Someone a couple of miles of posts back mentioned the music on NPR, so I'll segue a bit here--did anyone else hear The Diane Rehm Show on NPR this morning? She interviewed music historian Steve Turner about his book on the song "Amazing Grace". John Newton (sp?) had an interesting history before he wrote the poem in 1772. It was put to various tunes over the years before the current one stuck.

My Real Player plays the program here.

They played quite a few versions--as I was driving toward work I was in tears by the time they got to the bagpipe version. I'd missed the earliest part of the program, so I have it on now as streaming audio. I told my boss about the program, and as we spoke, I mentioned the bagpipe version. He became very animated, and told me about hearing a performance in Scotland (to do with something called a "Tattoo?") at which many groups of bagpipers met and performed in unison, but then it became still and dark and one bagpipe played "Amazing Grace," and he (and most of the audience) was in tears--and was in tears all over again telling me this story (as I was). Very interesting program, but also makes me wonder where the power of the bagpipes come in in playing this song? Other versions of the song are quite powerful--and here's another connection coming back to this thread--Judy Collins is the one who really gave this song a new life. After her performance many other artists recorded it. And Collin's version will at the very least send shivers up my spine, if not tears to my eyes. I'm glad to read that she sounds as good now as she did back then.

SRS