Prayer of the Children 

I feel that the high soprano brings a sharpness in the pleading of the prayer that is very moving.

My choir sang this at the 9/11 Memorial two years ago... powerful moment for sure

I am from Kurt Bestor's hometown. This song is about the children in Yugoslavia during the war in the early 90's. He went overseas to help and this song is about what he saw. Very beautiful. Always gives me chills. Love this choir. Good job!!!

I sang this about 2 years ago when I was in chamber singers at my high school and this song still never fails to make me cry. At that time we dedicated the song to Zhara Baker who was a local girl who went missing and was found dead but now i realize this song is for many children around the world

Giving props to the tenor section tho

So FYI to all those complaining about that one soprano. She's doing very well keeping in tune that high and she blends very well throughout the rest if the song, also the whole song was so beautiful that they obviously practiced it a ton. If the director thought it was distracting they would have made her stop, and you'll notice she is singing a slightly different part, maybe this arrangement had a descant. Either way it was obviously what the choir ment to sound like or they wouldn't have preformed and record it like that, so while yeah the soprano is incredibly high and has a very strong voice it should not be the only thing you notice about the song, it just adds to the expirence.

This is the most beautiful song I've ever sung while in choir. Simply amazing.

I am a junior in A'Cappella. and we sang this at our concert last night. As soon as the females entered our choir teacher cried.

As a child I was abandoned by my mom lost my dad to an overdose, placed into the foster care system and adopted ultimately. I’ve often felt isolated and alone, still feeling the scars... 🥺 🙇🏽💔 Now my adopted mom is unwell after having a massive stroke. This moving hymnal brings me to tears for my own pain, childhood trauma, abandonment, and all of the children still, throughout this world whom are still suffering.😢💔🌎

Can you hear the sound of ... Yup, loud and clear. 👌

I'm singing this in my spring concert. I'm gonna listen to it over and over in an attempt to desensitize myself because right now I am a wreck and don't want to break down in the middle of my concert. Probably not gonna work though.

I sang this as a senior, searched for it forever and couldn’t even sing along because I was crying. beautiful song, very true

This song, just gets to me. Definitely made me think about sad memories, which ended up with me crying. But well done to Kurt Bestor.

We are all God's children. Thank you for the peace this song gives me.

My school is singing the SSAA version at our winter concert.... This is my favorite song we have, it is so beautiful and moving... When we sang it at WCSD Honor choir I burst into tears singing it at the concert! Its hard to hear it and not feel anything, and when you sing it... what you feel... well, words can't describe..

The Basso and Alto sound beautiful in this song

One of the most heart wrenching songs I have heard . Lord Jesus please hear the prayers of your children

I sang this in high school choir. 15 years later and I still remember every word

Sang this piece in 8th grade, will forever be my favorite piece.

My chorus sang this awhile back after the Florida shooting. We didn’t plan that, the shooting happened after the plan to sing the song. Although, it definitely added more emotion and meaning to being on stage that night. It felt in a way like we were giving to the people who had to experience that event. My director had a talk with us in which he told us that the people who died that day were teachers just like him and students just like us. He told us to sing like it was us there that day. We all sang our hearts out that night in sympathy for the poor people of that school and that community as if it were our own.

It makes you think of how bad war really is and who is affected the most. I also was about to cry too

Always think of this song on 9/11. I somehow feel it fits. Also, I sang this in high school and it was one of my absolute favorite. Very powerful and very moving.

We are doing this in one of my choirs. All of us love this song and we all get that feeling when we do it right. We actually brought a lady that listened to us sing it to tears.

Rest in the arms of Jesus , my child, Brandon and grandson, Caileb; missing you so; loving you; mourning you forevermore . Dear God help me bear this horrible grief😢😭😫

I don't mind the Soprano. It's an emotional piece. I'm over here like, "you better get it girl!" Lol.

This is one of the many songs we sang in my high school advanced choir during my senior year, listening to this rendition brings me back to that happy time in my life.

This is Gunda's husband typing. Gunda is now gone to a better place. She LOVED this piece of music. Our daughter sang it with her A Capella high school choir. It still brings tears to my eyes, knowing how much joy and peace Gunda felt listening to this.

This song makes me break down every time I hear it

today, at least three children and three adults were sent to the loving arms of jesus from the covenant school in nashville. i immediately thought of this song, and i needed to hear this.

