Albert T. Calello, beloved tenor in Dover, Massachusetts, had been singing with the Centre Streeters, a local bluegrass band, for only a very short while, though their synergy was undeniable.
On March 19, 2006, my dad and I went to the Dover Church to prepare the ceremony for my brother Charlie’s funeral.
We had some gaps in the program that we intended to fill with as much beautiful music as possible. Meaningful stuff. The most meaningful possible everything.
Asking the captain to mitigate thoughtfully after the iceberg
That night, my dad went to see Linda Foehl, matriarch of the Centre Streeters, at Lincoln Commons. Al was there. He said to my dad:
“We’ve been practicing this song for several weeks, and until Friday, I did not know why. None of us did. We were just arranging it, and singing it in four-part harmony. It’s called ‘You Raise Me Up’.
Now I know why we learned it.”
It was the most thunderous, gorgeous, horrible, beautiful hymn that I can remember from my brother’s service.
You raise me up.
theme and variations 