Music as Solace

Less than a week ago a horrible tragedy occurred in Newtown, Connecticut.  By now most of us have wept copious tears and questioned both quietly and audibly how such a terrible event could take place.  There will hopefully soon be meaningful dialogue, both among our citizenry and our legislators, about gun control and mental health, but this is not my subject today.  It is instead how music can play such an important role for many of us in times of unspeakable horror, pain, and grief.

A quote that speaks for many musicians at such horrific times as we are experiencing right now comes from the lips of Leonard Bernstein, Conductor of the New York Philharmonic.  He said these words immediately following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy:  “This will be our response to violence – to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”

An anthem sung by my church choir at the first anniversary of 9/11/01 has words that I believe also provide comfort in our current situation.  The text is by Carl P. Daw, Jr. and the music is by Brad Printz.

When sudden terror tears apart the world we thought was ours,

We find how fragile strength can be, how limited our powers.

As tower and fortress fall, we watch with disbelieving stare

and numbly hear the anguished cries that pierce the ash-filled air.

Yet most of all we are aware of emptiness and void

of lives cut short, of structures razed, of confidence destroyed.

From this abyss of doubt and fear we grope for words to pray,

and hear our stammering tongues embrace a timeless Kyrie.

Have mercy, Lord, give strength and peace, and make our courage great;

restrain our urge to seek revenge, to turn our hurt to hate.

Help us to know your steadfast love, your presence near as breath;

rekindle in our hearts the hope of life that conquers death.

Another piece of music which provides consolation to me during these days of collective anguish come from the Jewish Book of Prayer.  Set by composer Donald McCullough in a piece entitled “We Remember Them,” I know I will never be able to perform this piece again without thinking about the precious, innocent children and brave adults who lost their lives last Friday.

In the rising of the sun and in its going down, we remember them.

In the howling of the wind and in the chill of winter, we remember them.

In the opening of buds and in the rebirth of spring, we remember them.

In the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer, we remember them.

In the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn, we remember them.

In the beginning of the year and when it ends, we remember them.

When we are weary and in need of strength, we remember them.

When we are lost and sick of heart, we remember them.

When we have joys and special celebrations we yearn to share, we remember them.

So as long as we live, they too shall live, for they are part of us,

And we remember them.

A purely instrumental piece that I have found comforting these past few days is “Nimrod” from Sir Edward Elgar’s “Enigma Variations.”  I hope each of you has found some music or music with words that have provided you solace during this time.  I invite you to share the titles here in order to offer support to someone else.

A 9/11 Remembrance

On this Eleventh Anniversary of  9/11 our thoughts and memories are both individual and universal.  For many of us who live our lives surrounded by music, either as a vocation or avocation, there seems to be some solace in performing or hearing music that supports those thoughts and memories.  It was Leonard Bernstein, Conductor of the New York Philharmonic, who, following the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, gave this answer to a reporter as to why the orchestra would not cancel a previously scheduled performance that would take place during the time of national mourning:  “This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”

Maestro Bernstein’s words resonate with me, for I find that at times of great impact in my life, whether joyful or sad, I am strengthened by music.  There is one piece in particular that speaks to me as I think about 9/11.  It is entitled We Remember Them and the music is by Donald McCullough.  The author of the text is unknown, but the words are powerful:

In the opening of buds and in the rebirth of spring, we remember them.                                                                                                                                                                                                                         In the blueness of the sky and in the warmth of summer, we remember them.

In the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn, we remember them.                                                                                                                                                                                                           In the beginning of the year and when it ends, we remember them.

When we are weary and in need of strength, we remember them.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                When we are lost and sick at heart, we remember them.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   When we have joys we yearn to share, we remember them.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             So as long as we live they too shall live,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  For they are now a part of us as we remember them.

May we never forget the lives lost, and the lives forever changed, on that day eleven years ago.

We Remember Them

On this Tenth Anniversary of  9/11 our thoughts and memories are both individual and universal.  For many of us who live our lives surrounded by music, either as a vocation or avocation, there seems to be some solace in performing or hearing music that supports those thoughts and memories.  It was Leonard Bernstein, Conductor of the New York Philharmonic, who, following the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, gave this answer to a reporter as to why the orchestra would perform almost immediately after that national tragedy:  “This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”

Maestro Bernstein’s words resonate with me, for I find that at times of great impact in my life, whether joyful or sad, I am strengthened by music.  On this day, all around these great United States of America, there will be beautiful and meaningful music performed in worship services and special memorial concerts that will help people sort through the myriad emotions and feelings associated with 9/11.  In my own church service, the choir will perform three selections that speak in different, yet unifying, ways about this day.  Once to Every Man and Nation by David Stanley York, We Remember Them by Donald McCullough, and Make Me a Channel of Your Peace (Prayer of St. Francis) by Sebastian Temple will, I hope, assist all in attendance as they recall the past, respond to the present, and hope for the future.

Are there pieces that are especially meaningful to you at this time of remembrance?

I Choose to Sing!

The Michael O’Neal Summer Singers began its 7th Season last night with about 155 voices joining together in selections by such composers as Bach, Haydn, Brahms, Verdi, Bernstein, and others.  It was a glorious evening as these folks, representing a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences, came together for the shared purpose of making beautiful music.  It was exciting for me to feel the energy in the room as we began our two and half hour rehearsal, and although I was a little tired at its conclusion, I was also at the same time invigorated by what we had accomplished.  The enthusiasm of volunteer singers is a wondrous thing to witness and I look forward to our summer of music!

At the end of yesterday’s rehearsal, I mentioned a blog I wrote in March 2010 entitled Why We Sing.  In that blog I had listed reasons singers had shared with me in the past about why they sang in choruses and I invited new responses to that question.  I’m doing the same thing today.  We all have an enormous range of possible activities in which we can engage.  To sing in a volunteer chorus is a choice from among all those activities.  So, why do you choose to sing?