Cheap Angels' Visits and Other Vocal Gems of Victorian America (Music) (Raymond Murcell, Anonymous, Dudley Buck, John William Dadmun, William G. Fischer, J. W. Hicks, J.N.S., Charles [aka Melnotte, Claude] Kunkel, Robert Lowry, Charles E. Pratt) Price

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Customer Reviews of Angels' Visits and Other Vocal Gems of Victorian America

An Album of inutterable beauty, grandeur, bathos and charm
We all snicker about 19th century sentimentality, but there's no way to patronize this amazing collection of songs, especially in these grandly serious and respectful performances. There's tremendous variety here, but on the whole, listening to these songs is like gazing into a majestic post-Hudson River School landscape of breathtaking grandeur and detail. The Harmoneion Singers are sensational as usual, displaying the tenderest attention to every nuance of emotion. The songs range from charming miniatures like "We are Happy Now Dear Mother," to rousing, marchlike hymns, such as "You Must Be a Lover of the Lord." My favorite is "Shall we Know Each Other?" which triggers celestial visions, and is darned catchy to boot. Ladies and gentlemen, THIS is the 19th century.

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Of great historical interest
After the Civil War, this country had what could be interpreted only as a massive guilt trauma if we go by the kind of songs that became very popular in the years after 1865. So many of them dealt with death, that the most excellent New World Records people put together a collection of such works, called the set (80220-2), and assigned the solo part to Kathleen Battle (sop.), Rose Taylor (mez.), Raymond Murcell (bar.), several other soloists, and the Harmoneion Singers under Neely Bruce. As are most products from this company, the sound is utterly authentic, the accompanying notes are scholarly and generous, the texts are provided. Many of our longer-lived citizens might recall such classics as "Sweet By and By," "Rock of Ages," "The Last Hymn," and the title song of this set. I want all local choral groups to get a copy of this and match it with the versions they have sung in the past. And it certainly wouldn't hurt the History Department over at our local colleges to make this part of the audio portion of their American History classics. CDs. Amen.