. Other recordings of the shape note music of the Sacred Harp tradition of the American South take the brash rough edges off the tone. Not here -- you get the real deal; raw, edgy, unabashed, and a lot of fun.

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good balance, May 6, 2002

By 

Richard Hershberger (Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rivers of Delight / Folk Hymns (Audio CD)

Recordings of sacred harp music tend toward being either field recordings with poor production standards or over-civilized, lifeless professional performances. This classic recording strikes the right balance. It serves particularly well as an introduction to the genre. It is a fine addition to any music collection, whether or not there is any other sacred harp included.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Cleaned-up" shape-note music, September 28, 2000

By 

Wendy K. Laubach (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rivers of Delight / Folk Hymns (Audio CD)

This is a great recording if you like the harmonies of shape-note music but you insist on trained rather than folk voices. The voices are nice and natural, but precise in pitch and tempo. The singers also attempt some sacred harp numbers that are hard to find on most recordings of authentic folk singings, such as "A Better Land." If there were more Word of Mouth recordings, I'd certainly buy them.