The most beautiful songs?

Post by **Amor Vincit Omnia** » Mon Jan 17, 2022 7:56 pm

I spent a pleasant afternoon yesterday restringing and tuning my classical guitar. I haven’t played it in a long time and somehow automatically the first song that fell under the hand, so to speak, after I tuned it was this.

“La Chanson Des Vieux Amants” by the great Belgian singer/songwriter Jacques Brel (1929–1978)

I first heard this when I was living in France in the ‘70s and it completely blew me out of the water. The guitar chords are not difficult but of course there was no Internet to download them in those days; you had to take a guess at the key, or find a key that was singable and sort of play around until you could manage to get a song book. I got the right key for my voice (A minor) and most of the right chords and it sounded good. When I hear Brel singing it it just wrings me out every time.

This is one of the most beautiful songs I know. It would certainly be right up there in my desert island collection.

What are yours?

ajax87 · Post by **ajax87** » Mon Jan 17, 2022 9:52 pm

I love it, Steve. Your video doesn’t display for me (says the poster hasn’t made it visible in my country) so I looked up a classical acoustic guitar version on YouTube. And thoroughly enjoyed it!

For me, it is German composer Franz Biebl’s “Ave Maria”. It was written for a 7-part men’s chorus, in two opposing/dueling harmonies, a 4-part TTBB followed by a 3-part TTB.

I first heard it performed live around 2002, and was completely blown away by its beauty. Strange for me, as I played in a punk rock band and mainly listen to punk and hardcore. But I’ve never been able to get the song out of my head, 20 years later.

Post by **Amor Vincit Omnia** » Mon Jan 17, 2022 10:28 pm

ajax87 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 17, 2022 9:52 pm
For me, it is German composer Franz Biebl’s “Ave Maria”. It was written for a 7-part men’s chorus, in two opposing/dueling harmonies, a 4-part TTBB followed by a 3-part TTB.

I first heard it performed live around 2002, and was completely blown away by its beauty.

That’s amazing, Alex. A glorious piece of music and one that I happen to know. I bought it around the year 2000 on this CD.

I actually bought the CD for the recording of Morten Lauridsen’s wonderful O Magnum Mysterium. My choir used to sing this as an encore and I think it’s one of the most beautiful pieces of choral music I have ever sung. Listen out at 3’ 20” for the incredible scrunch between the second sopranos and first basses. I used to sing first bass and we were terrified of it at first, but when we got used to it it was a “blow your scalp off” moment!

I love this recording by a young choir from Sweden…such a clean sound!

Post by **welshlad** » Mon Jan 17, 2022 10:52 pm

Blimey, this is a great idea for a thread, Steve.

I love O Magnum Mysterium and was actually rehearsing it in October via virtual rehearsals with Morten Lauridsen himself, as part of the Stay At Home Choir. The note you picked out - a G# for the Altos, clashing against the other parts - Lauridsen described as the single most important note in the whole piece. The idea of it came to him lying in bed one night, apparently!

For my contribution to the thread, I have been trying to think of a song that is beautiful regardless of who sings it, i.e. in its own right rather because of one perfect performance. On that basis, the one I've chosen is The Prayer, written by Carol Bayer Sager and David Foster. It's a beautiful song, but devilishly difficult to sing well (for the male part at least). The best male singer of it I've come across is Andrea Bocelli, so here's a live rendition of it with him and Helene Fischer. Listen right to the end to get the full idea of the power and range of his voice!

golfjunky · Post by **golfjunky** » Mon Jan 17, 2022 11:03 pm

Slightly different for me but I’d say Everlong (acoustic) by the Foo Fighters
https://youtu.be/vLkBybsH73k

Post by **welshlad** » Mon Jan 17, 2022 11:19 pm

^^^ Excellent choice, Greg. It's also always fascinating to hear how songwriters went about writing specific pieces.

jkbarnes · Post by **jkbarnes** » Mon Jan 17, 2022 11:19 pm

I’m going with two songs. The first might is Bring Him Home from Les Miserables. It floors me every time I hear it. Simple, moving, beautiful.

My second song is a bit more pop in nature. It’s One By One by Wilco & Billy Bragg from Mermaid Avenue. It’s an album of Woody Guthrie lyrics they set to music. I find the lyrics extraordinarily beautiful.

