Call Across
Call Across
Kyle Pederson (2021)
Voicing: SATB
Accompaniment: piano and drum, with optional handpan, electric guitar, bass, and marimba
Music: Kyle Pederson
Text: Brian Newhouse
I.
Alone, for days without number,
through forest and fjord I sing,
aching for your voice.
Not the sound of wind scraping rock,
not the leaves empty talk
nor the sound of the brook;
but oh, for your voice
hungry and looking as mine.
Let it arc over mountain like a gull over water,
rush through the deep green and land in my heart.
To hear my name again, to be beloved and belong,
to be at home wherever I go...
There is no beauty without your voice.
II.
The dry grass here runs forever.
It whispers without end and bends for rain that never comes,
and at the horizon it rises like smoke.
Grandfather walked here before me, his grandfather long before him.
Ancestors from across the centuries--step now from your silence and walk with me.
I will build my fire tonight against the dark and its teeth of all kinds,
yet I would fear nothing if only the light found your face.
You who walked these same fields, whose blood I share,
whose name I carry, step in and say my name as I say yours.
There is no beauty without your voice.
Additional Shona text: Tsvaga urare, gara udare, dare rinokuriga
Translation: Rest, remain in peace, trials/troubles can kill you
III.
Brick and mortar
fence and guard
glass and glare
fact and fake
lock and key
privilege protects me, seals me in safety.
I throw bolts to bar the door,
build walls and ward off the world--
though it seals me as well in silence.
And the soul shrinks down
and the heart grows small.
There is no beauty without your voice.
IV.
I call across canyons, I call across plains.
I call across colors, I call across time.
What beauty can we make if our voices join?
Introduction from the composer and lyricist:
Across cultures, ages, languages, and geography, the human animal is made for connection. This fact of our humanity has been painfully clarified as Covid-19 shut down huge swaths of human activity, and silenced choral singers everywhere whose very art is made only in community. Racial tensions and political polarization have further isolated neighbor from neighbor.
But ultimately all of us will instinctively reach out to break our isolation; Call Across gives voice to this elemental human need and leaves the audience with an empowering invitation to connection and unity. The piece explores the perspective of three "voices" from around the world, each seeking to break out of their particular isolation, each ending their call across physical space, history, or silence with the same declaration of the simple power of presence: “There is no beauty without your voice.” All choral and instrumental forces join in a layered climax and proclaim a powerful message of hope.
Program notes from the composer:
The first geography visited in this piece is Norway, where, historically, young women would spend months at a time alone in the hills with their flocks. They would sing a special call--kulokk--to connect and communicate with other shepherds in their isolation, and to signal to their flocks when to return home. I am indebted to Peggy Larson, an ethnomusicologist from Minneapolis who specializes in kulokk, who shared a number of traditional kulokk calls she had transcribed based on her travels and research in Norway. I have adapted one of these calls as the opening of this piece.
The piece then travels to Zimbabwe, home of a Bira ceremony. Bira is an all-night ritual held by many Shona people when a family member dies, in which the family both mourns and celebrates ancestors who have long ago passed away. Family members of the deceased ancestor call on that person for guidance and intercession. Musicians drive the Bira ceremony by playing the mbira, and participants sing traditional choral songs. I am grateful for the collaboration and insight of Maya Cunningham, ethnomusicologist and fellow at the University of Massachusetts' WEB DuBois Department of Afro-American Studies. Beginning in measure 57 we have incorporated an authentic Shona song that is performed for reassurance during trials in traditional Bira ceremonies.
Shona text: Tsvaga urare, gara udare, dare rinokuriga
Translation: Rest, remain in peace, trials/troubles can kill you
Pronunciation: Tswah-gah oo-rah-ray, gah-rah oo-dah-ray, dah-ray ree noh koo ree gah
*the "r" is flipped in Shona
*tswah includes a "crush" of the first three consonants, resulting in a crush that sounds like “cha”
Additional Shona phrases:
speak to me (taura neni) tahw-rah nay-nee
guide me (famba neni) fahm-bah nay-nee
step in (pindira) peen-dee-rah
comfort me (ndinyaradze) n-deen-yah-rahd-zay
sing to me (ndi yimbire) n-dee yeem-bee-ray
The piece then moves to the United States, signified by the opening few measures of America the Beautiful. Here, we explore the brokenness, disjointedness, and tension brought about by pandemic, racial inequity, polarization, and political violence.
Ultimately, Call Across is an anthem of hope and resilience--an invitation to break our isolation and reach out in a spirit of unity, compassion, and understanding. Like the young Scandinavian shepherds and Shona celebrants, we, too, can join our voices with others and bring a genuine measure of beauty into the world. This is the call we hear in the final "movement" of the piece.
Performance Notes:
1. The handpan part was created with a RAV Vast B celtic double ding handpan. The part can be adapted for a different handpan, electric guitar, sythnesizer, marimba, or vibraphone--and other instrumental possibilities certainly exist. Chord symbols are provided so that the player can create patterns and motives that are most idiomatic given the chosen instrument. Specific, individual notes are less important than the ambience this instrument provides. If not using such an instrument, the opening 15 measures can be approached in the following ways:
Option 1:
The handpan part can be omitted completely, with the piece simply beginning in measure 6 with the piano. Be sure to have the sustain pedal down the entire time, to create a wash of sound.
Option 2:
The pianist can modify the handpan part to incorporate a bit of that ostinato effect. It is recommended that not every16th note be attempted, as that is a very difficult pattern to maintain. If incorporating some of this part in the LH, the pianist may wish to eliminate the full octave in the RH and just play the upper notes. Click HERE to see an example of what this revised piano intro could sound/look like.
2. The conga provides an excellent sound for the drum, though you may feel free to use another drum if preferred (djembe, cajon, for ex).
Discussion Guide
Call Across provides some great themes and concepts for discussion with your choir. Please feel free to download the following discussion guide for questions and insights from both Brian and Kyle about various elements of Call Across.