One or Two Verses

I'm sitting in my Vermont living room, where boxes begin to accumulate below the bookshelves, listening over the internet to my choir in Montreal singing Evensong. The Dean is presiding, and he reads the lessons and prayers, some in English, some in French, and I'm surprised to notice how much more of the French I understand than I used to - somehow it's easier to tell that, listening on the radio rather than from the choir loft, where my attention is understandably distracted by upcoming duties. I listen to the chanted psalms and responses, the motets, a complicated modern rendition of the Magnificat and Nunc; it all sounds good. Finally the organist begins the last hymn. It's the Welsh lullaby most all of us know as "Sleep my child and peace attend thee/ all through the night," but those aren't the words the congregation and choir are singing. I don't know what the words are in the Canadian hymnal. What I hear are not individual words, anyway, but a strong male voice I don't recognize, from one of the front pews; he's a fraction of a beat behind the organ but singing the familiar tune with genuine feeling and pleasure. The whole congregation is a little behind, actually, but by the end of the first verse they've caught up, and the church sounds more full than usual, ordinary voices blending with the choir. "It's so beautiful," I think, as last bars of the simple, unaffected tune make me stop what I'm doing. My hands fall to my lap, and I realize my eyes are suddenly full of tears.

Comments

[Vivian]

I took the liberty of telling the choir this a.m. that you had your moving date. Smiles and happiness!

[dale]

(o)

[Ster]

You know, I listened to that evensong..I even recorded a small portion of it (including the hymn you are refering to). If you want ...I will try and send you the mpeg file.

Have a good night - Sterling