This piece by Edwin Hawkins Singers is an iconic piece for its time period. This piece was a driving force behind the movement of Contemporary Gospel music seen in the late 1960’s. Edwin Hawkins singers moved to the scene of contemporary gospel by including instruments like horns, bongos and the fender bass to blend all popular genres of the time period. The beginning of this song sets the tone for the message being relayed. This song titled “Oh Happy Day” most likely referred to a good day, which is inferred before the song begins. The use of piano and bongos that come in during the very beginning of this piece establish a melody that is present throughout the whole song. The bongos and percussion play the pulse for the piano that is playing the melody. This melody rolls on as the beat builds through the first stanza, through melodic phrasing. several phrases are added before the opening text of the song, shaping the melody in an upward motion, like it is building for the text. The motive of the the bongos on the offbeat of this melodic phrase help the rolling of the basic melody, expressed by the articulation of the bongo. The piano notes are punched as each phrase is built along the melody so the change is evident.

The text that comes in right after the basic melody and pulse are established, is filled with emotion. Through the timbre of the lead vocalist, you can pick up a distinct “happy” tone to her voice. Not only is she singing about it being a happy day, she starts off with a softer tune where she uses blending and bending of the notes to show emotion. A call and response between the lead vocalist and the choir also help express the emotion being conveyed. Here we see another layer added to the song. The choir responds to the lead vocalist as they are preaching about the lord washing their sins away. Now there are 3 layers. One being the instrumental melody and another being the lead vocalist accompanied by the choir of the song. Throughout the song we see these 3 layers functioning differently. As the choir responds to the call of the lead singer, a progression of range is present. The song builds, and the timbre of the layers develops, the choir being the most prominent, particularly when they take over most of the singing while the lead vocalist responds to them in a shift. When this shift takes place, There is a distinct change in the function of the layers. The choir takes over the singing, becoming extremely dynamically inclined as as the singers move through time together. A call and response with heavy swing is seen within the choir now, as they take over the vocals. This rhythm established seems to be functioning on two layers. One where the lead vocalist sings with the choir as it builds, then another when the expression of the choir is pronounced singing the main refrain of the song. Dynamically, as the function of the layers change, we see an increase in speed and volume as a consonant quality of the song. When the choir of the song takes over, the bass of the song is more pronounced and the articulation is more harsh. We see a separation of pause in between the phrases of the choir. At the beginning of the phrase, the notes of both the text and the instruments in punched. The instruments are delayed behind the singing of the choir, as they are the main tune now.

The text of this piece drives the emotional playing of the instruments and especially the choir that compliments. When the speed and function of the layers changes from the refrain to the chorus, the text changes, and matches the function of the layers. This function of the layer seems to be powerful expression. As they sing the chorus of the song, they describe how jesus taught them how to do things like fight and pray, which is why this section is sped up and the character of the notes is dramatically changed. The Range of the vocals along with the dynamics and articulation specifically correlate with the speed of each layer. As the layer speeds up, these elements increase in strength. Since the father figure in this song is jesus, and they are preaching to him especially during the parts of the song when the choir is pronounced, it functionally makes sense these are more powerful. As the song concludes, it is evident that this song came during the time period and help progress the “urban” style of gospel music by adding a funk/rock twist. First evident by the instrumentation with the string bass, as well as the overall timbre and flow of the piece, from start to end, the song has 2 faces. Either the lead vocalist singing with a response from the choir, or the choir preaching with heavy emotion and louder vocals, still with a less pronounced response in the background. Each face of the song was repeated twice before the song was over, as the structure wasn’t hidden. Each part respectively had their own emotional feel through the speed and function of the layers.