I enjoy all kinds of music—Classical, Blues, Jazz, Folk, Pop, Rock. Give me a song with lots of grace notes, glissandos and appoggiaturas and I’m in heaven. I enjoy complex, reflective music. At the same time, I know that the best music comes from the heart of the singer and sometimes ‘less is more’. Let’s take David Archuleta’s ALMA Awards rendition of “Contigo en la Distancia” and compare it to others. For further reference, you might also listen to David himself singing this song a few years ago.
The Sport of Singing
American Idol has been criticized for making a sport of singing. Its contestants are encouraged and rewarded for using many musical ornaments to out-sing one another. The AI singing athletes bring their own equipment to the game: trills, runs, bluesy slides, sustained notes, melisma, and high notes. Mariah Carey encouraged David Archuleta to use his falsetto, saying “I wouldn’t be mad at ya.”
Compare these three versions of “Contigo en la Distancia” and tell us which one you like the best and why.
Luis Miguel
(too little?)
Christina Aguilera on The Tonight Show
(too much?)
David Archuleta at the ALMA Awards, taped live September 17, 2009
(just right!)
The Gift to Be Simple
“Simple Gifts” was written by Elder Joseph while he was at the Shaker community in Alfred, Maine in 1848.
‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free,
‘Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.When true simplicity is gain’d,
To bow and to bend we shan’t be asham’d,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come out right.
DA Postcard Blitz: D-DAY October 13
October 13, D-Day, is three weeks away. Do you have your “Thumbs Up” postcard? Review the plan of action and get all the details, including the mailing address for David Archuleta. If you need help or have questions, please contact me soon. I hope everyone can participate!
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month
It has been nearly 41 years since Jose Feliciano sang “The Star Spangled Banner” at the World Series on October 7, 1968.
Buzz-phrase
melisma
Etymology: New Latin, from Greek, song, melody, from melizein to sing, from melos song * Date: circa 1880
1: a group of notes or tones sung on one syllable
2: melodic embellishment
Instead of using the word ‘melisma’ in a sentence, sing “Angels We Have Heard on High” which contains one of the most melismatic sequences in popular Christian music. How many notes can you sing on the letter o in the word “Gloria”?
Now make a beeline to last week’s “Type Bee”. Catch you next week! Now one final thought…
Buzz-phrase
To stop the flow of music would be like the stopping of time itself, incredible and inconceivable.
~ Aaron Copland (1900 – 1990)
Creating Sweet Buzz for David Archuleta
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Tags: "Star Spangled Banner" · ALMA Awards · Christina Aguilera · Contigo en la Distancia · Jose Feliciano · Luis Miguel · melisma · minja · Type Bee
Filed in: career|columnists|David Archuleta|minja|music
This Post has earned 5 Buzzes.
5 responses so far ↓
Hi minja,
It’s been a long while not leaving a comment, but does not mean I am not visiting haha…
What attracted me to post a comment was the Luis, Christina and David’s rendition of Contigo. How can you compare the three. Each gave such powerful performance of the song. I don’t speak Spanish and I don’t know what was the song all about. However, what captivated me was their special connection as they sang the song. I believe, each one gave a special connection that will make you love their phenomenal artistry. I love Luis, Christina, and David. All are amazing artist in their own rights.
I agree more than 100% David’s was just right! PERFECT!!!
Thanks for the beautiful article. You are amazing.
FYI, I love our honeybees and ofcourse our Prince Honey Bee, David.
Take care and Cheers!
Well, I agree that David’s rendition is, indeed, just right!
Of course, it seems that everything David sings or says is always just right! I had never even heard of Luis Miguel before now. Gosh, I know…sorry…but after hearing his version, which most people were already familiar with, I think that David once again, takes hold of a song and simply owns it, as if it was meant only for him.
I can’t stop listening to ‘Contigo’ and I’ve practially memorized the words AND their meaning!
It was such an incredible performance by David. He is our Golden Boy!
I have been reading posts all over the internet comparing David’s rendition with Luis’ & Cristina’s; you have come up with the perfect solution for me by placing all three videos so that I can listen to them together. Thanks Minja!
Luis has a very beautiful voice but, he seemed a little distracted to me, so I had a hard time getting into the song.
Cristina’s was gorgeous until the end. It became too hard for me, if that makes sense. David’s also swelled like the ocean, but unlike Xtina’s, where the wave crashes against the rocks, David’s rendition pulled me along, but gently deposited me on the sand.
Alright, so I’m not a wordsmith lol, but that is my take on these three renditions of the song. 🙂
Funny about this post. I was too busy over the weekend (even off on Monday) but didn’t get a chance to sit down and really read this post. AND then yesterday as I was talking to the PT that came to our facility to help us out… who happens to be Latina… she was telling me about Luis’ version of the song. We went to look it up and there they were all three of the different artists. It was great and Nancy loved David’s version…
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