Thomas Hampson: The complete "Old American songs: Book II" (Copland)

Old American songs: Book I (1950) I. The little horses 00:00 II. Zion's walls 02:53 III. The golden willow tree 04:52 IV. At the river 08:34 V. Ching-a-ring chaw 11:29 Copland, Aaron (1900-90) -composer Thomas Hampson -baritone Hugh Wolff -conductor The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Playlist: "The art of American song: Ives, Copland, Barber, Bernstein, Previn, Heggie...":    • The art of American song: Ives, Copland, B...   The warm reception of the Old American Songs in 1951 prompted Copland to write an immediate sequel, Old American Songs II, made up of settings of "The Little Horses," "Zion's Walls," "The Gold Willow Tree," "At the River," and "Ching-a-Ring Chaaw." Although they elicited little critical comment at the time, these became extremely popular and remain so to this day. As with the first set, Copland preserves the tunes' rhetorical directness and simple diatonic harmonies in his arrangements, while adding numerous personal touches. In the camp-meeting spiritual "Zion's Walls," for example, he adds a novel contrasting section based on his own countermelody to the original tune, while he entirely rearranges the ballad "The Gold Willow Tree." In "Ching-a-Ring Chaw" he purged the text of its racial implications and revised the story about African-American immigration to Haiti as a more general utopian fantasy. The Old American Songs II were premiered by baritone William Warfield with Copland at the piano on July 24, 1953. During Copland's lifetime, these were widely associated with Warfield, who, like many singers since, preferred singing them in their orchestral arrangements over the piano versions. Source: http://www.allmusic.com/composition/o... Buy the CD here: http://www.amazon.com/Copland-America...