Original Post Date: November 12, 2013
Choral Corner: Remembering Sir John Tavener (1944-2013)
Sir John Tavener’s music came into my life under a string of very specific circumstances. In 2009, when I was a senior in high school, my family took a trip to England as my graduation present. And because my mom is a church organist, a large portion of that trip was dedicated to visiting old cathedrals. While on a day trip to Canterbury Cathedral, I was wandering around the gift shop, when I heard a song I recognized playing over the speakers; one that I was currently singing in my high school choir (Pablo Casals’ “O Vos Omnes”). It was one of my favorite pieces we were singing that year, so I decided it would be cool to try and find the CD it was on to show my choir director. I found it, and little did I know that this CD would become one of, if not the the main reason for my decision to major in music in college.
On that CD was Sir John Tavener’s “Song for Athene”, which quickly became my favorite choral piece of all time. It awoke something so incredibly deep within me; touched a piece of my soul that had never been touched before, and has never been touched since. When I listen to this piece of music, I have no choice but to surrender my otherwise chaotic thoughts over to pure beauty for six minutes. When I close my eyes and listen to this piece of music, no matter how many times it has caressed my ears and my soul, its effect is always the same. I am not a religious person, but listening to this piece of music is the closest thing I have ever had to a religious experience, or a belief in something bigger than what I know to be real. It made me believe in the power that music has to change lives.
So now, if you ever do me one favor in your life, let it be this. Grab your best pair of headphones, sit yourself in a dark room, and let this choral masterpiece lull you into a sense of calm and greater awareness. It may change you; it may not. But give it a chance, and come out of it with at least a greater appreciation of Sir John Tavener’s incredible talent and his innovative ear.
If any of you watched Princess Diana’s funeral, you might remember this piece, sung by the Westminster Abbey Choir while Diana’s casket was carried slowly down the isle, and outside- just before the minute of silence.
The world lost one of its most talented composers today, but we will always remember him through the beauty and genius of his music.
SPOTIFY: JOHN TAVENER'S SELECTED WORKS
-Melani