Too much hallelujah
20/09/16 05:41
We seem to have the ability to take the most profound and meaningful words and phrases and turn them into something less. I’m not sure what this says about human culture and identity, but I find that I am often trying to help recover meanings in expressions that have been rendered trite by popular culture.
Here is an example.
The Hebrew phrase הללו יה is spelled several different ways in English. Usually it is rendered “Alleluia” or “Hallelujah.” The contemporary word in English took a trip through Greek, Latin and Old English before being rendered as a word in common usage. In Hebrew, its literal meaning is “Praise ye Yah,” or “Praise Yah, you people.” Yah is a short form of Yahweh, the four Hebrew letters that traditionally have been interpreted as the personal name of God. In that same tradition, those letters are not pronounced out loud out of respect, so the word Adonai is substituted when those letters appear in the text of the Hebrew Scriptures are read out loud. The phrase, הללו יה, however, is pronounced since it doesn’t include all four of the consonants of Yahweh. If you are already confused by my explanation, hold on. It gets more confusing.
The word Alleluia has come to refer to a specific Christian liturgical chant. In an Alleluia, the word is combined with verses of scripture, usually from the Psalms and occasionally from songs that are reported in the Gospels such as the songs of Elizabeth, Zechariah and Mary. In a traditional liturgy, the Alleluia is sung before the proclamation of the Gospel except during the season of Lent, when no Alleluia is chanted.
If you want to do more research, however, be sure to “Google” Alleluia, not Hallelujah. A quick search of the latter will turn up hundreds of articles about the song written by Leonard Cohen. Before discussing that song, however, it is worth noting that it isn’t the first time a specific song has become associated with the term. In early January of 1940, Randall Thompson composed a four-part chorus. Later that year, in July, it was given its first public performance at the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood. The piece was written as a commission. Serge Koussevitzky, director of the Tanglewood Festival wanted a fanfare for voices to be performed at the opening celebration of the new Berkshire Music Center. Koussevitzky had in mind a joyous work. Thompson produced a quiet and introspective piece, moved by the war in Europe, the fall of France and other world events. Given the state of world politics, it seemed to Thompson that a more introspective piece was in order. The text is simply the word Alleluia repeated over and over again with an Amen at the end with the choir divided into seven parts. While we expect the word Alleluia to be a most joyous expression, the piece by Thompson is a very sad piece. It is probably Randall Thompson’s most popular composition. Choirs around the world have sung it on many occasions and it is frequently performed to this day.
Leonard Cohen’s “Halleljuah,” however is a different thing entirely. I don’t know much about the context in which the song was written, but if you listen to the words of the verses, it is difficult to even call it a song of faith. “I don’t know if there’s a God above” is one of the phrases. Another speaks of the gun of one that “out drew you.” It is hard to tell if it is a love ballad or a kind of personal statement about the trials of being a songwriter. But the chorus is catchy. It hangs in your mind and after you have heard the song, it easily becomes an “ear worm” that you can’t get out of your mind.
The song, however, has become so omnipresent that the composer himself once asked for a break from it. “I think it’s a good song, but too many people sing it,” he told the Guardian newspaper in 2009, agreeing with a critic who asked for “a moratorium on ‘Hallelujah’ in movies and television shows.
I guess the producers of the Emmy Awards were unaware of that moratorium. The memoriam segment began with Tori Kelly’s guitar and the start of the first verse, “Well, I heard there was a secret chord.”
The song has been covered by musicians from Bob Dylan, Bono, Bon Jovi, Willie Nelson, Paramore and Celine Dion. It’s been rendered in rock (Rolling Stones), punk (Bush Tetras) and jazz (Charlie Parker).
It has been a part of popular movies such as Shrek and television shows such as The West Wing. It seems almost blasphemy to have used in in Nicholas Cage’s movie, “Lord of War,” but it is there. It’s made appearances on “E.R., Scrubs, General Hospital, Trauma, and House.” I guess it has a penchant for hospital dramas.
One story is that Mr. Cohen drafted as many as 80 verses for the song while writing the original song. Adam Sandler came up with a few more for a concert for the relief efforts following Hurricane Sandy, including lyrics bout Mark Sanchez’s “butt fumble” and the loss of pornographic theaters in Times Square.”
The song showed up on American Idol, The X Factor, America’s God Talent and The Sing-Off. Apparently amateurs can remember the words to the chorus without too much effort. And if you are a fan of the genre, which I am not, I hear that the Dancing with the Stars version featured Michael Bolton singing the song surrounded by a children’s chorus and fog machines as he was raised up on a piece of theatrical equipment.
There’s not much we can do about our culture, but I think that it might make sense for people of faith to return to the practice of avoiding alleluias during the season of Lent. The idea is to take a six-week break from celebrations to practice the art of grief. To do so in our culture would mean taking a six-week break from movies and television.
