"Nearer my God to Thee..."
- Apr 16
- 2 min read
Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,/ darkness be over me, my rest a stone;/ yet in my
dreams I'd be/ nearer, my God, to thee;
Last night a small group of us gathered for a "Last Dinner on the Titanic" party to remember what it might have been like on that night April 14th 114 years ago at dinner before the great ship sank. We dressed and acted as people who were on the ship...Madeline Astor, Dorothy Gibson, Major Archibald Butt and even Captain Edward Smith. It was great fun and quite silly, but it was never far from our minds how tragic the sinking of the Titanic was. We played the soundtrack from what is called the White Star Line Titanic album, but this song never played. If it had, I suspect we would have all stood and reverently paused to remember the tragedy.
As I listened to the music from that fateful night this morning, it occured to me how powerful music can be in the face of disaster. Mr. Google tells us:
The eight musicians who played on the Titanic were led by violinist Wallace Hartley. Employed by a Liverpool agency, this octet aimed to calm passengers during the sinking on April 15, 1912, and all perished. The band played on deck as lifeboats were loaded, with reports suggesting they played until the very end.
Though glamorized by Hollywood, the somber truth of this setting is chilling. May we all experience the healing power of music and have a tune or a line in our heads and hearts when we face darkness. May we all find ourselves nearer to God in the days ahead. And may we also remember and honor the people who perished in that terrible accident.
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