Amy: Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen

The enchanting solo piano piece, Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen is one overflowing with serenity and confusion both at the same time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB3vRuqiSsA

You may be thinking, “Amy, you already did Hallelujah on the violin!” And you would be right, however after playing both pieces, I noticed that the meaning of them contrasts very differently when played by itself and when combined with Amazing Grace. In my opinion, the enchanting violin version speaks more about faith and praising God while this version focuses more on the greed and confusion that arises through the lyrics. Despite Hallelujah being a song that seemingly is praising Jesus, I noticed that the lyrics describe confusion more than outright praise. Even stated in the line, “And it’s not a cry that you hear at night, it’s not someone who’s seen the light, it’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah.” And this got me thinking about the true message of this piece further. Sure, there was an obvious sign of praise with the constant repetitions of ‘Hallelujah,’ but was the message overall one of awe and glory? I believe that this is not so, but instead this piece is a message of confusion and desperation of someone who has gone down the wrong path. Coupled with the calmness of various sections of the piece abruptly followed with dramatic climaxes, the musical analysis of this demonstrates the same situation of a person who is struggling, just like the White Witch in this series. As the Witch believes the only way to achieve strength and power is through greed and cruel actions, she most definitely was confused and outraged when her plan failed so spectacularly. She was broken, not stronger than ever as she expected she would be at the end of the battle with Aslan which leads me to see why this piece could easily fit her character as well.

Thanks for listening!

Amy H

#confusion #morebeneaththesurface #musicforthesoul