Halle(lu)jah. A transliteration from its Hebraic roots. Traditionally, a two word phrase; ‘hallēl’ meaning a joyous praise in song and ‘yahweh’ (in modern English, Jehovah) translated from YHWH, giving grace to the lord.
Adapted into psalms and scripture since the 13th century, this phrase is sung universally across many cultures and religions. From the most famous movement of German-British baroque composer, Handel’s 'Messiah' chorus embedded in the roots of Christianity to Leonard Cohen’s famous heart-wrenching modern ballad made famous by John Cale and Jeff Buckley, which features as the finale of this production. . . The spirit remains, chanted, as an endeavour for the soul on a journey of worship through the human voice.
Choral music really is the closest thing to collective humanity in the most pure form. It is synchronicity, without borders, to a higher state of being.
For those who have seen or listened to Soweto Gospel Choir’s new album and show, it isn’t often I begin with the end of a performance and work my way back, but as with the history of this time, we need to trace the past struggle to fully understand the depth of the calls.
Soweto, an abbreviation of South Western Township, is a small town on the outskirts of Johannesburg. Their anthems are a response to the fight for freedom and human rights; themes of protest, empowerment and apartheid. Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King the inspiration behind these haunting hymns from back in the 1950s, when they fought the Freedom and Civil Rights Movements in South Africa which led the nation to where it is today, holding on to what was only back then, a verse of ‘Hope’.
Call and response. The most basic form of African vocal music with tribal chants consisting of whispers, screams, and animal imitations. The soloist often sings a line and the chorus replies as if it were a musical conversation, often, then improvising from the replies. The soul in the standalone voices of these 14 talented individuals is unique in each performer, and as a collective it is sheer power, backed by a keyboard and percussionists with the choristers performing tribal dance styles.
With songs largely composed by the three-time GRAMMY Award-winning choir in six of South Africa’s twelve different languages, it is music which can only really be felt by the heart, rather than understood in the mind – which is a part of what makes this show so special.
You may not understand the lyrics, but the struggle is evidently heard. The joy, and everything which led to a cultural revolution, come to life in the poignant sustained vocals as if church is in session and the unification of a different kind of prayer through this universal language is washing over you.
