Analyzing Leonard Cohen's Song 'Hallelujah'

Given the points above, it is almost sacrilege to classify this song as anything other than an American classic. Even in today’s time people recognize

On March 30th, 2017 I attended a wonderful jazz concert at Prince George’s Community College. The concert was performed by a group titled The Reginald Cyntje Group. The Reginald Cyntje Group was comprised of five talented musicians: Herman Burney, Reginald Cyntje, Lenny Robinson, Brian Settles, and Hope Udobi. The group performed a song cycle of seven songs: “The Rise of the Protester,” “Ballad for the Masses,” “Chant of the Revolt,” “Descension and Ascension,” “No Justice No Peace,” “The Piece of Resistance,” and “Blues People vs the Deplorables.” The piece titled “The Piece of Resistance,” my favorite song from the recital, and will be the focus of my concert report.

and Willie Nelson. The song is an old southern anthem of the basic tale and fate of growing up. The song goes on to

The mood to the spiritual evokes me was hope. I felt hope because it says carry me home which can be inferred as a safer place or more North.

The song Glory was written by music artists Common and John Legend and was part of the Oscar nominated movie Selma. The movie Selma was an incredible experience that showcased the African American history and in particular the turbulent 1960s era in which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr(MLK) was leading the civil rights movement. The song Glory itself won the oscar for the best song in a motion picture and truly was an important part of the movie because not only did it chronicle the civil rights marches of 1965 led by MLK but it also incorporated events that occurred in the 21st century. It was this combination that made the song a true inspiration for all human beings because it shed a light on the struggle for racial equality that African Americans have been pursuing for over a century now and also showed that the struggle is still ongoing and is far from over. The song Glory through its lyrics included several key moments in the struggle for racial equality for African Americans such as the Rosa Parks incident, Ferguson, MLK civil rights marches and through all of these events the common theme of defiance and resistance is brought to light.

“Time Passages” is a song from the album of the same name performed by Al Stewart, and released in 1978. Stewart was born in Scotland, and eventually moved to London to pursue his musical career. During this time, contemporary folk music was establishing itself as a popular genre of music. This style of music used modal melodies to create a meditative mood. The lyrics meld with the tones to bring you into a harmony of thoughts with the songwriter. “Time Passages”, co-written by Al Stewart and Peter White, exemplifies this by matching the music with the message. For this reason, it is no surprise that when it was released, the song climbed to number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and stayed 10 weeks at number 1 on the Easy Listening chart. “Time Passages” is a snapshot of an elderly man who accepts the fact that his time is at an end, and finds it difficult to live in the present.

Artist, Kesha, co-wrote and sang the song titled “Praying.” In the video that she created for the song she shows us, the audience, what she went through during her healing process from the sexual and mental violence she received. Through many methods, such as religious references, Kesha took us through her journey through ethos, logos, and pathos.

good old days and still enjoy the song. There is also a song that is

This song shows a lot of elegance and it is a song in which people are very interested in as it’s still very much heard today. There are moments in the fifth song in which the violins are played very hard, and that is something different that has happened in this song than the other ones so far. The Hallelujah chorus song which is the sixth example is a song that is still played and heard around churches and the world. This song instantly begins with singing Hallelujah which brings the listeners attention in the first few seconds of the song. The seventh example begins with opera type singing that is meant to be sad and gloomy but precious and elegant all at the same time. This song is shown to pay tribute to an occasion with beautiful singing. The eight example is played with a piano and it all begins with a loud and big entrance. This song shows and hits many different ques and notes as the song continues to go on. In a few instances you can see the musician play the instrument and you can see how many different notes he hits. The next example is shown to be played by many violins and accompanied by a

The attitude in society was focused on the Vietnam War and civil rights for african americans, and that was what was important in that time. Since that was important that is what most people sang about. Today what is important is the War on Terror and the whole argument about LGBT. However, most artists today don’t sing about that issue, so there is a difference in uses of

For my fine arts event, I chose to see the Bryan Symphony Orchestra at Dogwood Park on September fourth. Their theme for the evening was “Music in the Movies”, and they played a variety of movie pieces, including music from Star Wars and The Dark Knight Rises. I have always loved the orchestra because I have always loved music, but combining music and movies together made me love this event in particular even more. Our orchestra here at Tennessee Tech is so beautiful and refined that it blew me away. I have never really played an instrument with a group, but I have actually sung in multiple choir groups over the years, and I know how much time and dedication goes

“Finishing the Hat” is the first out of two volumes, and it includes collected lyrics from musicals he’s written from 1954-1981. Along with that, he provides commentary, regrets he might have, the process he went through while writing, and a lot more self-criticism than one could expect from someone who is considered a genius by many.

Please spend some time working on this song to make Sunday morning a little easier. This is the only newer song we need to work on. You all did such a great job with Savior this past week. I am so thankful for each of you and your talents!

Pentatonix is my first choice of music to listen to because listening to their wide variety of songs make me happy, which is important in a situation where I would be all alone. Throughout my life I’ve turned to music for

“Where Have All The Flowers Gone?” by Pete Seeger became a popular anti-war protest song during the 1960s. This song did not only protest against the Vietnam War but also made their generation more aware about the global problems. Songs like “Not Ready to Make Nice” by Dixie chicks about freedom of speech was written after they received death threats for singing against the Iraq war, protests against the violation of human rights. But music is not only used to protest, it is also used to give hope and optimism. “We Shall Overcome”, a song sung by Guy Carawan together with the Montgomery Gospel Trio and the Nashville Quartet, is perhaps the best known example of civil rights song. Instead of blaming the government, this song registered a feeling of hope and faith among African-Americans during the civil rights movement.