Listening Blog # 11 – “Glory Glory" - Odetta (1956)

Instrumentation: Solo voice – while this creates a very bare sound, at the same time it puts sole emphasis on the simple yet powerful lyrics, and Odetta’s interpretation of these lyrics.

Texture: Since there’s only one instrument, the musical texture is very bare: however, the texture of Odetta’s voice as an instrument extremely rich and incredibly soulful.

Form: I’m not totally sure what the structure of the song is: it seems here that the verses and the chorus have merged, so that Odetta sings slightly modified verses repeatedly.

Origin: This song is traditionally an American spiritual song – its relation to and historical context within can easily be seen in all aspects of the song: from melody to lyrics and meter.

Melody: The melody is fairly simple, which makes sense, considering it was meant to be easily learned and sung. Spirituals were an essential form of communication (as well as commiseration) between slaves.

Meter: Although Odetta fully utilizes pauses and silences to add dramatic tension to her song, the song still keeps an underlying duple beat. Although its importance is not immediately apparent, the constant meter is an essential driving force behind the song. The song’s meter may have origins in historical context, as slaves would often sing spirituals as a form of solace when forced to work in the fields. Perhaps the “march” beat mirrors the rhythm of their drudge work in the fields.

Lyrics: The lyrics to the spiritual are essentially: “Glory glory, Hallelujah / When I lay my burden down”. Historically, this would have referred to the end of slavery, and when slaves could break free from their chains, both physically and socially. However, even though Odetta recorded this in 1956, it was still just as applicable: at the time, Jim Crow laws still prevented African-Americans many of the privileges that white Americans possessed. The ‘burden’ may have changed to segregation and discrimination, but it was still in existence.

Personal Response: Overall, I find this song to be pretty powerful. I enjoy the little ornamentations that Odetta employs on the melody. Her vocal tone does get a little swallowed as she gets higher, which bothers me from a classically trained point of view – but it’s also important to remember that vocal accuracy is not the point of the song. Odetta does repeat the verse/chorus four times in the song, which I find to be a bit overly repetitive: but again, that’s the point: the repetition allowed others to join in.