Rhone
River
View over the Rhone flowing from Valais into Lake Geneva
Countries	Switzerland, France
Source	Rhone Glacier
Mouth	Mediterranean Sea
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
- coordinates	43°19′51″N 4°50′44″E / 43.33083°N 4.84556°E / 43.33083; 4.84556
Length	813 km (505 mi)
Basin	98,000 km2 (37,838 sq mi)
Area	54 km2 (21 sq mi)
Discharge
- average	1,710 m3/s (60,388 cu ft/s)
- max	13,000 m3/s (459,091 cu ft/s)
- min	360 m3/s (12,713 cu ft/s)

The Rhone (French: Rhône, IPA: [ʁon]; German: Rhone; Walliser German: Rotten; Italian: Rodano; Arpitan: Rôno; Occitan: Ròse) is one of the major rivers of Europe, rising in Switzerland and running from there through southeastern France. At Arles, near its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea, the river divides into two branches, known as the Great Rhone (French: Grand Rhône) and the Little Rhone (Petit Rhône). The resulting delta constitutes the Camargue region.

In French, the adjective derived from the river is rhodanien, as in le sillon rhodanien (literally "the furrow of the Rhone"), which is the name of the long, straight Saône and Rhone river valleys, a deep cleft running due south to the Mediterranean and separating the Alps from the Massif Central.

Navigation[link]

Before railroads and highways were developed, the Rhone was an important inland trade and transportation route, connecting the cities of Arles, Avignon, Valence, Vienne and Lyon to the Mediterranean ports of Fos, Marseille and Sète. Travelling down the Rhone by barge would take three weeks. By motorized vessel, the trip now takes only three days. The Rhône is classified as a class V waterway^[1] from the mouth of the Saône river to the sea. The Saône, which is also canalized, connects the Rhône ports to the cities of Villefranche-sur-Saône, Mâcon and Chalon-sur-Saône. Smaller vessels (up to CEMT class I) can travel further northwest, north and northeast via the Centre-Loire-Briare and Loing Canals to the Seine river, via the Canal de la Marne à la Saône (recently often called the "Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne") to the Marne, via the Canal des Vosges (formerly called the "Canal de l'Est – Branche Sud") to the Moselle and via the Canal du Rhône au Rhin to the Rhine.

The Rhone is infamous for its strong current when the river carries large quantities of water: current speeds up to 10 kilometres per hour (6 mph) are sometimes reached, particularly in the stretch below the last lock at Valabrègues and in some of the diversion canals. The ten river locks are operated daily from 05:00 a.m. until 09:00 p.m. Night operation can be requested and is usually granted.^[2]

Course[link]

The Rhone Glacier above Oberwald, Switzerland is the source of the river. The Rhone flowing through the valleys of the Swiss Alps and arriving into Lake Geneva, in Switzerland.

The Rhone rises as an effluent of the Rhone Glacier in Valais, in the Swiss Alps, at an altitude of approximately 2,150 metres (7,050 ft).^[3]

Down as far as Brig, the Rhone is a torrent; it then becomes a great mountain river running southwest through a glacier valley. Between Brig and Martigny, it collects waters mostly from the valleys of the Pennine Alps to the south, whose rivers originate from the large glaciers of the massifs of Monte Rosa, Dom, and Grand Combin.

After Martigny, the river turns northwest towards Lake Geneva (French Lac Léman) and separates the Chablais Alps from the Bernese Alps. With a mean discharge of 165 m³/s it enters Lake Geneva near the Swiss town of Bouveret and exits it at the city of Geneva before entering France. The average annual discharge from Lake Geneva is 251 m³/s (8,900 cu ft/s).^[4] After a course of 290 kilometers the Rhone leaves Switzerland.

At Lyon, which is the biggest city along its course, the Rhone meets its biggest tributary. The Saône carries 400 m³/s and the Rhone itself 600 m³/s. From here the Rhone follows the southbound direction of the Saône. Along the Rhone Valley, it is joined on the right (western) bank by the rivers Eyrieux, Ardèche, Cèze, and Gardon coming from the Cévennes mountains; and on the left bank by the rivers Isère (350 m³/s), Drôme, Ouvèze, and Durance (188 m³/s) from the Alps.

