It is amazing that Hines, of all singers, was told by the conductor to NOT take the optional low note. No one covers the earth with darkness as did Jerome Hines. God bless his memory.

Uau, powerful. The voice brings the sensation of horror from the darkness and then the joy of the light. Bravo!

What a great voice, and a singer for all occasions. The photo of him singing with the Salvation Army brought back a wonderful memory for me. I was singing with the Seton Hall University Chorale in the early 1970s, and we sang Christmas carols at an outdoor ceremony in South Orange, NJ, and Mr. Hines sang with us. I was, and still am, in awe of his singing.

Hines is the most powerful bass singer I've ever heard!!) I love him!

Possibly the finest and certainly the most beautiful bass voice in recorded history.

I've just listened to much of Klemperer's Messiah. Hines is just magnificent. Every note is rich velvet.

Hines raised the bar for bass and has yet to be surpassed. I have yet to hear a bass that even comes close. Thank you for sharing this!

Thank you for this post. Our family are long-time fans of this beloved and very much missed artist. His memory, his voice, and convictions live on through eternity.

My, what a voice! It's impressive!

Isaiah 9 2. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

Grazie a Dio per questi tuoi santi doni! Che voce meravigliosa

Incredibly powerful and beautiful voice, like none other.

Jerry Hines's rich, dark basso was ideally suited to this classic aria from Handel's MESSIAH.

Awesome and so beautiful! Takes my breath away!

Nice to be reminded that there were once real bass voices.

What elegance, this is real singing. This is how this work should be interpreted and sung. Why is it that when I hear the modern performances I get the impression the bass/baritone is a scarce tenor with no technique and the singing is usually absolutely horrid. As with the other characters. What has happened to our culture in over 50 years?

The best bass for me.

absolutely the best ever!!

Gorgeous voice!

thanks from brazil

Jerome Hines is a great Bass , he also wrote a wonderful book Great Singers on Great Singing Sadly he doesn’t mention himself in it but would have been appropriate in my opinion.

Magnificent

Thank you for posting this video. I am very interesting in his recordings.

Thank you so much for this post!!! Great american voice!

Une basse profonde , un octaviste , quelle force de déclamation avec une diction parfaite , un souffle sans fin . De loin le plus grand pour moi .

It must really have been something to hear him sing with the Salvation Army. I know you keep posting his picture doing this. I wonder what he sang when he sang that day or was this something he did frequently? What an amazing voice. Does he do any more arias from the Messiah besides the two I've listened to today?

Più completo basso della storia!!!!

Actually in this recording with, I believe, Klemperer, there is a good argument for deleting the low F sharp since it rather awkwardly, IMO, interrupts the direction that Handel‘s melodic takes. I never sang it in this manner but now realize the validity of the conductor‘s viewpoint. Hines could certainly have sung it with the low note as most others have done but this alternate opinion is understandable.

Anyone else hear that strange "flourish" at 3:15? Sounds like he intended to sing the low F but changed his mind at the last moment (unlikely I know).

magnification

he should have told the conductor to take a "flying leap"!

Mora se priti od montreala do novega mesta da se slisi glas tega cloveka ki naj bi bil vzor za vse bodoce studente opernega petja

Breath control!!!!!!!!!!

And I apologize

I like to hear a real bass in these arias. I find it odd that Hines skips the low F in the second phraseof the aria. Many of the oratorio specialists also skip this note but they are usually much lighter voices. Hines also skips the dimuendos on the word "death". I think I will follow Hines'lead and also sing this piece without those artsy-fartsy dimuendos

Great except this is "For Behold, Darkness Shall Cover the Earth"

He sings like it's Wagner, not Handel. No Baroque style at all........