Japanese, American fathers mark Sept. 11 through music
Sep. 14, 2010
A choral piece composed by a Japanese man who lost a son in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack, to lyrics by a bereaved American father was played Saturday at a memorial concert in New York, marking the ninth anniversary of the tragedy.
In addition to the concert at the hall near Central Park, another concert was held along the Hudson River, featuring a piano that survived the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, together with an annual floating lanterns ceremony.
Munefumi Takemoto from Hiroshima, the organizer of the ''Hibaku'' Piano Peace Concert, said, ''I think it is significant that the peace tone is played on this piano on this very day of 9/11.''
The terror attacks are ''not the affairs of someone else,'' said Takemoto, 52, who lost an American policeman friend in the tragedy. ''Hiroshima and New York are two Ground Zeros for me.''
The piano was in Naka Ward in Hiroshima City, about 1.8 kilometers from the epicenter, at the time of the bombing. Mitsunori Yagawa, 58, a piano tuner, became the owner about five years ago and restored it.
Yagawa addressed the audience and expressed hope the piano will become ''a bridge of peace connecting the United States and Japan.''
At the Circle Wind Memorial Concert, Japanese choral groups Men's Glee Club of New York and Cocolo Gospel Choir performed the song ''Mother's Day,'' based on a poem written by New York resident Patrick Cartier, 75. Cartier's third son James, 26, worked as an electrician at the World Trade Center.
The Cartier family's memorial website for James features some of Patrick's poems, along with pictures of the motorcycle James loved.
The Japanese father, Kazusada Sumiyama, 73, lost his son Yoichi, a 34-year-old bank employee, in the attack. Sumiyama saw the poem ''Mother's Day'' on the Cartier website.
''The expressions in the poem -- they moved my heart,'' said Sumiyama. He contacted Cartier to get his consent to put the original poem to music.
It took several years before the choral piece was completed after many trials.
Cartier himself was unable to attend the concert, but his eldest son Patrick Cartier Jr. and his family took part. ''All the mothers cried on that day (Sept. 11, 2001). (The performance) was very emotional,'' the 46-year-old Cartier Jr. said.
In a telephone interview with Kyodo News, Cartier expressed his gratitude for Sumiyama turning his poem into a song, saying, ''It is a marvelous thing.'' He said both of their sons would be ''very pleased.''
(Distributed by Kyodo News on Sept. 11, 2010)
In addition to the concert at the hall near Central Park, another concert was held along the Hudson River, featuring a piano that survived the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, together with an annual floating lanterns ceremony.
Munefumi Takemoto from Hiroshima, the organizer of the ''Hibaku'' Piano Peace Concert, said, ''I think it is significant that the peace tone is played on this piano on this very day of 9/11.''
The terror attacks are ''not the affairs of someone else,'' said Takemoto, 52, who lost an American policeman friend in the tragedy. ''Hiroshima and New York are two Ground Zeros for me.''
The piano was in Naka Ward in Hiroshima City, about 1.8 kilometers from the epicenter, at the time of the bombing. Mitsunori Yagawa, 58, a piano tuner, became the owner about five years ago and restored it.
Yagawa addressed the audience and expressed hope the piano will become ''a bridge of peace connecting the United States and Japan.''
At the Circle Wind Memorial Concert, Japanese choral groups Men's Glee Club of New York and Cocolo Gospel Choir performed the song ''Mother's Day,'' based on a poem written by New York resident Patrick Cartier, 75. Cartier's third son James, 26, worked as an electrician at the World Trade Center.
The Cartier family's memorial website for James features some of Patrick's poems, along with pictures of the motorcycle James loved.
The Japanese father, Kazusada Sumiyama, 73, lost his son Yoichi, a 34-year-old bank employee, in the attack. Sumiyama saw the poem ''Mother's Day'' on the Cartier website.
''The expressions in the poem -- they moved my heart,'' said Sumiyama. He contacted Cartier to get his consent to put the original poem to music.
It took several years before the choral piece was completed after many trials.
Cartier himself was unable to attend the concert, but his eldest son Patrick Cartier Jr. and his family took part. ''All the mothers cried on that day (Sept. 11, 2001). (The performance) was very emotional,'' the 46-year-old Cartier Jr. said.
In a telephone interview with Kyodo News, Cartier expressed his gratitude for Sumiyama turning his poem into a song, saying, ''It is a marvelous thing.'' He said both of their sons would be ''very pleased.''
(Distributed by Kyodo News on Sept. 11, 2010)
