Brooke Astor

I've just been listening to the most interesting internet broadcast, the funeral of Brooke Astor from St. Thomas Episcopal Church in New York. I don't know how many of you know Mrs. Astor, but over the past few decades, she has given away over $200 million to various charitable causes and set the "proper" standard for philanthropy. She has supported the understructures of charities and emphasized organizations that help the poor and disadvantaged help themselves in a world where most charitable donors have wanted to build flashy new buildings bearing their names, but then offered no financial support to operate those buildings. Mrs. Astor did what was necessary to help charities pay the bills and be successful in their missions, and up until just a few years ago, she actively visited those charities to monitor their success and offer her advice and support.

Well, today Mrs. Astor, aged 105, is being laid to rest. She's had quite the grand funeral at St. Thomas—the NYC church with the famous boys' choir and the occasional rumble of the subway trains below—and, no doubt, the place was standing room only. His Honor the Mayor of New York spoke. The United States Marine Corps provided her with her pallbearers (Mrs. Astor's father was once the Commandant of the Marine Corps).

I found it interesting that her service was from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, rather than being a Rite 1 (or, heaven forbid, Rite 2) service from the 1979 BCP. It was strictly the burial office with no requiem Mass. The hymns were all so familiar, being solid Anglican hymns (very solid, especially since the organist registered the foundation stops very heavily) like St. Anne (O God our help from ages past), Toplady (Rock of Ages), Hyfrydol (Love divine, all loves excelling), and Rest (Dear Lord and Father of mankind). A bagpiper piped the coffin out of the church after the service to New Britain (Amazing Grace).

The Men of the Choir (the boys aren't back in school yet) did the Funeral Sentences, used a Walford Davies Anglican chant setting for the psalm, and sang Thomas Tallis' Salvador mundi salva nos as the anthem. I really must get to St. Thomas sometime to hear the choir in person, since I've not heard Sir John Scott, the "new" conductor, and the last time I was at St. Thomas, Gerre Hancock was still there.

I missed the prelude, though I understand it was all Bach. The postlude, which I'm hearing right now, is the Widor "Toccata" (from Symphonie V), which is being played at at interesting fast yet virtuosic pace. It's fabulous hearing it played on that big, thunderous organ at St. Thomas.

Anyway, requiescat in pace, Mrs. Astor. You provided us with a wonderful example of social deportment and philanthropic behavior, and you bridged the gap from the days of the wealthy robber barons, across the Great Depression, and into the 20th century. Thank you.