You know how a good song can make you run an extra mile,
give you courage to do things you would not normally do, or bring you out of a
weird funk? Conversely, a sad song has the power that can put you in a dark
place instantly for quite a while? I have decided to share some music that I
consider powerful, some of these pieces are insanely popular, but some you will
not have heard before, listen to each one and broaden your musical taste. I’ll ad a brief little note to give you some background
on each piece, and will state right now, I am posting YouTube clips, none of
which are mine. I ask you to remember
that I am defining “powerful” as a piece of music that evokes strong emotion,
so keep an open mind. And finally, I am not giving you an exhaustive list,
because in all reality, I will get board at some point and just end this. For the
good music ideas you are welcome in advance.
Bohemian Rhapsody
Performed by British rock band, “Queen,” this song became
popular long after it was first conceived. I \ don’t even know what to say about
this song, though the word “epic” comes to mind. It has a little something
thing for everyone, hard rock, opera, ballad, intense harmonies, emotion, and
it is all wrapped up into one song. I am tempted to post the video of the
intoxicated man singing the whole song in the back of a cop car, but then
realized that if you hadn’t heard the real thing, you wouldn’t know how hard
that is, sober. So here it the live performance by Queen:
The Halleluiah Chorus
When I was about 7 or 8 years old, my family attended the
funeral for the daughter of my parent’s friends. The girl that passed away was
only around 10 years old. The pastor that was officiating the ceremony said
that the girl had written in her journal that if she ever died she wanted the
Hallelujah Chorus to be sung at her funeral. So, about 200 people began to sing
ALL of the parts of this song (with accompaniment) as they stood from their
seats. You may not know, but tradition
dictates that you stand when the singing starts. The power of a large, mixed,
audience standing in agreement already makes a powerful statement. If you can imagine the power of hurting but
loving people belting out all the parts to this gorgeous chorus, you will
understand that no little amount of emotion was involved. I’ll never forget
hearing it; it was the first time music brought tears to my eyes. I still get
teary when I listen to it, like right now.
I chose to upload this version as it may appeal to a larger
audience:
Nessum Dorma
This is one of the most famous tenor arias, made popular by Luciano Pavarotti in 1990 when he sang it at a FIFA tournament (yes that is a soccer event) in Italy. Millions watched the event and were introduced to this gorgeous song. Even if you have not seen the Italian opera Turandot, you cannot deny the passion portrayed through this short song. The lyrics in English are:
Nobody
shall sleep!...
Nobody shall sleep!
Even you, o Princess,
in your cold room,
watch the stars,
that tremble with love and with hope.
But my secret is hidden within me,
my name no one shall know...
No!...No!...
On your mouth I will tell it when the light shines
And my kiss will dissolve the silence that makes you mine!...
(No one will know his name and we must, alas, die.)
Vanish, o night!
Set, stars! Set, stars!
At dawn, I will win! I will win! I will win!
Video: Nessum DormaNobody shall sleep!
Even you, o Princess,
in your cold room,
watch the stars,
that tremble with love and with hope.
But my secret is hidden within me,
my name no one shall know...
No!...No!...
On your mouth I will tell it when the light shines
And my kiss will dissolve the silence that makes you mine!...
(No one will know his name and we must, alas, die.)
Vanish, o night!
Set, stars! Set, stars!
At dawn, I will win! I will win! I will win!
Summertime
You
better believe a vocal jazz piece made it to my list, and you better believe I
am going to showcase the version song by the “Lady of Song,” the “Queen of
Jazz,” Ella Fitzgerald (my all-time favorite singer). “Summertime” is a song
composed by George Gershwin for the opera Porgy and Bess. It is one of the most
covered songs of all times, so listen to it:Video: Summertime
O Holy Night
Although deemed a Christmas song, this song has the lyrics
and melody that demand attention any time it is played. “The weary world rejoices...He knows our
need, to our weakness is no stranger…All oppression shall cease…” I mean come
on, this is amazing content, right?! To top it off, the melodic line ascends perfectly
as the phrases become more emphatic, making it the perfect song for a singer to
perform!
Requiem: Lacrimosa by
W. Mozart
Larimosa is just one of the parts of the whole requiem, and
while I literally can play the whole thing when I go for a drive, I will only
post a link to this setion of the Requiem. “Lacrimosa” is latin for “weeping”,
and you can hear the finality and sorry in the voices in this section of the
Requiem. You may want to turn up the volume when you listen to this one, you
need to feel it.
O Fortuna by Carl
Orff
Ok, you may not think you know this song, you will likely recognize
it because it is very popular background music in a lot of movies, its intense
dissonance and extreme drive often takes us to an epic battle scene. 
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