Beautiful rendition!

His English is so wonderful. And that voice . . . so warm and beautiful . . sigh . . .

I saw him sing this song at Royce Hall. When it started, my first thought was "oh no!". He won the audience, and me, over with his rendition of this song. There was a standing ovation that would just not stop!!!

His voice is so warm and velvety.

There are many singers I would love to hear "live" and Quasthoff would be at the top!You are very lucky!

by far, the best version.

mighty and smooth as the River itself ...

Amazing performance of this special song..

Superb.TY Rowna or posting this gem.

Dear Mr or Ms Ragnarkisten - please take your comments to another page - people who enjoy Mr. Quasthoff's art aren't interested in your theories - they just want to hear a great musician sing an iconic piece of American music. He has attained the greatest respect from the highest ranks of professional musicians, and his public adores him. As he is not well, and won't be doing more performing, the world is losing out on his impeccable performances now.

Thanks, had not heard this Fine Voice before...but will for years to come not that you've introduced me to him :)

I used to think that only black people are able to dedicate their whole being so absolutely to music. This is singing at its finest.

Thank you, arpeggio 1358. Mr. Quasthoff is a treat to experience, either live or in a recorded version. Artistry such as he has, is at the highest level that can be attained by us, mere mortals :) Isn't his English fantastic? You can only hear one teeny sound that doesn't sound completely idiomatic American/English.

@JBSERBIST Well, most recordings are not accurate accounts of a voice - you have to be there live to really get the true experience of a voice. This is a "live" recording from a concert - I believe it was an encore. In any event, aside from all the things that have been written about him on this blog - how bout that English? Gorgeous! Just as his soul is so beautiful, his voice is a reflection of that.

THOMAS : SEI UN GRANDE!!!, grazie per avermi fatto .....lacrimare e.... Scusami ti ho scoperto oggi e ne sono riamsto colpito profondamente. Indimenticabile .

@dasteufelhund I love that his English is so tasty. He is German, but the pronunciation here is gorgeous.

It was the best I could do - I am a computer moron who has figured out, over time to upload my own recordings - and somehow - this and something by Hina Spani got saved on my hard drive . . so i posted them both. I am always amazed at Mr. Quasthoff's talents and drive.

"This resonating space that we have inside is affected by our genetic differences. However, as mentioned, we have the capacity to change the properties of this space and we do this with the use of numerous muscles."

@bobdoney1 In my home we all love Paul Robeson. He had such elegance and royalty to his singing, and it came from his own heart, which lay with the real people of this earth. Comparisons are so often silly, and this would be one case where there is no comparison. They both do the song justice. Thanks for your comment. Rowna

@Sieglinde84 I have heard his health is not good. To me, he has one of the golden voice today.

"What makes a violin sound different from a cello? Yes, the strings are slightly different, however the main difference is the size of the box. The size, shape and material of the "box" that the strings vibrate over is what determines the resonance. That space in which the vibration takes place determines the harmonics and the rainbow of overtones of the sound. With a tube, the size, shape and material affects the resonance, in addition to whether or not the tube is open ended."

"But what is this so-called "box" for a human being? It is a combination of the spaces in our throat, mouth, chest, and nasal cavities. Since their sizes vary between people, everyone sounds different. Each of us can also change this space, resulting in different singing styles with different resonating qualities."

More like a great tribute to a mini artist. jk No, in all seriousness, he has an incredibly balanced, expressive voice, which I can't get enough of.

"There are certain metaphors that conserve knowledge due to misinformation and thus obstruct learning. “Huvudklang” (head resonance) seems to be such a metaphor." Rörande Metaforer, Christina Larsson 2010.

I suppose you have a reference to some study that show that statistically more opera singers especially Wagnerian singers have larger pharynx? As far as I know, the ENT doctors after all aren't able to say who has a voice and who doesn't. Also, opera singers use low larynx technique to have the voice carry; they also use body cavities e.g. in the head to create resonance. What seems true theoretically often doesn't correlate with practice - there is a lot involved in voice production.

I don't necessarily mean that a big sized pharynx makes a stronger sound as such. A violin or a little baby can make quite strong noises. But the resonance room produces a specific sound. And with technique you are able to sustain the "room" "open"

@paulostroff99 You are very welcome :))

@cabwire It is all about resonance. If you see a violin and a cello for instance, they have different size, and hence different sound. A broad neck with an open pharynx, makes a huge sound. But it doesn't make one musical of course. The instrument might be good, but it does not compensate for lack of talent.

i agree with daarribas...eejit

Yes that's a good point. But it's more about the size of the pharynx. And of course the way they are trained to use it. But, I definitely think that anatomy has incurrence on the sound. It's pretty logical.

sounds like the person recording sneezed!

Adieu

@cantorandopera -Those types of peoples are rarely healthy,and for the most part expire at rather young ages.

Funny, so many great opera singers with narrow neck... E.g. Ferruccio Furlanetto, his neck here seems quite small: /watch?v=OqeyElCHRM8 and his voice is big; or how about Wagnerian sopranos like Birgit Nilsson or Marjorie Lawrence? I could probably name a zillion opera singers with small necks.

@ragnarkisten What does one's features have to do with the gift of music? His talents could only have come from God.

And what does this have to do with the price of tea in China?

Hm, a bit heavy perhaps.

Racism is the notion that different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. If one claims that certain anatomic traits produces certain types of resonance, even between different ethnic groups, how does that add up to the first mentioned definition?

Are you a man, and if so, are you able to make a high c? If not, you have no right to make any conclusions!