Page 40 - Voice for Life Songbook 1

12. Hallelujah4
Information
This piece by Paul Ayres may be used as a musical exercise, warm-up or game, in performance as an introductory song, a participatory number with audience, or even in a church service as a gospel acclamation. It was first used in a children’s singing workshop at the Foundling Museum in London, where they were able to see one of Handel’s autograph scores of Messiah and read the first ‘Hallelujah’ from his own handwriting.
Preparation
Ask the singers to sing ‘Hallelujah!’ (without giving them any preparation or warning).They may well come up with the first melody here. Do they know who wrote it? Do they know any other pieces from Messiah? Or any other music by Handel?
Now teach the singers the four different ‘Hallelujah’ melodies below, clearly labelling each one as ‘Hallelujah 1’,‘Hallelujah 2’ etc, and ask them to describe and compare the tunes.
Can they conduct the shapes of the melodies in the air? Do they notice that some syllables have two notes to them (no. 2:‘Hallelujah’, no. 3:‘Hallelujah’)? Practise singing them in various orders.
Now try singing each Hallelujah twice, with a rest in between. String together the four Hallelujahs, singing each one twice, with a rest in between the repeated pair, but without a rest when moving from no. 1 to no.2,from no.2 to no.3,or from no.3 to no.4.
Hallelujah 1 Hallelujah 2 Hallelujah 3 Hallelujah 4
        
 
Hal  le lujah! Halle  lu  jah! Hal  le lu  jah! Halle lu jah!
Each Hallelujah twice, with rests (works as a round with entries at *)
*
        
 
Hal  le  lu  jah! (clap) Hal  le  lu  jah! Hal  le  lu  jah! (clap) Hal  le  *
  
  
lu jah! Hal  le lu  jah! (clap) Hal  le lu  jah! Halle lu jah! (clap) Halle lu jah!
It’s initially tricky, but once they have it, that’s the basic principle of the piece covered.
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Track 12
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