Hallelujah!

I had a completely different post in mind for tonight, but this video I just watched trumped my idea.

Mom and Dad send me e-mails quite frequently and I always enjoy reading them. Little did I know this one would register with me so much.

Take 4:57 minutes out of your day to watch this video of a so-called flash mob in a shopping mall food court. They sing what is, perhaps, the most beautiful song ever written (in my opinion): Handel's Hallelujah Chorus.

Aside: Hallelujah means "Praise to God." It's a beautiful word, even in our American English pronunciation of it.

Ready for some insight into my music influences and life? This video (the song, in particular) means so much to me for these reasons:

1) My favorite class I've ever taken, kindergarten through college, was music theory my junior year of high school. Not only did we have a great group of students in there, but our teacher was phenomenal. He truly put a passion in us for music and really stirred up our creativity. A million thanks to Mr. Foster.

This video is relevant because our semester test was to analyze the Hallelujah Chorus. We're talking a full-out Roman Numeral analysis, identifying cadences and phrases, and pretty much marking the thing up, top to bottom, front to back. We aced it by getting 200 things correct. Whew! What a tough but rewarding test.

2) During that class, I learned the significance of the phrasing and why Handel wrote the intervals like he did. He wrote the piece according to the Doctrine of the Affections, which is absolutely fascinating if you care to take a minute to Google it. Basically, the doctrine supports making an emotional appeal in the music. But it goes so much deeper than that! Seriously, Google it.

When you listen to the chorus, you'll hear the notes rise and fall. This was purposive. Handel assigned the most important lyrics to the highest notes. Think about it: "For the Lord GOD omnipotent reigneth" - God is the highest note in the phrase. And also: "And HE shall reign forever and ever" Finally, we climb up to the"King of Kings and Lord of Lords" phrase which ends with resounding, booming vocal parts from the entire choir. Perfection.

3) Handel wrote the entire Messiah oratorio in 24 days. Yes. The whole thing, not just a song or two. Best of all, the oratorio tells the story of Jesus Christ, my hero and savior. The songs discuss his prophecy, sacrifice and resurrection - three things that are wholly complete and mean the world to me in my faith.

4) The flash mob thing is really cool. Those are becoming more popular these days. What's more, I like how it ties in with social media. That baby has gone viral in a few short days! Behold, the power of YouTube.

This video has made my heart happy. Pass it on and spread some Christmas cheer.