Last night I spoke with mom in Dallas. Dad would have turned 95 yesterday. He went home to heaven a year ago.
Tonight, as part of my evening worship, I listened again to this piece. It exalts the God-man, our Lord Jesus Christ, who became flesh on our behalf so as to make a way to heaven for those who trust him.
I haven't heard every song ever written for choir, but I have heard enough to say that this is one of the most beautiful pieces of choral music ever written. It's absolutely halting. I can't help but well up when listening to it. Only someone with great spirituality can write something like this. Morten Lauridsen isn't just a composer. He is a bridge to that other side which our eyes cannot see yet but which our hearts can touch. The first time I heard this piece I just sat there and listened with eyes closed, so transported was I to another realm.
The older I get the more I find myself leaving behind music that merely excites me. Instead, I yearn after music that elevates my soul to God and brings joy and peace to my heart. This piece does just that for me. When I hear it I think, "This is what heaven sounds like. This is how the angels sing and how someday I too will sing." This piece touches something deeply unexplainable in me in a way that is hauntingly beautiful. I praise God that it has graced my present life. I hope that when my time comes, this piece will heal the hearts of those left behind and they will feel the love I bore for all of them.
Dad, we miss you. Requiescat in pace.