It's a rare occasion that classical music gets any kind of
air time on mainstream radio. So when Duke Chapel Choir
Director Rodney Wynkoop heard the happy notes of Handel's
"Hallelujah" chorus Monday morning, he did a double take.
"My wife came in the room and said, 'Did you hear
that?' We were both surprised," Wynkoop said. "It's just not something you get to hear often on the
radio."
But it wasn't a new classical music show. It was the morning news, and the music
came from a large gathering of Italian political activists celebrating the
resignation of embattled prime minister Silvio Berlusconi by singing Handel's
signature piece outside Quirinale Palace in Rome.
All this raises the question: Why would a group of Italian
activists celebrate a political act with a sacred song written in England
nearly 300 years ago?
Wynkoop thinks he has an answer: "The universality of
the 'Hallelujah Chorus' simply goes without saying. Right up front, you have
this wonderful word 'hallelujah.'
It is a celebration in a single word. It makes a statement of
celebration that can be used in any occasion. It's one of things that is just
recognized throughout our culture."
The chorus comes from Handel's "Messiah," one of a
few classical music works that Wynkoop said are part of a shared language in
Western culture.
"The other work that you often hear in public events is
'Ode to Joy' from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony," said Wynkoop. "When the Berlin Wall fell, I
remember watching the German people spontaneously performing that work."
Handel's chorus has one advantage over "Ode to
Joy," Wynkoop suggests: It's easier, not requiring a large orchestral accompaniment,
which might be one reason why the Italians selected it. "You can do the first 20 bars or
so and have a nice package," he said.
"And, considering the contemporary political situation
in Europe, the Italians might not have wanted to sing a German song."
Area residents can again watch their own version of the
'Hallelujah Chorus" this season when Wynkoop and the Duke Chapel Choir performs
the holiday tradition in Duke
Chapel for the 78th time.
Performances are scheduled for Dec. 2-4.