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Deep River
Last updated: 02.02.24
I'm sure I can remember "Deep river" being sung by Paul Robeson whilst I was still a small child in the late 1940's. As a child, I always associated the words "deep river" with the depths of Paul Robeson's voice and especially when swimming in my beloved River Severn at Worcester, England. The version I sing can be found in Lieder, Songs und Gospels 3. I would love to be just a quarter as good as this famous Canadian but, sadly - alas and alack etc., we are many galaxies apart.
This version is quite different to that found in The Story of the Jubilee Singers in that it is in the key of D (A in the original) and provides only one verse instead of the original's three verses.
It was an unexpected pleasure was to be reunited with this song again in 2006 when I was a member of Die Zeitlupe. There we sang an E♭-major SATB arrangement by H. T. Burleigh - a nice contrast to the more "classical" items in our programme.
It may be found in 4 Voices published by Edition Helbling.
  Composer Sequencer
     
  Midi File(s) from various sources      
audiomidi15.gif Unknown Frank Petersohn
     Performer CD Title Supplier
       
cd15.gif Clara Butt Britain's Queen of Song flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif flag15it.gif flag15es.gif
cd15.gif Douglas Jimerson Stephen Foster's America CD(s) & MP3 Album(s) flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif flag15it.gif flag15es.gif
cd15.gif Various Artists Wade In The Water CD(s) & MP3 Album(s) flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif flag15it.gif flag15es.gif
cd15.gif Norman Luboff Choir Songs of the South/Songs of the Sea flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif flag15it.gif flag15es.gif
cd15.gif Paul Robeson Ballad For Americans CD(s) & MP3 Album(s) flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif flag15it.gif flag15es.gif
cd15.gif Paul Robeson A Lonesome Road flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif flag15it.gif
cd15.gif Paul Robeson Paul Robeson - Song Recital flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif flag15it.gif flag15es.gif
     Title Performer Composer
       
youtube15.jpg Deep River (2:54) Clara Butt Traditional
youtube15.jpg Deep River arr - HT Burleigh (2:50) The Bowdoin College Chamber Choir Traditional