Eighty years ago I was in the fifth grade and learned of his song. It was on Memorial Day excercise at school in Boston. A Confederate general visited our school for this celebration. A year latr we had the same celebratio but the death of this general prevented him for attending. As a result an empty chair was placed on the stage in his memory anf=d a wreath was placed on the chair. The entire class sang this wonderful song. Many years have passed for me but the memory of that date will never be forgotten. John Mustone, Boston
Soloist is Peggy Zabawa from Washington, D.C. who died last year at age 93. She and her husband, Jule were the soloists on this Smithsonian Columbia Masterworks album. This recording was played at her funeral. Jule died in 1971.
A particularly beautiful rendition of this song. One we've sung around the piano in our family for many years. I hope this song can be perpetuated in our society in perpetuity. Keep it up guys!! Sincerely, Robert H. Galloway
This song reminds me of an episode of “The Andy Griffith Show” where Otis gets a new car and gets drunk, so Andy and Barney take him back to prison and they make a skit that Otis is dreaming, and he drove drunk into a river and drowned, so he is watching Andy and Barney weep over him while they sing this song
To all who asked, soloist was my mother, Peggy Zabawa, who studied at St. Olaf and in New York and then she and my Dad went to D.C. where my Dad was Minister of Music at Reformation Lutheran church on Capitol Hill. This is part of a cantata written by Richard Bales and performed at the National Gallery with their orchestra. This and The Confederacy and The Revolution are all still available, some LPs, some CDs on Amazon and Ebay (used of course). Also see Just Before the Battle Mother and Aura Lea and others. Thanks to all for the kind words. Amazing to me that they live on by this method.
+Mary Taylor Oh thats wonderful to learn. And she is superb, quite a joy to listen to. Vacant Chair is one my favorite songs of the period. I like your comment about the method. Think how easily it could all have been lost when formats were replaced. It makes me wonder whats coming and what will be (strived?) to be preserved and what will be thrown away, unknown and un-regarded. Lets hope that education, decency and good taste will always somehow prevail and wonderful songs like this will indeed live on.
My great-aunt's father had his father pass away of war injuries at the end of the War; a couple of years later the family did a rather mawkish group-photo around an empty chair, titled of course "The Vacant Chair."
for the 58000 plus chairs that have been vacant since 1974. For the vacant chairs that my baby boom generation let happen even after living through the tragedy of Vietnam we allowed politicians to send our sons and grandsons, daughters and grand daughters off to war again...
@@GabrielJ.Fontenot Thanks for replying five years later! I now see that I could have found the answer if I had read a little further in the comments! Still, I'm glad something brought me back to this beautiful performance.
I first heard this song on "The Andy Griffith Show". Andy, Barney and Otis were singing it. :)
I loved this song since I was young. Now I am 76 years old and I still love this song!
Eighty years ago I was in the fifth grade and learned of his song. It was on Memorial Day excercise at school in Boston. A Confederate general visited our school for this celebration. A year latr we had the same celebratio but the death of this general prevented him for attending. As a result an empty chair was placed on the stage in his memory anf=d a wreath was placed on the chair. The entire class sang this wonderful song. Many years have passed for me but the memory of that date will never be forgotten. John Mustone, Boston
I wonder who the general was?
Strange how some things just stay in your head, isn’t it?
Rest In Peace my friend Mr. Mustone, for you there will always be one vacant chair
Soloist is Peggy Zabawa from Washington, D.C. who died last year at age 93. She and her husband, Jule were the soloists on this Smithsonian Columbia Masterworks album. This recording was played at her funeral. Jule died in 1971.
A particularly beautiful rendition of this song. One we've sung around the piano in our family for many years. I hope this song can be perpetuated in our society in perpetuity. Keep it up guys!!
Sincerely,
Robert H. Galloway
This song reminds me of an episode of “The Andy Griffith Show” where Otis gets a new car and gets drunk, so Andy and Barney take him back to prison and they make a skit that Otis is dreaming, and he drove drunk into a river and drowned, so he is watching Andy and Barney weep over him while they sing this song
I just turned 30, and I loved that show as a kid. I remember crying
To all who asked, soloist was my mother, Peggy Zabawa, who studied at St. Olaf and in New York and then she and my Dad went to D.C. where my Dad was Minister of Music at Reformation Lutheran church on Capitol Hill. This is part of a cantata written by Richard Bales and performed at the National Gallery with their orchestra. This and The Confederacy and The Revolution are all still available, some LPs, some CDs on Amazon and Ebay (used of course). Also see Just Before the Battle Mother and Aura Lea and others. Thanks to all for the kind words. Amazing to me that they live on by this method.
Thanks for that info Mary - beautiful work by your mum!
+Mary Taylor Oh thats wonderful to learn. And she is superb, quite a joy to listen to. Vacant Chair is one my favorite songs of the period. I like your comment about the method. Think how easily it could all have been lost when formats were replaced. It makes me wonder whats coming and what will be (strived?) to be preserved and what will be thrown away, unknown and un-regarded. Lets hope that education, decency and good taste will always somehow prevail and wonderful songs like this will indeed live on.
Beautiful voice, beautiful memento.
Your mother had a beautiful voice....this song can also be for covid victims.
Heart-renderingly beautiful!
That's where I first heard it....that harmony was something awesome!!!
For my distant cousin, John Wesley Culp, Hamtramck, KIA atop Culp's Hill, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on 7/2 /1863.
We shall meet, but we shall miss him
There will be one vacant chair
We shall linger to caress him
While we breathe our evening prayer.
For my great great grandfather, Sergeant Enoch Young. Killed at the battle of Corinth .
In memory of Colonel Laban Johnson Bradford, 10th Kentucky Cavalry (U.S), cavalry militia. William Bradford Dean, MA.
Whenever I listen to this, it reminds me of “just before the battle mother”. It feels as if it’s the aftermath of his death.
My great-aunt's father had his father pass away of war injuries at the end of the War; a couple of years later the family did a rather mawkish group-photo around an empty chair, titled of course "The Vacant Chair."
love it
A fine song
for the 58000 plus chairs that have been vacant since 1974. For the vacant chairs that my baby boom generation let happen even after living through the tragedy of Vietnam we allowed politicians to send our sons and grandsons, daughters and grand daughters off to war again...
We shall eat,but we shall miss him, there will be one vacant chair....
glad to see only 3 dislikes on our countries painful history, glad some can still enjoy the true meaning of music without autotune.
Who's the lovely soloist?
Peggy Zabawa
@@GabrielJ.Fontenot Thanks for replying five years later! I now see that I could have found the answer if I had read a little further in the comments! Still, I'm glad something brought me back to this beautiful performance.
Is there an MP3 version of this album? By far my most favorite renditions of the songs of the Union.