At Arles, the Rhone divides into two major arms forming the Camargue delta, both branches flowing into the Balearic Sea, part of the Mediterranean Sea, the delta being termed the Rhone Fan. The larger arm is called the "Grand Rhône", the smaller the "Petit Rhône". The average annual discharge at Arles is 1,710 m³/s (60,000 cu ft/s).^[4]

History[link]

Mouth of the Rhone

The Rhone has been an important highway since the times of the Greeks and Romans. It was the main trade route from the Mediterranean to east-central Gaul.^[5] As such, it helped convey Greek cultural influences to the western Hallstatt and the later La Tène cultures.^[5] Celtic tribes living near the Rhone included the Seduni, Segobriges, Allobroges, Segusiavi, Helvetii, Vocontii and Volcae Arecomici.^[5]

Navigation was difficult, as the river suffered from fierce currents, shallows, floods in spring and early summer when the ice was melting, and droughts in late summer. Until the 19th century, passengers travelled in coches d'eau (water coaches) drawn by men or horses, or under sail. Most travelled with a painted cross covered with religious symbols as superstitious protection against the hazards of the journey.^[6]

Trade on the upper river used barques du Rhône, sailing barges, 30 by 3.5 metres (98 by 11.5 ft), with a 75-tonne (170,000 lb) capacity. As many as 50 to 80 horses were employed to haul trains of five to seven craft upstream. Goods would be transshipped at Arles into 23-metre (75 ft) sailing barges called allèges d'Arles for the final run down to the Mediterranean.

The first experimental steam boat was built at Lyon by Jouffroy d'Abbans in 1783. Regular services were not started until 1829 and they continued until 1952. Steam passenger vessels 80 to 100 metres (260–330 ft) long made up to 20 kilometres per hour (12 mph) and could do the downstream run from Lyon to Arles in a day. Cargo was hauled in bateau-anguilles, boats 157 by 6.35 metres (515 by 20.83 ft) with paddle wheels amidships, and bateaux crabes, a huge toothed 'claw' wheel 6.5 metres (21 ft) across to grip the river bed in the shallows to supplement the paddle wheels. In the 20th century, powerful motor barges propelled by diesel engines were introduced, carrying 1,500 tonnes (3,300,000 lb).

In 1933, the Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR) was established to tame the river. Some progress was made in deepening the navigation channel and constructing scouring walls, but World War II brought such work to a halt. In 1942, following the collapse of Vichy France, Italian military forces occupied southeastern France up to the eastern banks of the Rhône, as part of the Italian Fascist regime's expansionist agenda.

In 1948, the government started construction on a series of locked barrages and canal cuts, to improve navigation and generate electricity, with locks raising boats up to 23 metres (75 ft). Approximately 8% of France's electricity supply is now provided by these power stations.^{[citation needed]}

Etymology[link]

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Starry Night Over the Rhone, by Vincent van Gogh (1888)

The word "Rhone" comes from Latin Rhodanus, which itself comes from Greek Ῥοδανός Rhodanos, the Greek rendering of the Gaulish (Celtic) name of the river, as heard by Greeks' living in the colony of Massalia (Marseille). The Celtic name of the river was something like Rodonos or Rotonos (Great River) (-onos/-ona is a suffix meaning Great). Rodo/Roto, literally "that which rolls", or "that which runs", is a frequent name of rivers in the ancient Celtic tongue. It was also the name of the lower Seine, as well as several other rivers of western Europe. The Celtic name comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *ret- ("to run, roll"), which yielded the word rota ("wheel") in Latin, from which is derived "rotate" and "to roll" in English. Cognates in modern Celtic languages are Irish rith (in some dialects ruth or ruith, Scottish ruith/rith and Welsh rhedeg, both meaning "to run", as well as the Gaelic noun roth wheel.

