Sing Hallelujah

Sing Hallelujah was a nationwide project in England on December 5, the 250th anniversary of Handel's death. People all over Britain joined together to sing the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah. The Rev. Rob Marshall, an Anglican priest talked about it for the BBC's Thought for the Day on that day.

What struck me during his little talk, was that he called group singing the great equalizer. When people sing, class, race, and gender melt away for a moment. I got to thinking about the idea, and remembered Reginald Owen's Christmas Carol that I watched a few days ago. In it, after Scrooge is redeemed, he goes to church. There he, his nephew Fred, Fred's fiancée, Bob Crachet, and his son Tim are all singing the hymn together. Three levels of society at that time, all joining in together equally.

I thought of the singing of the National Anthem before athletic events. Do people get to sing that anymore, or it is always someone professional? I can remember doing it at baseball games when I was a child.

There is that scene in Casablanca, where the woman whose name I can't remember begins "La Marseillaise" and how it affects the different people in the café - the French singing it proudly, the Germans looking irritated. From about the same time is a scene from Sound of Music where Captain von Trapp sings "Edelweiss" and invites the audience to join in, with the German occupiers sitting right there. It's a powerful scene.

And who could forget the singing that was so much a part of the Civil Rights movement? Singing is an equalizer. It is also a powerful way to invoke deep emotions. As I join my voice with others the carols of this season, I am going to be remembering the power of song.