Robeson Vs. Warfield: The Effects Of Style

Robeson Versus Warfield: The Effects of Style
From tempo to diction, any change in the performance of song can not only create a completely different experience for the listener, but also grant an entirely different meaning to the song being performed. This concept is incredibly well represented in the differences between Paul Robeson’s and William Warfield’s rendition of “Ol’ Man River.” Some of the main divergences being in the tempo of the song, musical style, and finally in how the song was performed in relation to staging.
Of course, the simplest and most apparent variation is the tempo. In the 1936 version of Showboat, where Robeson’s version originates, is noticeably faster, while Warfield’s 1951 variant is extremely slow and gentle.

However, the Robeson version isn’t strictly allegro; it features several slower, more exaggerated sections of singing. This variation in tempo causes the song to be significantly more engaging than its entirely slow counterpart. Nevertheless, the slow version has benefits of its own. It is often said that the slower version is meant to show a greater deal of seriousness, as opposed to the often bouncier version performed by Robeson. But one cannot judge the intensity of a song by tempo alone; several other performance factors must also be taken into account.
Included in the core performance factors of a song is the overall style used.

Robeson’s performance of the song is of a more common sort; an actor who can sing with a style very much like that used in casual conversation. His diction is clear, but his singing is far from the incredibly operatic styles often seen in the performances of the time. Warfield, on the other hand, performs as a singer filling an actor’s role. His voice is full and very clearly classically trained. This is accentuated by the slower tempo utilized in the 1951 version of the song. The combination of tempo and style causes Warfield to come across as very pensive and slightly exasperated, not unlike Robeson who also comes across as very stressed. However, Robeson’s rendition seems more accepting than thoughtful, as if the ideas presented in the song are not simply his own, but rather a common idea shared among many. The concept of the ideas being shared may be related to the fact that Robeson’s version was performed during a period in which African American people were heavily stereotyped, and thus likely to often experience the same struggles. This concept is reinforced by the use of a chorus singing with Robeson in several parts of the song. The group of people that sing with Robeson bring more than just their voices to the table when it comes to changing the feel of the song, as they are heavily involved in staging as

well.
The final differentiating factor between the 1936 and 1951 versions of “Ol’ Man River” is seen in how the scenes were filmed.

Warfield’s version of the song shows him and him alone, as he walks around a farm at dusk, the colors much more muted than during the majority of the film. This feature of darker colors for more serious feeling is shown in many other films, including the famous Harry Potter series which is filmed in progressively darker scenery as the situations represented become more dire. The 1936 version may not have color, but it did manage to show variance in intensity through the use of darker, heavier clouds in the backgrounds. Unlike Warfield’s version, Robeson’s performance has both periods of light and dark, to grant the song a more varied and emotional

styling.
Whether the change is small like the colors in a background, or large like the speed the song is performed at, any change in the performance of a song is capable of creating a completely different meaning as well as a completely different experience for the viewer. Through the utilization of changes in tempo, style, and staging Robeson and Warfield show the world two entirely different versions of “Ol’ Man River,” both of which represent differences in society at the time as well as how seriously each rendition of the musical took itself.