Hallelujah

The jubilant fanfare rhythms of Hallelujah and the interaction of the two choirs creates a mood of joy – almost playfulness – but, above all, there is a sense of majesty as we are invited to rejoice and give Him the glory.

This is the seventh piece of the Revelation collection and is in many ways the climax of the whole work.  As with Worthy is the Lamb, these words are set by Handel in Messiah though Patrick’s approach here is quite different.  The tempo is similar but the use of double choir provides exciting antiphonal effects and the word ‘Hallelujah’ is projected to the listener with a whole variety of phrasing and colour.  The section between bars 25 and 31 is the most technically challenging but is important in that it generates an almost ecstatic mood of praise.  Done well, this section is the perfect preparation for the piano statement of ‘Hallelujah’ in the next bar which in turn gives rise to the final triumphant exclamations of the word.

Click here for more information about the complete Revelation collection.

“Revelation … shows how inventive [Hawes] can be with harmony … moving lines in contrary motion to create crunchy dissonances then cleverly melding mellifluous modal melodies with bright tonal interjections … ” GRAMOPHONE

“There is no denying the beauty and immediate allure of Hawes’s writing.  Revelation has considerable attractiveness and appeal … the mood is enraptured [with] a dramatic and visionary quality.” CHURCH TIMES