The Attraction of Chant
  • mjballoumjballou
    Posts: 994
    On Friday, I sang the In paradisum and Chorus angelorum at my mother's burial service in an old cemetary in Texarkana, Arkansas.

    It was a bleak, raw day with a cold sky. I had memorized the chants and rehearsed them sufficiently to ensure that I wouldn't start weeping halfway through. And it was probably the best I've ever sung in my life.

    At the funeral luncheon, folks from the Presbyterian minister to my cousin, the local symphony board president, wanted to know more. They knew instinctively that this music meant something very deep and special. And of course, I was happy to tell them everything I knew.

    Not your usual occasion for chant and not your usual listeners. Why do I bother with this anecdote? To encourage you to take chant wherever you think it can find a hearing. You don't know what hearts it will touch or minds it will reach. Beauty knows no boundaries.
  • JennyJenny
    Posts: 147
    What a wonderful gift to share with those present- and with your mother as well. You are brave to have attempted it. I don't know if I could do the same.

    Thank you for the encouragement. May God comfort you in your sorrow and let His perpetual light shine on your mother.
  • tomgiuliano
    Posts: 17
    Requiescat in pacem! My prayers and condolences are with you. I will think of your words when the time comes for me to do likewise for my parents who have already requested it of me.
  • gregpgregp
    Posts: 632
    God bless you, Mary Jane.
  • Michael O'Connor
    Posts: 1,637
    Requiescat in pace, Mary Jane. I hope that someone will be able to sing this at my own funeral.
  • RagueneauRagueneau
    Posts: 2,592
    Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord.
  • MaryAnn Carr WilsonMaryAnn Carr Wilson
    Posts: 1,738
    Beautiful story, MJ. And I couldn't agree more. Its been my experience that whenever people get the opportunity to hear chant well done, hearts and minds open quite readily. How true it is that beauty knows know boundaries. And considering that anything truly beautiful has its origins in God, what a gift we have in chant!

    Prayers continue for you, your family, and your Mom. Kudos to you for being able to sing well. I think I would have ended up a puddle if I tried that.
  • JerryGooso
    Posts: 2
    MJ, thank you for sharing that story. I am sorry for your loss but I'm sure the angels welcomed your mom into the holy city, Jerusalem.
  • rollingrj
    Posts: 352
    First of all, my heartfelt condolences.

    When people ask "Why chant?", this story is one of the answers.
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