Check out this acapella TRIO version by The Roches. It is, admittedly, a little rough, but c'mon...it's 3 voices and no instruments...LIVE!
This Radio City Music Hall version will please the traditionalists among us:
And finally, here's a slightly jazzed-up gospel rendition from the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir: (The Chorus itself begins at about 2:20, if you want to skip "Worthy is the Lamb")
3 comments:
Don't forget this version:
http://tinyurl.com/2e855zj
See if you can sit still from about 2:15 on...
This is from the 1993 Grammys. The second half is a live rendition of A Soulful Messiah by the Sounds of Blackness. The CD Soulful Messiah is uneven, but the Hallelujah chorus is really well done. Btw, here's the studio recording:
http://tinyurl.com/23y6k52
I envision that one day when Handel brings the treasure of his composition "Messiah" before the Lord, the saints and all the hosts of heaven will join and swell their voices to praise the Messiah. Then African saints will stream in and the majesty and beauty of the Messiah will continue undiminished, but additionally, it will "swing" as it does here, and Handel's offering of praise will be Africanized and refracted through a different lens, as the Africans offer praise the lamb.
This is perhaps a better live rendition:
http://tinyurl.com/2fgwtav
Whoops! I hadn't viewed the clip from my last link until after I posted it. It's got a clip of an MLK speech that, though fine in its own right, adds nothing, and I think detracts from the music. Nevertheless you get the idea...
Good stuff! I agree with you. I think we often imagine "heavenly music" as very white, western, formal, sacred, choral, and will be both surprised and endlessly blessed by the variety of praise offered to The Lamb!
Thanks for the links!
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