My farewell

My farewell I mingle with tears of love.
Farewell both to old and to young ones.
You rich and you poor, you big and you small,
God one day in joy will unite us.
No more separation will tear us apart,
no more sighs of woe from a broken heart.
May God heed our prayers now.
Amen.

Lyrics and Music: In the tradition of Jone Jonas Jonson, Malung.

Arrangement: Anders Nyberg

Jone Jonas Jonson.

A name that bounces off the tongue like a piece of music. But the sound of his name is still nothing like his songs and the legacy that has survived him and will continue to do so, as the songs are imbued with a sense of eternity. The stories of the power of his voice can still be heard in his native Malungsfors. Every Sunday when ice did not cover the river he travelled by rowing-boat the 14 km downstream to attend church service in the Malung church. And Jonas would be singing all the way and the power of his voice could be heard, felt and followed all throughout the stretch of the valley as a call to its population to unite in song and prayer.

Jonas was called upon whenever there was a deathbed in the village. And he would never falter taking the people across that last stretch of water, one by one, carrying them on the broad shoulders of his singing, consciously and with great compassion. This is a song that has accompanied many people on their last journey, sung from that big heart in that big chest.

And it still reverberates.

May your legacy linger.

The arrangement on the video is for for choir, soloist, and stringquintet. In the score it is for organ and one violin. The lyrics are in English but if you want it with Swedish lyrics you can order it here.

A version with only melody, lyrics in English and Swedish and chord symbols is available.

If you want an arrangement for string orchestra, or string quartet you can request it from Peace of Music.