The Internationale

[stefanmg]

I've been trying to find a choral version of The Internationale in English for a while now, but no luck. I've only found the Billy Bragg one, but I personally prefer the original British lyrics. However, those versions seem to be extremely rare.

Can anyone help me find a choral version with the original British translation? Thanks.

[Zanthorus]

There does seem to be a paucity of versions besides those by Hulett and Bragg.

Thought - we could do it ourselves. It would not take much to come up with a simple chorale type harmonisation of the original tune. If we could get just one person sight singing each part (Besides the soprano which should be pretty self-evident and only require an instrumental track to pitch to) then anyone else could join in just by singing along, and we could slap everything together in a DAW and have our own Revleft virtual choir version of the tune.

But to make it work we would need at least one person who can sight sing alto and one person who can sight sing bass at the right tempo (I can do the tenor part).

[Ceallach_the_Witch]

There's a very old and very crackly version from 1933 by Marc Blitzstein & The New Singers which might meet your description:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrMwNuS7aUQ

[MarxSchmarx]

There's a very old and very crackly version from 1933 by Marc Blitzstein & The New Singers which might meet your description:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrMwNuS7aUQ

Unfortunately that's probably not what the oP is seeking. They are singing a variant of the North American version which is quite distinct from the original British version.

In fact, I think the version you link to isn't the original American version either, as it references the "international soviet" and so on which is definitely a post-1917 thing. IIRC such references to the ussr are absent from e.g. the little red song booK on which I believe the song you link to is based.

Personally I find the bragg version atrocious. On the very few opportunities I've had to sing this in English with groups that use the Bragg version, I've refused.

[Fourth Internationalist]

What about this? I think these are the British lyrics.

U2iozyqbx1Y

[MarxSchmarx]

What about this? I think these are the British lyrics.

U2iozyqbx1Y

Good try but not quite. This is also primarily the British version lyric-wise

QP4l_PeBMyk

but isn't really choral either. They are scant improvements on the Hulett karaoke although I rather like the Babino rendition of the lot,

[Sentinel]

That version by 'Three Little Birds' was brilliant, thanks for posting it Aang! The lyrics were the correct british ones, and they performed it quite well. :)

Not as well as I sing it though.

[Vanguard1917]

I remember doing a similar youtube search and finding Billy Bragg's mockney version everywhere. Seems strange that there's not a proper recording of the English version anywhere on youtube

This one's very close to the original lyrics but contains only the first verse and the chorus. It's from a party meeting, so not really a proper recording:

zOkSoQapeEM

[MarxSchmarx]

Just came across this recording: it comes incredibly close, the closest I've found online for a choral version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTKgW4xej5s
Apparently it's from the 1980s. Not verbatim original English translation, but comes the closest I've heard of any choral version sung in English.

It actually sings quite well. Hearing it here, I still don't get the criticism that the English translation was "unsingable".

[ArisVelouxiotis]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au9biMnPwoY
Sang by Khosrean state orchestra

[Futility Personified]

That three little birds version is absolutely excellent!