Breath by Michael Smith
Michael W. Smith’s evangelical track “Breathe” is from the album “Lord I Need You” (Songs of Worship). It was launched in July 2017 and had a playtime of 06:56 minutes. The song follows one thyme scheme pattern throughout and raises an important for the author theme, which is the role of God in his life. In addition to the deep meaning behind the lyrics, the song includes various musical elements that make it sound more harmonious.
When it comes to analyzing its words, the refrain is a crucial component (Briley). A chorus, for example, employs what is undoubtedly the most common approach in composition—repetition (Briley). Case in point, phrases like “This is the air I breathe” appear several times in the piece (Adelekan). As such, it is the repeating of a phrase, including one of the most potent reverence words in the English language.
The soundtrack’s use of words is remarkable and outstanding with regard to providing authority and message delivery. Smith builds credibility by tacitly approving the lines straight from places of devotion, such as the chapel. For example, the statement “I’m lost without you” conveys a powerful emotion (Adelekan). He takes a stride higher by inserting his variations on the words, brilliantly bringing the praise atmosphere into a devotional song filled with motifs of praise and togetherness. Furthermore, the first few words help establish the notion of sanctity and loyalty. The song starts with the rhyme scheme that follows the AAB pattern, which means that the first two lines rhyme and the third one does not. Further, all the lines in the chords tend to rhyme with each other. In combination with the harmonious melody of the song, it might sound calming and pleasant for listeners.
There are other such techniques as consecration to express emotion, hesitating to enhance rhythm or intrigue, and writing with concealed intent. For example, the song’s final phrase, Lakshmi, “How many of you are hungry for God?” includes a secret message (Adelekan). At first sight, the statement appears to convey a simple concept about finding love, but the true connotation is the need for repentance and God’s forgiveness.
Copland’s Essay
Aaron Copland, in one of his essays, categorizes and separates active listening skills into three major elements. They are as follows: the sensual domain, the expressive realm, and the purely musical domain (What Are the Three Levels of Listening to Music?). Copland is successful in discussing the first two components of this analysis. He employs analogies and occasionally emphasizes particular situations where these domains are overused or become a source of concern through this separation process. Copland’s major goal in separating active listening skills from the audience is to get the listeners to understand and examine how they listen. Copland’s achievement in elaboration was primarily due to two methodologies. The first methodology encompasses the characterization of active listening skills into various components and uses an allegory to integrate them to salvage the general concept of the communication cycle. The second involved the action of responding to and fixing issues for the readers to comprehend and have a distinctive perspective on the message.
On a sensual level, people engage with music in sheer amusement. Aaron Copland, for example, examines how most listeners perceive music in “How We Listen” (What Are the Three Levels of Listening to Music?). Copland proceeds to discuss how artists exploit it in various ways. Attentive listeners should understand that beautiful music is not always wonderful music. Notably, the sensual element, or plane, is the most fundamental but enjoyable degree of pleasure (What Are the Three Levels of Listening to Music?). The second level is expressive; in which Lakshmi’s case, Copland examines the concept of significance within the music. Music, in his opinion, has a purpose, but it is not definite and cannot always be articulated in language. This dimension explains why music may excite or soothe us. Because Copland believes that musical compositions should be nothing more than an enriching experience, it is more challenging to absorb and necessitates more in-depth study.
Analysis of Breath
Copland raises three important aspects according to which the song could be valued and defined as appealing to the listeners. By implementing the discussion of the three categorizations, the song written by Michael Smith could be analyzed. The first aspect of active listening includes “sensuous place,” which refers to how the music sounds (Copland 1). If one could listen to the Breath, it would become clear that the song is very beautiful sounding and enjoyable to listen to. There are several musical elements in the Breath, which makes it sound great. Firstly, the choice of classical musical instruments, including organ and piano. The collaboration of several musical instruments is harmonious and appealing. Next, the professional sound and good timbre of the singer make the song gratifying. There is also the voice of the singers on backing vocals. The musical composition is played in a major key and implies many resolutions, which makes the melody harmonious and calming.
The next aspect being analyzed is the expressive plane, which is related to the meaning of the music. It is important for the listener to understand the deep meaning behind the notes (Copland 2). The meaning of the song Breath is covered in the lyrics and their delivery. The author refers to God and his power, constantly using repetitions in order to emphasize the role of God in his life. Because the song has such a sincere and enriching idea behind its lyrics, many listeners could find them relatable, helpful, and beautiful.
The musical plane is another important term to be mentioned when analyzing the song. It primarily refers to the musical form, tone, color, and harmony of the musical piece. The song is performed in a major key and contains many musical resolutions; as mentioned earlier, this makes the melody harmonious. In addition, the choice of the key and rhyme in the song contributes to the pleasant tone color of the melody. Since the song uses repetitions, both in words and in melody, the musical climax occurs several times, and all times are accompanied by resolutions.
Conclusion
The musical piece could be evaluated according to the ideas mentioned in Copland’s essay. According to him, the music will be attractive to the listener if it successfully integrates sensuous, expressive, and musical planes (Copland 1). The song Breath was analyzed according to the three terms discussed in the essay. To conclude, the song could be defined as appealing to the listeners in relation to all three aspects. Breath is melodious and harmonious; it uses rhyme patterns and repetitions in order to achieve a unique sounding and emphasize the main message of the song. It contains a deep meaning behind the lyrics and raises a theme of the importance of God’s power. The musical piece implements various musical elements, such as major key, timbre, and resolutions. That is why I think that the Breath is a highly enjoyable song and could be valued as a beautiful piece of art by many listeners.
Works Cited
“What are the Three Levels of Listening to Music according to Aaron Copland?” AskingLot, (2020). Web.
Adelekan, Timothy. “Michael W. Smith – Breathe.” Gospelmetrics, (2017). Web.
Briley, Pete. “How to Analyze Lyrics like a Pro: The Ultimate Guide.” Music Gateway, (2021). Web.
Copland, Aaron. “How We Listen.” Perspectives on Music, (1963).