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One Voice
Contributed by: John Rosseel
Song, One Voice by: Ruth Moody

Like many of you, I’m an avid music listener - and always have been. I was a teenager during the early seventies when rock was what everyone listened to. Late Beatles, the Stones, Pink Floyd, Boston. But I also enjoyed the softer sounds of James Taylor and Gordon Lightfoot, and even (I can admit this now because I’m among friends) Anne Murray and, yes, Glen Campbell. I even owned a copy of the Anne Murray/Glen Campbell duet lp. It was difficult to be buying records out of the “Easy Listening” bins at Sam the Record Man at age fifteen. But it’s a harsh world and my crazed musical proclivities had to be satisfied.

At that time in my life I was compelled to attend school chapel services every morning after breakfast, and over the course of five years I learned a good many standard hymns of the Anglican Church. These sacred songs continue to rattle around in my head to the present day.

In addition to following my own eclectic tastes, I have been influenced heavily by those around me. I have two sons who have exposed me over the last fifteen years to everything from Nirvana to Britney Spears; from Ace of Base to Korn (that’s spelled with a “K”, and no, it has nothing to do with vegetables); from the existential metal-edged rock of Queens of the Stone Age to the gansta’ rhymes and rhythms of urban hip-hop.

My spouse enjoys listening to Stevie Wonder, the Nylons, Michael Jackson (the “Thriller” years, fortunately) and all Broadway musicals. Her favourite song is Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. You can appreciate how her interests are a nice complement to my own. We sometimes disagree over the most appropriate use of the stereo system.

I have a sister in Vancouver who sings in a great gospel choir with amazing spiritual and world music repertoire. She also has a deep interest in the blues (especially anything ever recorded by Billie Holiday), and follows the folk club circuit on the West Coast. Over the last few years, I’ve been given a constant stream of new music-listening suggestions from her.

Like each of you, I’m lucky enough to live at a time and in a place where we have access to a veritable musical feast. Great live music acts come to Kingston on a regular basis. We have our own symphony orchestra. Choirs not only exist here, they positively proliferate. As a member of Open Voices Community Choir - learning new material with each passing term - I’ve been exposed to an incredibly rich variety of music. I’ve met many other “music geaks” in the choir, each of whom is only too happy to suggest what I should be listening to at the moment. This is a further wildly random and wonderfully rich source of new music leads to follow.

My point is this. I love music. And now I not only listen to music; I actively make music. I’m grateful to sing in this wonderful choir, which values the appreciation and expression of music as being a creative and unifying force in our lives. In Open Voices, we are afforded the unusual luxury of surrendering our single voices to each other, to create something that we can only achieve as a choral collective…and that is, harmony. This is a rare opportunity in our society today: to be able to take part in a creative process in which, quite mysteriously, the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. We should never take this opportunity for granted.

Of all the music I’ve been exposed to during this past year, there is one song I’ve heard that best reflects the Open Voices experience. If ever there were anthem for our choir, I think that this is it.

[CUE MUSIC…”One Voice”, written by Ruth Moody (SOCAN) 2004, performed by The Wailin’ Jennys]

One Voice - Lyrics
     Ruth Moody (SOCAN) Copyright 2004

This is the sound of one voice
One spirit, one voice
The sound of one who makes a choice
This is the sound of one voice
This is the sound of one voice

This is the sound of voices two
The sound of me singing with you
Helping each other to make it through
This is the sound of voices two
This is the sound of voices two

This is the sound of voices three
Singing together in harmony
Surrendering to the mystery
This is the sound of voices three
This is the sound of voices three

This is the sound of all of us
Singing with love and the will to trust
Leave the rest behind it will turn to dust
This is the sound of all of us
This is the sound of all of us

This is the sound of one voice
One people, one voice
A song for every one of us
This is the sound of one voice
This is the sound of one voice

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