Search - Frank Patterson :: Sings Sacred Songs of Ireland

The Incomparable Tenor

Lois C. Fleming | Chicago Suburbs, USA | 04/16/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I "met" Frank Patterson unexpectedly at the checkout counter of the museum housing the Book of Kells, at Trinity College, Dublin, where I saw a CD of Irish songs sung by a tenor I had not yet heard of. I bought it and became an instant fan. Later I watched him on American PBS programs, and always imagined I'd meet him one day. He was so personable, and gave the impression he was singing directly to each member of his vast television audience. The loss felt personal when I read of his unexpected and untimely death.



With over 20 of his CDs in my collection, this contains several of my favorite songs in his repertoire. At the top are "Lead Kindly Light," to the tune Sandon, commonly used in Britain and Ireland, and "Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All," which I read he had requested be played at his funeral, as the casket was removed from the cathedral.



The rich lyric tenor voice soars up and floats away at the end of "Lead, Kindly Kight," in the feat of vocal control most accomplished singers can only dream of. If you like hymns and sacred songs sung by classically trained voices in peak form, get this album. You'll love it. The orchestrations are well suited to each piece, and quality of recording much superior to some of his earlier albums, no doubt produced on tighter budgets.



I prefer lyric tenors to the full-blown operatic voice, and Frank Patterson is the best of the best."