Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet (Rus. The Blood of Jesus has never failed me ) - arrangement of 1971 by the English musician Gavin Bryars melodies of an unknown composer. It is based on the tune of a homeless person repeating a short motive. The addition of harmonies, including strings and brass , comes from stanza to stanza.
Bryars says:
In 1971, when I lived in London , my friend Alan Power and I worked on a film about people living in the London areas of Elephant and Castle and Waterloo. During the filming, some of them strayed into drunken songs - sometimes to pieces from various operas, sometimes to sentimental ballads. And one of them, who was not at all drunk, sang the melody of the religious song “Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet”. It was not used in the film, and I got it for undivided use.
When I returned and put it at home, it turned out that the homeless motif fell into the tuning of my piano, and I improvised a simple accompaniment. I also noticed that the first section of the motive - 13- beat - consisted of an interesting cyclical melody, which was repeated in a slightly unpredictable manner.
I took the cassette with this loop to Leicester, where I worked at the Academy of Fine Arts, and copied it with multiple reprises to another tape, reflecting on a possible orchestral arrangement. The door to the remote control room was open toward a large art studio when I went out to drink coffee.
When I returned, I found that the studio became unusually sluggish, people moved much slower than usual, and some of them sat alone, crying quietly. I was puzzled until I realized that my film was still playing, and people were embraced by the singing of a homeless old man. This story convinced me of the emotional power of music. And even though the tramp died before he could hear what I did with his singing, his optimism and fortitude are still clearly audible in my arrangement.
Versions
The original, 25-minute version of this piece was first introduced at Queen Elizabeth Hall in December 1972 and recorded for the Brian Eno label Obscure in 1975. The 74-minute version was recorded in 1993 for the Point label with Tom Waits singing to the original version of the tramp over the last sections.
Links
- Schaefer, John. "New Sounds: A Listener's Guide to New Music." Harper & Row, 1987.59. ISBN 0-06-055054-6
- Schaefer, John. "New Sounds: A Listener's Guide to New Music." Harper & Row, 1987.59. ISBN 0-06-055054-6
- Howse, Christopher. "The Assurance of Hope." Continuum International Publishing Group, 2006. xix. ISBN 0-8264-8271-6
- Briars, Gavin. " Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet . " Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
- "Reviews from The Horizons - Art, Culture and Lifestyles from India." The Horizons. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
- "The Music Tapes: Tiny Desk Concert." NPR Music. December 20, 2011. Retrieved July 16, 2012.