November 20, 2007
Mine eyes have seen the glory
This is a nice way to start the day.
In the school district where I live, a concert is put on annually by the four high school choirs, plus a little kids' choir of elementary school children, of which my youngest daughter is a member.
Participation in the high school choirs is competitive and their quality is high. A director for the concert is brought in from the outside, generally from a college. The concert begins with a couple of numbers by the kids' choir; this year, they started with a medley of The Pledge of Allegiance and America the Beautiful. The crowd--I live in a middle-of-the-road, non-elite area--loved it.
The four high school choirs perform separately, and then at the end, they combine in a single large choir for a couple of songs. Most of the music sung is classical; lots of it is religious, often in Latin. As I said, the quality is high.
For the finale, they bring out the kids' choir to sing with all four high schools. This year, the finale was Battle Hymn of the Republic. I found the arrangement deeply moving. The little kids get the first verse to themselves, then the high schoolers join in. A small band accompanies the choir.
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Anyway, here it is. I hope it's a day-brightener for you, as it was for me. If you can keep a dry eye to the end, you're made of sterner stuff than me. I wasn't the only one, though; the applause that followed the performance was absolutely deafening.
As I listened to the voices of the kids singing, my thoughts turned to the thousands of Americans -- many of them immigrants (legal, I might add!) -- who fought and died to crush the Confederacy, end slavery and save the Union.
And when it comes to being made of "sterner stuff," well, count me out: I teared up almost immediately, listening to the soaring voices of the students.
Make sure your speakers are on and give it a listen.
Posted by Mike Lief at November 20, 2007 07:55 AM
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