Some scholars^[who?] posit that the root rot- or rod- found in the name "Rhone" as well as in the name of many western European rivers, and whose original meaning seems to be "river", is in fact Pre-Indo-European. It would then be only a coincidence that it resembles the Proto-Celtic verb reto ("to run"). Further research is needed to decide between these two theories.

Along the Rhone[link]

Cities and towns along the Rhone include:

The Rhone through Geneva, Switzerland.		The Rhone (left) meeting the Arve River in Geneva.

Switzerland[link]

• Oberwald (Valais)
• Brig (Valais)
• Visp (Valais)
• Leuk (Valais)
• Sierre (Valais)
• Sion (Valais)
• Martigny (Valais)
• St. Maurice (Valais)
• see Lake Geneva for a list of Swiss and French towns around the lake
• Geneva (Geneva)

France[link]

The Rhone in Lyon under the Boucle's Bridge. The Rhone at Avignon.

• Lyon, (Rhône (département))
• Vienne (Isère)
• Tournon-sur-Rhône (Ardèche) opposite Tain-l'Hermitage (Drôme)
• Valence (Drôme) opposite Saint-Péray and Guilherand-Granges (Ardèche)
• Montélimar (Drôme) opposite Le Teil and Rochemaure (Ardèche)
• Viviers (Ardèche)
• Bourg-Saint-Andéol (Ardèche)
• Pont-Saint-Esprit (Gard)
• Roquemaure (Gard)
• Avignon (Vaucluse) opposite Villeneuve-lès-Avignon (Gard)
• Beaucaire (Gard) opposite Tarascon (Bouches-du-Rhône)
• Vallabrègues (Gard)
• Arles (Bouches-du-Rhône)

See also[link]

• Rhône (département)
• Rhône (wine region)
• Witenwasserenstock (triple watershed: Rhone-Rhine-Po)

References and notes[link]

Further reading[link]

• Sara B. Pritchard. Confluence: The Nature of Technology and the Remaking of the Rhone (Harvard University Press; 2011) 371 pages; a social, environmental, and technological history of the transformation of the river since 1945

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rhône River

• InfoRhone Navigation and river conditions
• CNR The Rhone Authority
• Rhone guide Places, ports and moorings on the Grand Rhone.
• Petit Rhone guide Places and moorings on the Petit Rhone.
• The Rhone-Mediterranean page of EauFrance
• Waterways in France

The Reverend Dr. James Cleveland (December 5, 1931 - February 9, 1991) was a gospel singer, arranger, composer and, most significantly, the driving force behind the creation of the modern gospel sound, bringing the stylistic daring of hard gospel and jazz and pop music influences to arrangements for mass choirs. He is known as the King of Gospel music.^[1]

Biography[link]

Early life and career[link]

Born in Chicago, he began singing as a boy soprano at Pilgrim Baptist Church, where Thomas A. Dorsey was minister of music and Roberta Martin was pianist for the choir. He strained his vocal cords as a teenager while part of a local gospel group, leaving the distinctive gravelly voice that was his hallmark in his later years. The change in his voice led him to focus on his skills as a pianist and later as a composer and arranger. For his pioneering accomplishments and contributions, he is regarded by many to be one of the greatest gospel singers to ever live.^[2]

Musical career[link]

Work with The Gospelaires[link]

In 1950, Cleveland joined the Gospelaires, a trio led by Norsalus McKissick and Bessie Folk, who were associated with Martin. Martin hired him as a composer and arranger after the group disbanded. His arrangements of songs such as "(Give Me That) Old Time Religion" and "It's Me O Lord" transformed them, giving a rocking lilt and insistent drive to old standards.

The Caravans[link]

Cleveland subsequently went to work for Albertina Walker, popularly referred to as the "Queen of Gospel"^[3] and the Caravans as a composer, arranger, pianist and occasional singer/narrator. In November 1954, Albertina Walker provided him the opportunity to do his very first recording. By staying out of the studio for a while, she convinced States Records to allow him to record with her group. He continued to record with The Caravans until States closed down in 1957.^[4] He left and returned to the Caravans a number of times to join other groups, such as the Gospel All-Stars and the Gospel Chimes, where he mixed pop ballad influences with traditional shouting. In 1959 he recorded a version of Ray Charles' hit "Hallelujah I Love Her So" as a solo artist.

