Reconcile
Reconcile
Kyle Pederson (2022)
Voicing: SATB, SA, TBB 2 part mixed, unison
Accompaniment: piano, with optional drum
Text: Kyle Pederson
Optional Swahili descant text: Ken Wakia, director of the Nairobi Chamber Chorus
Commissioned through Consortio, with the support of 30 choirs around the world
LYRICS
Forgive me, for all the times I stood by,
turned aside, and when I cast a blind eye down;
I pretended not to see you grieving, not to see you reeling,
but I see you now.
I'll turn around, my pride laid down,
hear my apology.
Can we talk together? I want to do better...
May I walk with you, and stay awhile...
Can we reconcile?
Forgive me, for all the times I laughed,
or went on the attack, all at your expense;
Behind your back I undermined what you're about,
I sold you out, never came to your defense.
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak;
courage is what it takes to sit down and listen.
** (anonymous quote, often mis-attributed to Winston Churchill)
This is the work we're called to do.
This is the work we all can do.
Swahili Text:
Nisamehe (Forgive me): Nee sah MAY hay
Nitageuza mwenendo (I'll turn around): Nee tah gay OO zah Mway NAYN doh
Roho yangu nitalitazama (I'll change my heart): ROH hoh YAHN goo Nee tah lee tah ZAH mah
Twaweza kusameheana (Can we reconcile?): Twah WAY zah Koo sah may hay AH nah
Tuongee (Can we talk/walk together?): Too OHN gay
Itahitaji ushujaa (It will take courage): Ee tah hee TAH jee Oo SHOO jah
Simama (Stand up): See MAH mah
Sema ukweli (Speak truth): SAY mah Oo KWAY lee
Keti chini skiza (Sit down and listen): KAY tee CHEE nee SKEE zah
Ningependa kukuelewa (I want to understand you): Nin gay PAYN dah Koo kway LAY wah
Sote twaweza haya (We all can do this): SOH tay Twah WAY zah HAH yah
Early in the composition process for this piece, I learned that the Nairobi Chamber Chorus would be one of the commissioning choirs. I reached out to their director, Ken Wakia, and we both agreed that an optional Swahili layer would be a wonderful element to incorporate into this piece. Swahili is such a beautiful language, and the inclusion of a second language reinforces the universality of the themes explored in the piece.
Performance Notes:
If including the Swahili descant, you may wish to consider adding drum (djembe or similar) when the Swahili enters. All voicings of this piece (unison, two-part, SSA, SATB, optional Swahili layer) will work together--so individual choirs can combine and sing as a mass choir.
About the piece:
I've been thinking a lot about reconciliation--and the role it can play in helping to heal brokenness. Reconciliation is needed community-wide, to speak into racial injustice, economic inequity and political polarization. And reconciliation is needed on a more individual level, too-- with the need to reconcile with people in our schools, neighborhoods, families, congregations, and workplaces. The text I’ve crafted is from
the perspective of somebody turning towards another with whom they need to reconcile. I don't presume to be an expert in reconciliation...and in no way is this text intended to represent all the hard work, investment, and time necessary for lasting reconciliation, but I hope it's a start. I'd love for this to be a jumping off point
for you to explore, with your singers and students or congregation, what reconciliation might look, feel, and sound like. You can see that I've intentionally left the text quite open--leaving several different ways into the text and different interpretations--so that you can explore the form of reconciliation that resonates most in your particular situation. All proceeds from the commissioning fees for this piece were donated to ISAIAH--a multi-racial, nonpartisan, multi-faith organization dedicated to the pursuit of racial and economic justice, work that really is at the heart of community-wide reconciliation.