St. Olaf Choir - "When Memory Fades" - Jayne Southwick Cool, arr. Eric Nelson

"When Memory Fades"
Jayne Southwick Cool (b. 1947)
arr. Eric Nelson
St. Olaf Choir, Anton Armstrong, Conductor
Copyright © 2018 St. Olaf College. All Rights Reserved.
Used by Permission of MorningStar Music Publishers.
www.morningstarmusic.com
When memory fades and recognition falters,
When eyes we love grow dim, and minds confused,
Speak to our souls of love that never alters;
Speak to our hearts by pain and fear abused.
O God of life and healing peace,
Empower us with patient courage, by your grace infused.
As the frailness grows, and youthful strengths diminish,
In weary arms, which worked their earnest fill.
Your aging servants labor now to finish....
Their earthly tasks as fits your mystery's will.
We grieve their waning, yet rejoice, believing,
Your arms, unwearied, shall uphold us still.
Within your spirit, goodness lives unfading.
The past and future mingle into one.
All joys remain, un-shadowed light pervading.
No valued deed will ever be undone.Y
our mind enfolds all finite acts and offerings.
Held in your heart, our deathless life is won.
- Mary Louise Bringle

[@williamvanolinda5266]

My wife suffers from Alzheimer’s. I watch this each evening to remind me to be kind..

[@avondoll7796]

I too was at the Tallahassee concert and heard this piece for the first time. What a powerful message of personal dignity mingling with God's grace through such a difficult illness. The choir delivered it with such sensitivity and feeling after Dr. Armstrong's personal preparatory comments. Keep singing this!

[@ehcasey70]

I heard this for the first time last night when St. Olaf came to Tallahassee to sing for us. It has not been quite a year since my Daddy died from frontotemporal dementia. This song is heartbreakingly beautiful. To me, the song is about grace-- both for us, and for our loved one who is being stolen by the awfulness that dementia is. Thank you for this amazing recording.

[@rowenkrantz9331]

My grandmother is showing signs of dementia and this song is reminding me of the grace we ought to show those who suffer from conditions as such. While it is disheartening, it is a reminder for us to be grateful for our memory. I can’t say how much I love the St. Olaf choir and exactly the torn emotions that loved ones feel.

[@mesamikey11]

Near to the beautiful voice lies a beautiful heart and when it is dedicated to God will give abundant meaning to the music.

[@bonitaglaser6797]

beautiful and full of deep soul touching...remembering ….my sister no longer remembers...sweet. lord remember her.

[@wphubert]

Such beauty. Too many of us have seen our loved ones fade a away. Not just from dementia but a whole host of physical loss. But we loved them as they spent their lives loving us.

[@paramma5616]

So heartening to see and hear such empathy and compassion from the faces and the voices. The Real inner beauty of the Love of Christ manifest in this young generation. St Olaf is a pearl of Divine Grace on earth. Thanks Dr A and you beautiful souls.

[@elizabethsheplermusic]

: * )

[@karynbrinkmeyer7431]

My friend shared this during a "such a time as this" moment in my life. Thank you Dr. A , St. Olaf Choir...and thank you Christy Curry-Hoyland.

[@ryanhoover6078]

As a nurse, a nursing home administrator, and a choral music geek, I’ve never heard a sacred piece about dementia.
Love it, Dr A!
Stop in and sing for my residents some day!

[@kathybrashear4433]

Expresses the inexpressible as only music can. Thank you St. Olaf and Dr. Armstrong!

[@radarice2]

Most beautifully done. I have sent this clip to several friends and extended family members because they are suffering because of the dementia of their elderly loved ones. I included the lyrics so that they could listen and read at the same time. Their response was heartfelt and grateful - it provided them comfort, deep understanding, and hope when under such trying circumstances.
Thank you for singing this piece from the heart - it was very evident.

[@thedonthompsonchorale633]

Moved beyond words.......

[@luggy6117]

This song brings me to tears every time. Did learning it, performing it, and still does after college. Thank you so much Dr. A for letting us do such an amazing piece.

[@KenWAnderson]

Very moving. Anton Armstrong and the St Olaf college choir has reached a zenith for this age group. Blessings to all. . . . I LOVE the involvement of the singers in their music making! It's captivating! (even though some girls closed words ending in sibilants early instead of with everyone else.)

[@KenWAnderson]

I keep coming back to this video/audio recording for its beauty and message. Thank you!

[@drtommusic50]

Anton and the young singers truly 'get it.' They capture and reproduce Eric Nelson's deeply introspective arrangement. One of the best sounds I've heard outside of Atlanta! Bravo.

[@ellenmisch2149]

This is beautiful. I have had experience taking care of loved ones with dementia and it is the most difficult care-giving experience because it is physically and mentally exhausting. This is a gift to those who bear the burden of care-giving.

[@85doc]

I have never heard a sacred arrangement about dementia. There might be other songs, but I haven’t heard them. The St. Olaf choir led by Dr. A render it with such beauty.

[@sugarsteeler1293]

Beautiful, every bit. Down to the part of the piano even the silence it sustained in the end. thank you for this performance.

[@maicohann1658]

Great performance… moved me

[@PSRykken57]

Tremendous interpretation of this song. Powerful. Thank you.

[@KenWAnderson]

There are a plethora of video recordings of this piece on YT now. However, in my humble estimation none reach the clarity and emotional depth of this ensemble, not even the Atlanta Sacred Chorale for which it was written by Eric Nelson.

[@howards231]

Beautiful☺

[@susanflakes6968]

ETERNITY...

[@mwkoskamp1]

Amazing. Love the way you sing and make music!

[@everyonemakesmusicstudentf4062]

I see Paulo!! Beautiful Song!

[@danbrinton747]

Remarkable! Beautifully done

[@ericaweiler7747]

Lembro de minha saudosa mãe que teve Alzheimer, mas mesmo sem saber quem ela era, uma coisa ficou em sua mente: a oração.Proferia lindas orações, agradeçendo muito pelo sangua de Jesus que a salvou

[@susanflakes6968]

Won't fly. FRANKLIN..JUDGEMENT SEAT..You will do the right thing it's eating you up, and you think I can help you with that. I will be there with you, if you want..but OLA will be by my side...your call and his..and he may not want anything to do with it because of how uou've done..

[@scottpresnal]

Beautifully sung, but the swaying was a needless visual distraction.

[@pkuras]

The St. Olaf Choir always sings from memory, each chorister hand-in-hand with those to their sides. Their swaying is an expression of their connectedness and unity as an ensemble, the movement inherent in the music, and the natural involvement of the whole body in the physical act of making music. I assure you that much of the beauty and emotion in their performance would be lost if they were commanded to stand unmoving.