Crossing the Bar - Laudate Mennonite Ensemble

248,358 views • Aug 3, 2023

Description

Words by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Music by Rani Arbo, arr. Peter Amidon

This song was recorded on a smartphone at the end of a video recording day when we, as an ensemble, decided on impulse to sing this one more time together before we parted ways. It has been such a privilege to sing together this year, and we look forward to sharing some other videos with you later this year. 

Video Credits: Myron Eby

The Historic Faith · Hymn Companion

Crossing the Bar

Words by Alfred, Lord TennysonMusic by Rani ArboWritten 1889

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.

Story Behind the Song

Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote "Crossing the Bar" in 1889 after a serious illness, using the image of a ship passing over a harbor sandbar into the open sea as a metaphor for death. He asked that the poem be placed at the end of all editions of his poetry, and it became one of his best-known late works. The text has been set to music by many composers; this version uses music by Rani Arbo, with a choral arrangement by Peter Amidon.