That day not long ago, hearing Rutter speak;
This man who dismissed the religion he once knew.
This man whose music sounds like the songs of Angels,
Writes for the Church, but does not now believe.
Surely he is touched by God to produce the sounds, so sublime;
To also use words to convey the thoughts of God
And the Spirit that run through life, yours and mine.
But a phrase he said has stuck with me,
And refuses to leave my mind;
He said he had spoken to Howells, a composer of British birth,
Who had spoken to Shostakovich, a man of great renown.
And Rutter then said these words now immortal to me:
“It was like touching the hem of historys’ garment”