Mourning The Death

(Chapter 5)

There is not much written in the four gospels of the Bible describing the emotions of those who loved Jesus in the moments after his death. Still, I felt led by the Spirit to write a song on those few dark days between the death and the resurrection. The experience of sitting in the overwhelming grief and mourning after the death of Jesus (a son, close friend, beloved teacher and mentor, Savior), could be profoundly beautiful in its own way. Not only could it remind us of the painful significance of the death of Jesus to those who knew him (and to us today), but could also intensify the shock and joy that would arise upon his resurrection.

Glimpses of the Composing of The Song

The beginning of the song brings us to the moment after Jesus takes his last breath. I imagined an eerie heavy stillness in the air. Utter shock. Disbelief. Sadness. In the first few measures, I tried to create a subtle, quiet breathing quality to the music, with the use of a soft crescendo and decrescendo to each note. It is as if you can hear your own breath, in and out. As reality sets in that Jesus is dead, the first violin comes in letting out a slow cry, representing his mother Mary, weeping at the loss of her only child. The second violin gently comes in from behind, as another woman joins in the mourning with the mother of Jesus. I then begin interweaving in the cellos with the violins, surrounding the listener with the sounds of weeping and mourning of those who loved Jesus. Although the song is sad, amidst the profound grief, my wish is that you can still hear a sense of hope in the piece.

The passage inspiration:

“There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.” Matthew 27:55

“But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus and lain, one at the head and one at the feet.” John 20:12

Solo violins: StoryLight Strings
Solo cellos: StoryLight Strings
All music played and composed by: StoryLight Strings