A strange and wonderful internet story

[bex77]

So you're singing in a church choir in Oceanside, CA. And your choir director finds this music for a very special anthem, "God Shall Wipe Away All Tears" by Jerry Kirk. But it is strange music - chanting, a bunch of different time signatures - so it's tough to tell what it's supposed to sound like. No demo or examples online, not even a random youtube hit. So you plug it into Google and up comes one link - a wedding program where it was sung by a choir. In Massachusetts. Nearly 14 years ago.

Their wedding program online lists their address and phone number. You manage to find that phone number online for a woman with that name, at the same address. So you call and their answering machine says "You've reached Beckie and Neil" - it's them! They are still together, at the same address! Hallelujah!

You leave a message which starts "You don't know me, but" and then ask if maybe, just maybe they recorded their wedding and could send you a demo file or let you listen on the phone or something, just so you'll have some idea of what it sounded like. Oh and you need it before choir rehearsal on Thursday, because they're singing it on Sunday.

You tell the choir director to cross her fingers and she scoffs. LONG SHOT!

Little did you know that the husband is a SOUND GUY, who knows where that wedding video is, still has a working VCR, the tape still plays, and he has the equipment to snag the song! He calls you back to say he is editing the sound file and can email it to you in about 10 minutes. LESS THAN FIVE HOURS after you left the message. God is good! You can't wait to hear it, and see the look on the choir director's face.
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So one of the strange and wonderful songs from our wedding will be sung by a 40-person choir at a church in California this Sunday. Isn't the internet grand?

Comments

[muffyjo]

This is an EXCELLENT use of superpowers for good! Oh, and maybe they'll send you a copy of their performance, too!!!

[kalibex.livejournal.com]

:)

[kalliejenn2.livejournal.com]

that's totally awesome!

[moria923.livejournal.com]

That is awesome! I'd love to hear it sometime. Was it the FCS choir?

[bex77]

The music should be in the First Church music library...maybe you can ask Thom to get the choir to perform it again sometime. John Olson was in our wedding and would remember how to sing it...

[greenlily.livejournal.com]

Oh, how lovely. I will be smiling all day.

(Well, I mean, I would be anyways. But now it'll be for a really good reason. :))

[bedfull-o-books.livejournal.com]

The Internet is, indeed, a marvelous place.

[spwebdesign.livejournal.com]

I read this while listening to YouTube to hear different interpretations of a complex set of songs I'm singing in my recital. Ah, the internet is a useful tool, even for musical performance! Thanks for sharing! :)