My high school's chamber choir sang this today for solo and ensemble and it sounded so beautiful there are no words to describe how beautiful it was. I was amazed. There were absolutely no words.

I sang this with my high school choir four years ago, and to this day it is my favorite arrangement that we ever did

I just saw the movie The Sound of Freedom last night. This song came to mind as I processed the grief that I saw a glimpse of in that film. 😢

God is our father his words for our perfect life we seek for will never return void or empty but it will set out to do what it's suppose to do in Jesus wonderful name

Rest In Peace, Yugoslavia 🇷🇸🇭🇷🇸🇮🇲🇪🇲🇰🇧🇦

I sang this with my high school's acapella choir back in 1999. I believe it was this exact arrangement and if not it was pretty darn close. It's the only song from those high school choir days that I can still remember clearly, and I know we brought some audience members to tears when we performed it. And all y'all griping about the high soprano part, take it up with the composer and arranger! They wrote it that way, for gosh sakes. And it's not just one singer, there are probably at least 4 or 5 doing that part, and they are doing an excellent job of it. I should know -- I was one of the 4 or 5 singing it for MY choir!

i'm not sure i understand why four people disliked this. It's written by a man who saw kids with no parents going to war and dying in hospitals. How can you dislike this? This is what a man saw happening to children.. Little kids.. I just don't understand.

i cry myself to sleep every night to this song... its my tribute to my savior who isnt coming back for me...

I loved hearing this song when my son was in Male Chorale (2000-2004). I still love it . . . still moves me to tears.

I have no words to describe how I felt during this song. It was so beautiful. I had chills. There is only one word to come close to describing my feelings; love.

My school’s spotlighter choir sing this for many competitions over the past few weeks, and every time I hear it I am filled with emotion and atmosphere, it is so beautiful and sad. I’m so glad I found it

I sang this in my sophomore year in high school and also a solo in choir. Beautiful Song

Sang this my freshman year of high school. Easy to learn, but when combined, sounds complex, sad, and beautiful. Not to be offensive to anyone, but it reminds me that in even situations like this song depicts, Jesus will save all that believe in him.

My heart weeps for all the children scared by war.

Newtown CT...

y'all please read this okay my choir is singing this exact arrangement right now and there is a soprano split where that lady is singing. she is singing it right, but she is probably the only one because, as any of us in choir know, the more girls attempting to hit a high G (thats the note btw), the more likely it will sound out of tune. the director probably asked only her to sing it because her voice is powerful and loud enough that she doesn't need other sopranos messing her up. and yes, i am a soprano 1. and it is -hell- hearing my whole section, about 10 girls in high school, trying to reach that G. good call on that director to only use one soprano.

OMG we r singing this for a contest on tuesday can’t wait! Im going with my chorus teacher and were A mixed chorus. Im in 9th grade.

Up until 0:55, I had the volume all the way up it was so beautiful. But after 0:55, I turned it down a bit...

My Choir and I are going to be singing this and I had to search it before I sang it... I absolutely Love this song and I love the high notes the Sopranos can hit and The blending of all the Tenors Bass Alto and Soprano (1&2) and I look forward to singing this song... Thank you for the beautiful sound of your Choir

When i was in high school my directer introduced us to this song and it was such a touching and beautiful song.. now.. ten years latter i often find myself singing it to myself.. i don't think i will ever forget it

Grandson Bode’s choir is singing this and he loves it.

I sang this for my men's choir in highschool for solo ensemble and we went to state. Lord even singing it gives you goosebumps.

My friends choir is singing this song on 11/21/16 and I have a strong feeling I'm going to cry

R.I.P. to ALL kids that died before they had a chance to live their life before the passed and i will pray for all of the parents that is going through this without their child with them.

I sang this song in high school (more than four years ago now), and it holds one of my favorite memories of all time. My director brought us into our large auditorium and spread us, mixed, throughout the audience seats. Then he shut off all the lights until the huge room was pitch black and told us to sing. We listened to each other and sounded absolutely amazing, and I fell even more deeply in love with this song.

I’m singing tenor part on this in my school choir and I love it so much

Beautiful, I get chills all over my body...

I sung this in a men's ensemble. It was great, especially hearing my friends hitting the high notes.

My school performed this piece in honor of the children who died during the school shootings last year. There was barely one dry eye in the room.

My choir class is thinking of doing this, we just need approval from our teacher. When we told him we wanted to sing this he got very serious and said this will be the hardest piece we will have ever sang. Can't wait to have our Junior High School choir try this!

