"O Holy Night" has been my favourite Christmas carol for years. It developed special significance over a decade ago when a good friend died just before the holidays after a long illness. I was unable to attend her funeral, but had heard that an opera-singer friend had sung at at the service.
A few weeks later, closer to Christmas, I attended a concert in a church with a blue ceiling the colour of a perfect summer day and golden stars painted upon it. I attended the concert because I knew the opera-singer friend would be performing. Towards the end of the evening she sang "O Holy Night" and as she sang that song it felt as though she were singing my grief over the loss of my friend, and my joy of fond memories, into music.
On Christmas Dayof this year I was listening to the radio hoping to hear "O Holy Night" since I hadn't had the chance to hear it this year. I had been thinking of the song for a few days, and was disappointed at not having heard it.
This afternoon I was driving to Toronto to visit a friend for the afternoon. I was listening to a favourite Sunday program that hosts musical guests. It was the Christmas special, and the musical guest for the day was Matt Anderson. Halfway through the programme he sang "O Holy Night". At first I didn't even register the fact that it was that particular song, but suddenly as he came to the chorus his voice filled the car, and filled my heart and my voice rose from my chest and I joined him:
1 comment:
o helga natt av jussi bjørling!!
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