Review of Peter Hollen’s “The Parting Glass”

           

Theoretical physicists are fond of debating whether or not time travel is possible, but I already know it is. So does Peter Hollens. Music has the power to transport us to a different time in place, even if we have never been there before. Hollens helps us journey a few hundred years back to the Scottish highlands, or perhaps a crowded pub on the outskirts of Dublin, back before there was even a railway between Blackrock and Kingston. He does so with his song choice.

Peter is one of the most particular artists when it comes to covering a song, but if you are going to put together a folk album like he is, this one is a no brainer. The Parting Glass is a traditional Scottish and Irish folk song that predates Robert Burns and “Auld Lang Syne.” It was first distributed a broadside, or music and lyrics printed on one side of a single, cheap, sheet of music. Early renditions of the song predate even the height of broadside popularity, with the lyrics found in letters as old as 1605. Imagine a time before radio. The only way to hear music was to listen to it live or make it yourself. The Parting Glass is a commoner’s song, not born of nobility of court composer.  Its author is up for debate, but its roots exemplify what I think Peter Hollen’s is all about as a representative of Independent music.

There was no commercial force behind the Parting Glass. It never received a gold, platinum or triple platinum rating, and it never needed a club remix. It never even had a big name behind it. The song quite literally has a life of its own, and Hollens gives it new life again in his own style. The song has been covered by folk legends like Celtic Woman and Wailin’ Jennys. Recently it was also featured at the dramatic conclusion of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag.

Peter returns to the song to its roots with a single acapella voice. The silence surrounding the song’s introduction captures the bittersweet mood of the song perfectly. Peter adds voices (different versions of his own) as the song progresses to its crescendo, and even includes some traditional Scottish Style accompaniment. This accompaniment departs as the song winds down, and the listener is left to contemplate what the song means to them. Perhaps there are friends that need to be reached out to. Perhaps there are loved ones who have gone on from this world. Perhaps it’s time to say goodbye to one of life’s chapters and begin a new one. Whatever the song means to you personally, Peter Hollen’s rendition will give weight to it. Check out his video now on youtube or loudr to travel back in time with “The Parting Glass,” and find yourself immersed in an example of what music is all about.

Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hMdoGet2A8&list=PLFF3F248AC60CF19E

Loudr - http://ldr.fm/zF2mP

Seeing A Cappella Fire: The Inspiration of Peter Hollens

“Does everybody know what a cappella means?” I ask the choir section of seventh and eighth grade students. They are gathered around a piano, with one of their number having just finished perfectly playing the haunting melody of “Say Something” by Great Big World. Her classmates are already demanding she play something else, so they can sing along, when I interrupt them with my question. These fourteen choir kids of course all know the answer. Even though I am only their substitute for the day, I should have realized they love music too much to be ignorant of this proud musical art form. One of them surprises me.

“Yeah, like Pentatonix and Peter Hollens,” says a girl smaller than the rest of her classmates. The little brown-eyed Latin girl gives me a cheerful smile as she wedges her way forward. She has been quiet until now, but her timing is perfect.  I am set up to introduce Peter Hollen’s cover of Ed Sheeran’s “I See Fire.” I already have my phone out ready to play the video, and she eyes it with eager anticipation of what I have to show them.

“Exactly,” I say. “In fact, I wanted to show you Peter’s latest.”

 I hit play, and all crowd tighter around the piano to view my small iphone screen. They are transfixed, and with good reason. With Peter’s version of “I See Fire,” he brings an already amazing and haunting song to a completely new level. Instrumentals from guitar and violin accompany Ed Sheeran’s amazing original version, but with creative use of 98 tracks of his own voice acting as his own personal choir, Peter adds an emotional build up to the song with a power the original version seems unable to match.

The video itself is simple in nature, with a motif of warm and flickering flames in front of Peter for many of the shots. The video presentation is in his signature multi-split screen style which shows him singing both the main vocals and supporting roles. This simplicity is both beautiful and demonstrative of Peter’s talent—the viewer realizes the incredible voice range and ear for music Peter must have to perfectly synchronize such a high number of tracks.

There can be no doubt about Peter’s musical prowess, as almost half a million subscribers to his youtube channel could attest. Yet what do seventy million views mean for Peter, who has been making videos since 2011? I caught up with Peter via email to ask the former star of the second season of NBC’s “The Sing off” his hopes for the future of A Capella music.

 “I hope a cappella becomes a staple in the industry,” says Peter. “. . . something that isn't considered a fad, or a gimmick, but an actual genre with multiple grammy-winning artists, and radio play. Pentatonix and other artists are teaching the industry that they have to pay attention and listen.”

Peter modestly does not yet list himself with the “other artists”, but the faces of the fourteen kids listening intently to his video tell a different story. The talented young girl at the piano attempts to pick up the song by ear, experimentally plucking away at a few keys by the second time the chorus repeats. A few start to sing along with Peter. A fourteen year old girl already taller than me tries to figure out Peter’s clap, snap and stomp pattern. It turns into a regular jam session. They have me play the video again to see if they can get the song down.

I explain the original version of the song will be featured in the movie The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smog, and that Peter has done another Hobbit song, one by himself and one with violinist Jun Sung Ahn. They soon add their number to the over 4.6 million views of Peter’s covers of “Misty Mountains”. Of course, the ones who knew Peter already don’t let me leave out his jaw dropping Epic Disney Medley collaboration with singer Alex G. before moving on to some Pentatonix.

After the jam session is over and the bell rings, I realize Peter’s hope for a cappella music is already taking shape in the youth who are discovering music like his. Artists like Pentatonix, Alex G, and Peter are indeed teaching the industry they have to pay attention and listen but they aren’t doing it with their talent alone. Peter sings a gorgeous song about seeing fire, but today I saw fire too. I witnessed Peter’s singing help ignite the passionate flame of quality a cappella music in the young hearts of our nation’s future, and I am sure it will be burning brightly for generations to come.

See the video “I see Fire” here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yymS1Pb7JfM

Additional References

www.PeterHollens.com

www.youtube.com/peterhollens

www.twitter.com/peterhollens

www.facebook.com/peterhollensmusic