My 7th grade choir teacher, Andrea Klouse, arranged this piece. She also made songs like 'Cold wind blows on the valley.'

I did this song and I love it so much. But for anyone thats wondering theres a part that splits and is supposed to go that high. The reason she isn't blending is because that part needs to stand out. Its like a descant if you notice that its different than the regular soprano. Sometimes a descant can be one person and that is ok. Its kind of upsetting to see so many people criticizing her about something that is exactly what is supposed to happen. She sounds phenomenal

I MISS MY HIGH SCHOOL'S ACAPPELLA CHOIR!!!! We sang this version for our Italy tour in 2001. I stood next to the mezzo who sang like the one in this recording...my poor left ear!

my school choir is singing this tonight for our year end concert. it is my favorite song weve ever played in choir!

i absolutely love this song high school choir and we rocked because we all loved this song this song is so powerful it realy helps you see how much singing can make you feel

We started practising this song with our youth choir and I had to come listen to it! Such a great, loud song that went straight to my heart. I hope we can deliver the same feeling to our listeners and leave a mark in their hearts, just as this song did to mine

I just love this song so much. My freshmen year in College we did this and dedicated it to the Sandy hook elementary school kids. I would love to conduct this one day! Beautiful!

I cant wait to do this in choir!!! I seriously get goosebumps every time i hear it

I love this song and the arrangement is perfecto! Well done choir members and to the director

Beautiful done!

this song is gourgous... i sang it in an all-county honor's choir that i was accepted in and its amazing. Beautiful song to sing. more or less hear. If you all knew then actual meaning to this song you all would cry right then and there. Its a special song that will be with me forever

we're singing this in my choir class :)

We had 6 guys (all with incredible voices) take this song to a state contest & it was the most moving thing I have ever heard & now this has become my favorite song. One tenor did the top notes on the splits (that the evil soprano totally butchers & one that isn't in this version) and with a combination of the purity and richness of his voice plus his soft but effective vibrato....it was unbelievable & better than any other version I've ever heard (those versions being every version on RU-vid).

All the girls in our choir, including myself, did this one last year and I have loved it ever since.

My middle school choir is gonna be singing this with a sad story on the big board behind us . Hope all goes good for our christmas concert!

love this song. singing it in choir

stunning - could drive a truck through the vibrato of the one soprano - but aside from that - the rest of the performance is actually really gorgeous!!!!!!!

The absolute best SATB version of this song is done by the U.S Navy Band and Sea Chanters Chorus. Find it and listen to it--it will blow you away!

i forgot about this song... yet the moment it started playing i knew my Alto part as if i have been singing it every day...wow..thank you sooo much for posting this. truly..thank you =)

This song is awesome!

this song is so sad, yet so beautiful :')

so great...

So beautiful

My choir did this song for a competition...So many memories and connections.

we are singing this song in my chorus class and I think it is such a beautiful and deep song. this chorus did the song very well👏

We're singing this in chorus. It's so beautiful. I'm still working on singing it without tearing up.

Can you hear......😭

I enjoy the performance so much

I have personally sung this song in a choir and it sounds amazing no matter know isn’t blending

We are doing this song and we are holding out notes and saying quotes from school shootings. There is not going to be one dry eye in that theatre.

We are singing this song in my vocal class.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

I tried to sing beautiful, solitary song today and pick it out on the piano. I couldn't get past the first page because I was crying too hard. This is the one song that always makes me cry.

The lady singing out more then the rest is suppose to do that. It’s the soprano part that sings that high note. No one else is singing that note with her so she must be the only one who can hit that note.

love it 🙏

My choir is doing this for 8th grade. Can't wait to learn all the parts. I'm a soprano and really confident in singing high so I'm sure I'll like it and i also cried like a baby!

to listen to the best version of this song go to my space and go to three dog night and listen. you will hear a incredible version from guys that are 68 years old.you would be disapointed.

This is simply outstanding and so beautiful. I love the different sounds and the message of the song, and I get chills every time I listen to it. My ensemble class is attempting to perform this song at a competition, and this is the version we look to achieve, because it's so breathtaking. Bravo, Azusa Pacific University's Choir and Orchestra. Bravo.

loved everything except the soprano part, thought it went unnecessarily high

You are a very amazing person! And I love your beautiful music.

Sang this when I was a Sophomore. My favorite piece. Definitely crying while listening to this. Lol