On Friday I went to Trinity Church, on Broadway close to Wall Street, to hear a choral performance. Trinity had choirs singing all day on September 9, either at Trinity Church or at St. Paul’s Chapel, which was a place of refuge and rest for first responders. The church called the event “Remember to Love: A Choral Blessing,” and invited choirs from Boston, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania to perform, as well as their own choirs and others from New York City. http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/ (There are special services today, Sept. 11, as well).
The Copley Singers from Boston performed at 3 p.m. The program included Samuel Barber’s Agnus Dei, spirituals, and a part of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Requiem, among other pieces. Hearing their harmonies and the clarity of sound in the church filled with tourists, people who worked on Wall Street, and those who came just for the concert united us all in remembrance.
It ended with one I had never heard before, “Song of Athene,” by John Taverner. I was moved by it. I’m sharing the lyrics as they were printed in the program. It sums up what I think we all hope for those who perished.
Song of Athene, by John Taverner
May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.
Remember me, O Lord, when you come into your kingdom.
Give rest, O Lord, to your handmaid, who has fallen asleep.
The Choir of Saints have found the well-spring of life and door of Paradise.
Life: A shadow and a dream. Weeping at the grave creates the song:
Alleluia. Come, enjoy rewards and crowns I have prepared for you.
writinghersense 