In the course of the 1916 commemorations, there has been some discussion about the use of violence in pursuance of political aims. In that context it is interesting to reflect on what happened in Estonia 30 years ago this year as that county struggled to free itself from Soviet rule. In 1986 what became known as the Singing Revolution began when Estonians gathered in thousands in the capital Tallinn night after night to demand freedom by singing patriotic songs and hymns banned by their Soviet masters. The revolution would continue for over four years, with various protests and acts of defiance. In 1991, Soviet tanks attempted to suppress the protests but the people prevailed. It is remarkable that those Songs in the Night, as they were called, achieved so much without bloodshed.
In tomorrow’s reading from the Book of Acts, we find Paul and Silas singing Songs in the Night. They are in prison in Philippi following an encounter they had with a slave girl whose owner was annoyed with them for interfering with her work as a fortune teller which was making him money. The charges against them are listed: “These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.” They were stripped and flogged before being thrown into prison. The story continues: “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” Their Songs in the Night were an expression of faith; they were confident that they were in God’s care and need not fear. And what is interesting is that others heard and responded positively to the strange events that followed. The jailer and his family were so impressed that they became Christians.
Music plays an important part in all or lives and it's not only as entertainment. Certain songs, hymns and concert pieces carry special memories, some joyful, some sad. The song You'll Never Walk Alone is one of the most famous football songs in the world but it is especially associated with Liverpool Football Club where it acquired a special even spiritual status following the Hillsborough stadium tragedy in 1989 when tragically 96 people were killed and hundreds injured.
In his book Music and Imagination, Aaron Copeland, the American composer, explores the source of music and poetry: "I came gradually to see that music and poetry were perhaps closer kin than I had at first realised. I came gradually to see that beyond the music of both arts there is an essence that joins them – an area where the meaning behind the notes and the meaning beyond the words spring from a common source."
That source the Christian would say is the creative spirit of God working in and through human beings to equip and enrich our lives.
An example of poem and music coming together with great effect is found in the hymn Be Still My Soul, which is sung to the tune Finlandia. The words were written in the early 18th century by Katharina Amalia Dorothea von Schegel, who was possibly a Lutheran nun. It was translated into English a century later. In 1927 it was first set to the tune Finlandia, which has its own story to tell. Jean Sibelius, who was almost certainly Finland's greatest classical composer, wrote Finlandia in 1899 as part of a greater work intended to promote Finnish nationalism at a time when the country was under oppressive foreign rule. It was played all over the country under different names to confuse the censor but the message got through and the people's spirits were raised. Words and music as we sing them today are a perfect match. The Companion to the Church Hymnal suggests that the theme of the hymn is "the Christian's trust and submission to Christ in times of grief and bereavement. The hymn also emphasises that through all our afflictions and adversities Jesus guides us and cares for us" – a worthy addition to any list of Songs in the Night.