Aretha Franklin's Amazing Grace

Aretha Franklin's Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace, one of the most well known songs in the world, has been, and will continue to be, performed in a vast variety of ways. Whether it is up–tempo, balladic, or somewhere in between, this song is much like the American National Anthem, in that every artist who approaches the piece wants to incorporate their own signature style. Aretha Franklin and Judy Collins are two women who are not deviant from that standard. Both of these women have produced classic renditions of the same piece, but with wildly contrasting attributes.

Aretha Franklin, well known as a singer and figurehead for African–American gospel, recorded Amazing Grace with her own stylings and flair. However, this piece was not devoid of many key characteristics of West African musical tradition. Ortiz Walton authored a piece of writing entitled, "Music – Black, White, and Blue: A ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...The first of these is collective participation. Franklin's version of Amazing Grace is saturated with this form of musical tradition. From the opening of the piece, there is a large sum of audience participation with verbal exclamations, clapping, snapping, and humming. Several choir members are heard shouting and clapping throughout the entirety of the song. In addition, there is a clear rooting with improvisation and antiphony in between verses and choruses. This piece genuinely seemed to be coming from the soul rather than a book. Franklin's performance is full of piano and vocal jazz and blues scales that exist primarily in the minor key. Walton discusses African scales and the nuances

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