Post by **welshlad** » Mon Jan 17, 2022 11:30 pm

^^^ Great choices, Andrew. I'd not heard the Billy Bragg & Wilco song before - it's excellent.

On Bring Him Home, you've chosen a clip with the original Jean Valjean, Colm Wilkinson, singing. He's unbelievably good - and in that concert he was singing the piece transposed up two tones especially for him, so that the final note was even higher than normal (a top A rather than a top F). Nuts!

jkbarnes · Post by **jkbarnes** » Tue Jan 18, 2022 12:05 am

welshlad wrote: ↑Mon Jan 17, 2022 11:30 pm ^^^ Great choices, Andrew. I'd not heard the Billy Bragg & Wilco song before - it's excellent.

On Bring Him Home, you've chosen a clip with the original Jean Valjean, Colm Wilkinson, singing. He's unbelievably good - and in that concert he was singing the piece transposed up two tones especially for him, so that the final note was even higher than normal (a top A rather than a top F). Nuts!

The Mermaid Avenue is fantastic, very much worth a listen.

Colm Wilkinson is my favorite. The song took on more meaning for me after a very good friend who lost a great many friends to AIDS in the 80s and 90s said it was played at almost every funeral he went to. In that context, the lyrics have more power and are incredibly moving. I’m getting misty eyed as I type this and think about it.

JAFO · Post by **JAFO** » Tue Jan 18, 2022 12:10 am

I'm not sure what you would call this, as there's no words, but Morricone's themes from Once Upon a Time in the West. There's a lot of different versions of sopranos doing this on the web.

This one is the Danish National Symphony Orchestra

https://youtu.be/efdswXXjnBA

One of the best 2 or 3 westerns ever made, as well.

strapline · Post by **strapline** » Tue Jan 18, 2022 7:59 am

It has to be this, pure and simple. A simple piano arrangement with one of the most angelic female voices of all time. The photos only add to the mood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6vlSgaKeG8

Des

strapline · Post by **strapline** » Tue Jan 18, 2022 8:40 am

JAFO wrote: ↑Tue Jan 18, 2022 12:10 am
One of the best 2 or 3 westerns ever made, as well.

Great choice and I'm in complete agreement on all counts. A stellar cast, even sans Eastwood. Claudia Cardinale is beguiling, in fact the whole cast is just superb.

Des

Post by **Bahnstormer_vRS** » Tue Jan 18, 2022 9:42 am

When I read Steve's opening post yesterday evening my mind jumped immediately to this song by my favourite artist, Joe Bonamassa.

The words are simple and sung in his own, slightly gritty, blues style, but they just mean a lot, coupled in this live version with an exquisite, extended guitar solo.

Its a beautiful song to me and I had it played as the retiring music at my wife's funeral, coming up to four years ago.

Of course we all have our own idea of what is beautiful, and some wonderful songs have been suggested so far, none more so than Andrew's suggestion of Bring Him Home from Les Miserables.

I've seen the occasional Musical over the years but my Girlfriend / Partner is a West End Musical fan and she introduced me to Les Miserables. Every time I hear Bring Him Home, pretty much regardless of who sings it, it gives me goosebumps, and I sing along the my best baritone / bass voice I can muster.

Final point, for now, this topic has inspired me to a small task, that I will put all the songs, as best I can, into a Spotify playlist for easy future reference.

Guy

Sent from my XPERIA 5 III using Tapatalk

Post by **Amor Vincit Omnia** » Tue Jan 18, 2022 10:01 am

^^^ I was waiting for that, Guy. Sometimes what the music says to us on a personal level, and what it reminds us of, goes way deeper than the music itself. A fine choice.

During the 60s there was an incredible cross culture of songs being translated between languages. Some of the great Brel songs were done in English: Seasons in the Sun (Le Moribond) by Terry Jacks; If You Go Away (Ne Me Quitte Pas) by everyone’s favourite songbird, Dusty! Brel even recorded some of his own material in Flemish/Dutch, though he was not a fluent speaker.

Speaking of Dusty, One of her great signature songs was of course translated from an Italian original; it’s another song that I love to play - I prefer the Italian lyrics.

Io Che Non Vivo by Pino Donaggio - Dusty version below.

I will post another 1960s hit by a British female artist translated from Italian later on. Any guesses? it’s very well known.

jtc · Post by **jtc** » Tue Jan 18, 2022 10:40 am

Always gives me the feels

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