Europe Trip - 1

I thought it appropriate to restart my blog contributions with some reflections about a just completed whirlwind tour of a few locations in Europe. Not all at once mind you, but I have to start.

The group was composed of The Nothern Pines vocal Institute under the direction of David Jorlett, and accompanied byt the Cecelia Chamber singers under Shelly Aebi with assistance from Dr. Chris Wallace on organ and Dr. Megan Wallace on piano, plus a few additional signers from Trinity faculty and students. The trip started on June 28th going to Vienna, Salzburg, Melk, Baden (in Austria) - and Dachau and Rothenberg in Germany.

In Dachau we sang at three memorial sites. One of the songs we sang is Prayer of the Children. The song itself refers to a doctor visiting a bombed hospital in Bosnia. Just the men sang, and I found myself at times unable to sing. Here are the lyrics:

Can you hear the prayer of the children
on bended knee, in the shadow of an unknown room?
Empty eyes with no more tears to cry,
turning heavenward toward the light.
Cryin' Jesus help me to see the mornin' light of one more day,
but if I should die before I wake,
I pray my soul to take.

Can you feel the hearts of the children
aching for home, for something of their very own?
Reaching hands with nothing to hold on to,
but hope for a better day, a better day.
Cryin' Jesus help me to feel the love again in my own land,
but if unknown roads lead away from home,
give me loving arms, away from harm.

Can you hear the voice of the children
softly pleading for silence in their shattered world?
Angry guns preach a gospel full of hate,
blood of the innocent on their hands.
Cryin' Jesus help me to feel the sun again upon my face.
For when darkness clears, I know you're near,
bringing peace again.
Da-li cu-je te sve dje-cje mol-it-ve?
Can you hear the prayer of the children?

______

we didn't sing it exactly like this, but they're representative. I believe the second link is the composer singing it.

http://www.poofcat.com/childprayer.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTZFIcqnQMg

We didn't get to spend near enough time here. Very sobering.