The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, accompanied by the huge Tabernacle organ, bring us some beautifully sung, authentic Civil War songs. We learned some of these songs in elementary school, and remember being touched by their poignancy, at the same time appalled to learn of the bloody slaughter. Soldiers on both sides marched off to songs like "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp," "The Bonnie Blue Flag," "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," "Dixie" and "When Johnny Comes Marching Home," but it's the songs like "He's Gone Away," "Tenting On The Old Camp Ground," "Aura Lee," "Lorena," "Kathleen Mavourneen," "Sweet Evelina," "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" and the sadly unincluded "One Vacant Chair" that tell the real, heartbreaking story of the war. We're then cheered up, however, by 9 Stephen Foster "pop" tunes, the joyous "Ring De Banjo," "Oh! Susanna," "The Glendy Burk," "Beautiful Dreamer," "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair," "Nellie Bly" and others. A powerful collection from the magnificent MTC. |
