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By Leonard Cohen
Soloist: Gayanne Geurin

The late Leonard Cohen’s is increasingly recognized as a profound, profoundly Jewish songwriter, and Will Robertson’s arrangement of his “Anthem” for chorus, strings, and piano goes beyond a mere cover to bring to life the vivid center of Cohen’s poetry.

Will says: “Part of what gives Leonard Cohen’s songs such power is the combination of his low, limited and raspy voice with relatively traditional sounding, and singable, music. The result is an unusual synthesis of beauty and rawness that is a perfect complement to his lyrics. Giving his melodies to a choir risks emphasizing prettiness at the expense of grit, so, to keep the balance in our version, I incorporated rawness through the instruments. As I began to write those parts in early August 2017, images of red flags from Charlottesville brought to mind the 1930s and '40s. I started thinking about the weird juxtaposition of that era’s lush, almost schmaltzy popular and movie music against the horrors that were taking place all over the world. You will hear some of those rich sonorities arise through the first part of the song, but either over-the-top saccharine or slightly out of place somehow. Things finally explode with dissonant, banging piano before re-forming and churning toward the second chorus’s cry of strength and desperation, urging us to ring the bells that still can ring. For the last verse, a single still, small voice rises from the darkness. In the final chorus each member of the choir chants their own personal prayer under a quiet and brave last call to forget our perfect offering. Finally, the piano and strings slowly rise to surround and embrace a repeated chant of “That’s how the light gets in,” like sun breaking through the clouds—a hope of human lovingkindness shining through the broken cracks to illuminate a way forward.”

lyrics

The birds they sang at the break of day
Start again, I heard them say
Don’t dwell on what has passed away
Or what is yet to be
Yeah, the wars they will be fought again
The holy dove, she will be caught again
Bought and sold and bought again
The dove is never free

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in

We asked for signs, the signs were sent
The birth betrayed, the marriage spent
Yeah, the widowhood of every government
Signs for all to see

I can’t run no more with that lawless crowd
While the killers in high places say their prayers out loud
But they’ve summoned, they’ve summoned up a thundercloud
And they’re going to hear from me

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in

You can add up the parts, you won’t get the sum
You can strike up the march, there is no drum
Every heart, every heart to love will come
But like a refugee

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in

credits

from Red Thread, released December 10, 2020

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Congregation Bet Haverim Atlanta, Georgia

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