It’s Mother’s Day, and I’m remembering my dear beloved Mother. She had such an enormous influence on me, as many mothers do, but the influence I’m referring to is her tremendous musical ability. Her abilities were passed onto me in the forms of my own performance abilities and my abilities in teaching children.
I can still hear her singing “Silent Night” with my grandmother so many years ago on their last Christmas together. The sharing of those words was not just praise for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; they were the sharing of love between a mother and daughter who would soon say good-bye for the last time. Hearing their native Hungarian language, you could say no greater love was heard between two loving individuals. They were angels before either one of them took that form. Their beautiful singing has remained with me over sixty years, and it comes floating back to me whenever I need their voices to tell me things will be all right.
As a child of three years, I found a special love standing in front of my father’s church and singing “Jesus Loves Me” for the congregation. That knowledge of saying, “Jesus loves me,” has never left me and has formed the core of my beliefs throughout my life. I have sung many art songs, hymns, and classical pieces as a professional musician; none have stayed in my soul like “Jesus Loves Me.” I’ve come to realize that Christ is always with me when times are wonderful and sunny, but even more so when times aren’t quite as pleasant. He has taken my hand, and in my dreams where we often meet, I’ve heard His beautiful baritone voice singing, “Be still and know that I am.” (Psalm 46:10)
I am not the only one who has been blessed with the ability to sing. On Sunday mornings since COVID-19 has become our new norm, I have watched many recorded performances on YouTube. One such performance in 2017 was done by the Celtic Women and the PS22 Children’s Choir in New York City. I was carried away to a heavenly place as they sang, “You Raise Me Up,” a song that gives special praise to those who have loved us and stood strong for us throughout our lives. It speaks to those who have helped us stand on mountains, walk on stormy seas, and be more than we ever thought we could be. With these loving people, we have glimpsed eternity.
Another recorded performance was done by Andrea Bocelli and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in 2010. The massive 5-manual pipe organ swelled as the choir provided background for this tremendous world-renown tenor. I felt as though Andrea was praying for all of us as he sang “The Lord’s Prayer.” Those words, when sung with passion and love, tell me that we are not alone as we struggle to survive one of the world’s most savage pandemics.
A third performance took place in London in 2018. A choir of teenage girls called Angelica sang “Nessun Dorma” by Puccini and dedicated it to their teacher, who had been in a tragic automobile accident. The words mean, “I came, I saw, I conquered.” As tears poured down my face, I remembered another world-renown tenor by the name of Pavoratti, who could simply raise me up to Heaven every time I heard him sing this song. With tears in their eyes, Angelica acknowledged their love of an adoring teacher, a love that binds students to their teachers when Christ walks in the classroom.
The ability to sing reaches our very souls and makes us better than we are. It gives us insight into who we are as human beings and provides us with the passion we all need to walk towards a brighter future. In the simplest of terms, it allows us to hold hands, embrace each other from a distance, and know that we are not alone. As my mother faced her own passing, Anna said to me, “I will never be far away from you as long as you continue to sing.”
Anna Hartt
