Random Act of Culture: Pop-Up Hallelujah Chorus at Macy’s
Just this past weekend, shoppers at the Macy’s in Philadelphia (the old Wanamaker building) were surprised when over 600 choristers who were there mingling with regular shoppers suddenly burst into Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus. Read more.
Two things:
First: The scheme here places choristers among customers. Some are even shown holding shopping bags. These people are deep undercover. They make Donnie Brasco look like he came to mob dinner wearing a 10-gallon cop hat with blue and red lights on it. They are so well disguised, in fact, that they look to anyone within ten yards of them like they are really just an enthusiastic shopper who wants in on the festivities. Some have managed to find a comfortable position among their colleagues, but the ones who have gone rogue and are at the clearance racks probably realized very quickly that their little badges simply were not enough to earn them real association with the event. So I imagine some if their singing involved brief, but loud in-between-lines announcements to bystanders that they were in fact of sound mind and body, and were part of what was happening in an official capacity. I’m imagining a lot of awkward pointing by these renegades in the pipe organ’s direction, then back at themselves.
And I’ll bet each one is thinking that next year, they’ll totally shank any clown who gets between them and a position on the railing of the second floor where everyone is looking.
Second: This is awesome. And I’ll bet not a single person there wishes it had waited until after Thanksgiving.
Merry Christmas, everyone.
And for the last 30 seconds of the song, every time I hear it, I try not to cry. And every time, I fail. Beautifully done :)
