last week I visited my friend Elfie. She told that her father was about dying within the next days or weeks. He was already in a special hospital in Austria for dying people. Ever one or two weeks she drives from here (Nuremberg) to Austria to visit her father (he has lung cancer etc in the last state) -
She asked me to help her find a song for the funeral - she had the song in mind they played on the funeral of her younger brother about 30 years ago, who died at the age of 17 at an motorbyke accident. -
She had asked me about 10 years ago, whether I knew that song, by just humming it to me. - I knew it- I had heard it already, but couldn't say what it was. It needed some years till by chance I heard that sang & knew at once that was the tune, that was the tune Elfie once had hummed to me - yes it was "Amazing grace" in USA probably much more known than here around.
So we were searching the internet for 'amazing grace' & different interprets, but also for songs like 'swing low sweet chariot' etc. - I could vaguely remember that it was once sang by Joan Baez -
we found some CD's in amazon by a lot of interprets & she ordered 'amazing grace' by Aretha Franklin, Joan Baez & the Original USA Gospel
choir - you can hear into the songs in amazon for 30 seconds - but Aretha Franklin seemed a bit to powerful & soulish to Elfie - I prefered the Joan Baez variation.
Elfie who doesn't know much more about english than maybe 'yes' and 'no', asked me to translate the texts (that I had also downloaded) of 'amazing grace' & 'swing low sweet chariot' -
So I started translating it, but while in second line I couldn't continue, because I got tears in my eyes & my voice began to choke - I didn't want her to see it - so turned on my seat, that she couldn't see my face anymore & made a short pause, like I was thinking about the translation - but I just couldn't continue - the text made feel like weeping & I aroused something deep inside me, which I didn't wanted to get stirred up - so I told her with a hoarse voice, that I can't translate that just by reading (which of course I could) - "I'll translate that later & send you the translation by e-mail" -
now - a week later I got a call by her, that her father had actually died last friday - the funeral is on thursday & she still needs that song because the amazon delivery failed by a mistake in the adress -
- she asked me to please help her to get that song at once for her till tomorrow - so I researched some CD-shops till I found a Joan Baez CD with amazing grace on it.
When I came home I found out that it was a live version.
I called her & she wanted to hear it on the telefone - so I started it & layed the phone next to the speakers. - She didn't like the clapping of the audience in the beginning & the end of the song & that Joan was speaking a short intro to the song - she wanted just the song & tolde me, that she couldn't need this version.
After small consideration I suggested, that I may could cut the noice & voice in the beginning & end of the song by a programm I have (but never used) - she was not quite convinced & asked to listen to that song again by phone - so again a put the phone for about 4 minutes to the speakers while replaying that song - but then she had detected another thing - in the middle of the song you could hear someone for a very short time laughing - I thought that wasn't too much disturbing - but she said: "No - it's impossible!" - she couldn't use that song which should be played at the funeral hall(?) or the grave(?)
- she said, she would only take it if I could supress this short laughter - hmm hard task - I didn't know that programm too much & doubted whether I could cut out a single noice out of that song.
So "Cool Edit 2000" is highly recommended to you. I changed the song from the CD with 'audiograbber' (free available in the web) to a wav-file then loaded it with Cool Edit & it needed only about 10 or 20 minutes till I had removed the audience aplauding & had also cut out the laughter in middle of song.
Of course I help my old friend Elfie in this hard time for her as much as I can.
I also translated the songtext to German, verse by verse - I hope my translation was appropriate:
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.
Erstaunliche Gnade, wie s�� der Klang,
die ein armes Wesen wie mich errettete
Einst war ich verloren, aber jetzt bin ich gefunden
ich war blind, aber jetzt sehe ich.
T'was Grace that taught...
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear...
the hour I first believed.
Es war Gnade, die mein
Herz lehrte Furcht zu haben.
Und Gnade, die meine �ngste von mir nahm.
Wie k�stlich erschien die Gnade
in der Stunde als ich begann zu glauben.
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see. (end)
Erstaunliche Gnade, wie s�� der Klang,
die ein armes Wesen wie mich errettete
Einst war ich verloren, aber jetzt bin ich gefunden
ich war blind, aber jetzt sehe ich.