Hmm . . . now there is a good idea. I think I’ll give it a try.
Here is an example.
The Hebrew phrase הללו יה is spelled several different ways in English. Usually it is rendered “Alleluia” or “Hallelujah.” The contemporary word in English took a trip through Greek, Latin and Old English before being rendered as a word in common usage. In Hebrew, its literal meaning is “Praise ye Yah,” or “Praise Yah, you people.” Yah is a short form of Yahweh, the four Hebrew letters that traditionally have been interpreted as the personal name of God. In that same tradition, those letters are not pronounced out loud out of respect, so the word Adonai is substituted when those letters appear in the text of the Hebrew Scriptures are read out loud. The phrase, הללו יה, however, is pronounced since it doesn’t include all four of the consonants of Yahweh. If you are already confused by my explanation, hold on. It gets more confusing.
The word Alleluia has come to refer to a specific Christian liturgical chant. In an Alleluia, the word is combined with verses of scripture, usually from the Psalms and occasionally from songs that are reported in the Gospels such as the songs of Elizabeth, Zechariah and Mary. In a traditional liturgy, the Alleluia is sung before the proclamation of the Gospel except during the season of Lent, when no Alleluia is chanted.
If you want to do more research, however, be sure to “Google” Alleluia, not Hallelujah. A quick search of the latter will turn up hundreds of articles about the song written by Leonard Cohen. Before discussing that song, however, it is worth noting that it isn’t the first time a specific song has become associated with the term. In early January of 1940, Randall Thompson composed a four-part chorus. Later that year, in July, it was given its first public performance at the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood. The piece was written as a commission. Serge Koussevitzky, director of the Tanglewood Festival wanted a fanfare for voices to be performed at the opening celebration of the new Berkshire Music Center. Koussevitzky had in mind a joyous work. Thompson produced a quiet and introspective piece, moved by the war in Europe, the fall of France and other world events. Given the state of world politics, it seemed to Thompson that a more introspective piece was in order. The text is simply the word Alleluia repeated over and over again with an Amen at the end with the choir divided into seven parts. While we expect the word Alleluia to be a most joyous expression, the piece by Thompson is a very sad piece. It is probably Randall Thompson’s most popular composition. Choirs around the world have sung it on many occasions and it is frequently performed to this day.
Leonard Cohen’s “Halleljuah,” however is a different thing entirely. I don’t know much about the context in which the song was written, but if you listen to the words of the verses, it is difficult to even call it a song of faith. “I don’t know if there’s a God above” is one of the phrases. Another speaks of the gun of one that “out drew you.” It is hard to tell if it is a love ballad or a kind of personal statement about the trials of being a songwriter. But the chorus is catchy. It hangs in your mind and after you have heard the song, it easily becomes an “ear worm” that you can’t get out of your mind.
The song, however, has become so omnipresent that the composer himself once asked for a break from it. “I think it’s a good song, but too many people sing it,” he told the Guardian newspaper in 2009, agreeing with a critic who asked for “a moratorium on ‘Hallelujah’ in movies and television shows.
I guess the producers of the Emmy Awards were unaware of that moratorium. The memoriam segment began with Tori Kelly’s guitar and the start of the first verse, “Well, I heard there was a secret chord.”
The song has been covered by musicians from Bob Dylan, Bono, Bon Jovi, Willie Nelson, Paramore and Celine Dion. It’s been rendered in rock (Rolling Stones), punk (Bush Tetras) and jazz (Charlie Parker).
It has been a part of popular movies such as Shrek and television shows such as The West Wing. It seems almost blasphemy to have used in in Nicholas Cage’s movie, “Lord of War,” but it is there. It’s made appearances on “E.R., Scrubs, General Hospital, Trauma, and House.” I guess it has a penchant for hospital dramas.
One story is that Mr. Cohen drafted as many as 80 verses for the song while writing the original song. Adam Sandler came up with a few more for a concert for the relief efforts following Hurricane Sandy, including lyrics bout Mark Sanchez’s “butt fumble” and the loss of pornographic theaters in Times Square.”
The song showed up on American Idol, The X Factor, America’s God Talent and The Sing-Off. Apparently amateurs can remember the words to the chorus without too much effort. And if you are a fan of the genre, which I am not, I hear that the Dancing with the Stars version featured Michael Bolton singing the song surrounded by a children’s chorus and fog machines as he was raised up on a piece of theatrical equipment.
There’s not much we can do about our culture, but I think that it might make sense for people of faith to return to the practice of avoiding alleluias during the season of Lent. The idea is to take a six-week break from celebrations to practice the art of grief. To do so in our culture would mean taking a six-week break from movies and television.
Hmm . . . now there is a good idea. I think I’ll give it a try.