Savoy Records[link]

James Cleveland signed with Savoy Records in 1962 going on to release a huge catalog of black gospel recordings, many of which were recorded in a live concert setting.

[edit] The Love of God

He became known by more than just the professionals within gospel music with his version of the Soul Stirrers' song, "The Love of God", backed by the Voices of Tabernacle from Detroit. Rev. Cleveland migrated to Los Angeles as Minister of Music at Grace Memorial Church of God in Christ. In Los Angeles, Cleveland attained even greater popularity working with keyboardist Billy Preston and the Angelic Choir of Nutley, New Jersey; his recording of "Peace Be Still" (in 1963), an obscure 18th-century madrigal, sold hundreds of thousands of copies thanks to Cleveland's comforting growl and emotional command, his popularity grew to great acclaim, causing him once again to return to the road, this time with the newly organized James Cleveland Singers, Odessa McCastle, Georgia White, and Eugene Bryant, along with Billy Preston. In 1964 Cleveland re-organized The James Cleveland Singers again this time the group was made up of - Odessa McCastle, Roger Roberts and Gene Viale. In 1965, Cleveland added Clyde Brown and Charles Barnett to his group, which by then was traveling extensively throughout the United States and abroad into the late 60's, performing in all major venues, this collaboration brought memorable recordings such as "Heaven That Will Be Good Enough For Me", "Two Wings", "The Lord Is Blessing Me Right Now" and many others. From the 70's until 1990, Cleveland would bring together a number of artists to back him on appearances and records. He backed acts as well, contributing for instance, to one of Elton John's songs,Boogie Pilgrim. He would also continue to appear and record with some of the greatest Gospel Choirs of that time.

Gospel Workshop of America[link]

Cleveland capitalized on his success by founding his own choir, the Southern California Community Choir, as well as a church, Cornerstone Institutional Baptist Church, that went from a handful of congregants (10) to thousands of members during his life. His influence stretched even further: like Dorsey before him, he taught others how to achieve the modern gospel sound through his annual Gospel Singers Workshop Convention, put on by the Gospel Music Workshop of America ("GMWA"), an organization that Cleveland founded along with Queen of Gospel Albertina Walker, and now which has over 30,000 members in 150 chapters. The GMWA has produced, among others, John P. Kee.

Musical style[link]

The style he pioneered — large disciplined organizations who used complex arrangements and unusual time signatures to turn their massive vocal power to achieve the propulsive rhythms, intricate harmonies and individual virtuosity of the greatest groups of gospel's Golden Age — was still the wellspring for the mass choirs of that era.^[5][6]

Death[link]

Cleveland suffered from severe respiratory problems and died, on February 9, 1991, due to heart failure. ^[7] Cleveland is interred at the Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California.^{[8][9][10][11]}

Awards[link]

• Grammy Award won for Best Gospel Album by a Choir or Chorus 1990:
  The Southern California Community Choir: Having Church
• Grammy Award won for Best Soul Gospel Performance, Traditional 1980:
  James Cleveland & The Charles Fold Singers: Lord, Let Me Be an Instrument
• Grammy Award won for Best Soul Gospel Performance, Traditional 1977:
  James Cleveland: James Cleveland Live at Carnegie Hall
• Grammy Award won for Best Soul Gospel Performance 1974:
  James Cleveland & The Southern California Community Choir: In the Ghetto

References[link]

Other references

• James Cleveland (1983). Gospel (DVD). Golden Door Productions. 
• "Grammy Award Wins by James Cleveland". Grammy.com. http://grammy.org/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/Results.aspx?title=&winner=james%20cleveland&year=0&genreID=0&hp=1. 
• Viale, Gene D. I Remember Gospel And I Keep On Singing. AuthorHouse. ISBN [[Special:BookSources/9871449076818|9871449076818]]. 

External links[link]

• Biography of Rev. James Cleveland
• James Cleveland at the Internet Movie Database