One piece of music that I found to be very powerful and deeply moving was a song that was sung at the funeral service of my father’s best friend and my own godfather at baptism. This song is “The Prayer” that was popularized by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli. My godfather was a music teacher for most of his life in a nearby public elementary school. He could have taught at university, but he loved children so much and thus devoted most of his life to teaching music to young eager minds.
After the religious service, there was a short program. Eulogies were given by some members of the family, and by a colleague. The closing number was “The Prayer”. It was sung by two of his former students who had pursued formal music courses while in college, and who were university music professors as well today. The pair sang excellently, and one could feel their sorrow at losing a beloved mentor, and their joy because my godfather’s legacy will live on in them and in their students also.
The lyrics of the song towards the end are “Need to find a place, Guide us with your Grace, Give us faith so we’ll be safe”. The pair’s voices were so angelic but strong at the same time. It was as if the pair was addressing their song not only to the Lord, but also to their dearest mentor as well. The lady’s voice broke at the end – and one could feel everyone’s sorrow in the room while her voice broke. There was not a single dry eye in the room afterwards. The song sounded like a plea for guidance and protection, that all lives touched by my godfather would be safe, protected and would remain faithful to the Lord and to the beliefs that my godfather espoused while he was still alive. It was a beautiful number and a fitting tribute to a man who loved music, and who decided to live simply because he just wanted to teach music to young and eager children. He also had faith, and so the song was truly paying homage to his simplicity and his legacy.
Work Cited
Metro Lyrics. The Prayer Lyrics. 2015. Web. 21 June 2015.
