Musical Analysis #1

Is He Worthy? 

Andrew Peterson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIahc83Kvp4


Over one year ago, my family went to a Christian conference at Cannon Beach in Oregon. During the Family Talent Show, a father and his three teenage daughters presented the song “Is He Worthy?”, which touched my heart so deeply and the tune stayed and echoed on my mind. This song was originally composed and performed by artist Andrew Peterson in his album Resurrection Letters, Volume 1 in 2018. Its genre is contemporary Christian music, and it was nominated by GMA Dove Award for inspirational recorded song of the year. I would like to explore and discuss its lyrics, forms, melody, and dynamics in this post.


Image source  https://wallpapersafari.com/w/FQrmiy




Lyrics

Andrew Peterson is a Christian musician and author. He is knowledgeable in Bible and its core message: Jesus, the Lion of Judah, is the Messiah. He used the scenario in Revelation, the last book of the Bible to portray the scene and name the song, pointing to the future and eternal hope of Christians. The lyrics focuses on the returning of Christ as the reigning King, who is worthy. To believers, it could be a message eliciting emotions of power and hope; To those who are unfamiliar with Bible and the essence of salvation, it might not even make sense. The author stretches out his lyric through rhetorical questions by the soloist and answers by the congregation. It is an interactive worship song.

 

Form

Regarding its form, i.e., the overarching organization, Is He Worthy adopts the technique of repetition and contrast without much repeating. The song has total 8 sections, including 3 verses, 2 refrains, 2 chorus, and 1 bridge. It goes in the following order: Verse 1, Verse 2, Chorus, Refrain 1, Verse 3, Chorus, Bridge, and Refrain 2. It seems like AB Form with a C section of Bridge. It has two contrasting sections: verses and chorus. Parts of its melodies (the 3 verses) remain the same with different lyrics, and part of it has repeated melody and lyrics (the refrain). The intro is a short instrumental solo of piano, and its outro is Refrain 2 with background chorus.

 

Melody & Dynamics

The melody of this song is dominated by the vocalists and accompanied with instrumental music and background chorus. It uses meter 4/4. Its phrases follow similar patterns. Accompanying instruments used in this song include piano, keyboard, guitars, drums, trumpet, trombone, Tuba, French Horn, Violin, Viola, Cello, Keyboard Synth, flute/Obo, clarinet, Alto Sax, and Tenor Sax. Among them, piano is the leading instrument to accompany the melody. The beginning of the song is quiet, smooth, and slow. You can feel the stronger volume and higher pitch in the chorus and refrain. It ends with slowing down tempo like most of worship songs. Longer rhythm is used in this song to elicit stronger and deeper emotions. Short silence is also present to create stronger contrast. Unlike traditional Christian music, listeners of this song can feel its soothing and stretching sound effect as well as its amplified chorus and refrains expressing power and strength.

 

Sources:

“Andrew Peterson (Musician).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Jan. 2021. Web. 2 Feb. 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Peterson_(musician)

“Andrew Peterson’s New Song for the People”. The Gospel Coalition, INC., 16 Mar. 2018. Web. 2 Feb. 2021. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/andrew-peterson-resurrection-letters/

“#923 - "Is He Worthy" by Andrew Peterson”. NewReleaseToday. NRT Media Inc., 23 Mar. 2018. Web. 2 Feb. 2021. https://www.newreleasetoday.com/article.php?article_id=2406

“Is He Worthy Orchestration (Andrew Peterson)”. PraiseCharts Publishing, Inc. Web. 2 Feb. 2021. https://www.praisecharts.com/songs/details/72937/is-he-worthy-sheet-music/orchestration

“Is He Worthy Andrew Peterson”. 2021 Genius Media Group Inc. Web. 2 Feb. 2021 https://genius.com/Andrew-peterson-is-he-worthy-lyrics

Comments

  1. KAMUCKFebruary 4, 2021 at 10:52 AM

    I enjoyed reading your blog. The singer has a great voice. I enjoyed listening to the song, it was so calming after a stressful work day. I look forward to reading more of your posts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Musical RobinFebruary 4, 2021 at 9:49 PM

      Thank you for your kind encouragement! I enjoy the learning in this music class:)

      Delete

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