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At the undergound station London Bridge, there is a public organ where members of the public can sit down and play. The director of music at Cambridge University’s Pembroke College, Anna Lapwood, recently decided to sit down and play a few songs in tribute to the late Queen.
After playing a myriad of tunes, she was joined by a Tube security guard, Marcella. Dressed in a hi-vis jacket, the Tube (subway) worker asked Lapwood if she could play the aria Lascia ch’io pianga, or “Let me cry” by Handel.
To the surprise of the professional musician, Marcella gave a pitch-perfect performance of the song in honor of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Unbeknownst to Lapwwod, Marcella had trained as a professional singer, so she easily moved all the passengers to tears with her exquisite voice.
As Lapwood shared on Twitter: “This was so moving. Spontaneously stopped off at the London Bridge station organ to play a couple of pieces for the Queen. This lovely security guard, Marcella, asked if I could play Lascia ch’io pianga. Turns out she trained as a singer.”
As Owen Anslow shared, there were plenty of tweets praising the performance, with one person suggesting she should perform at the funeral at Westminster Abbey.
A fellow passerby, Rosie Brooks, shared with The Telegraph: ‘It was such an uplifting moment, very needed at the moment.”
It’s been wonderful to see all the many moving tributes individuals have paid to the late sovereign, and the power of music seems to affect us so deeply. As Marcella showed, it is a gift to be able to share it with others, even when you’re at work!
And today we celebrate...