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Timothy C. Takach
Timothy C. Takach Publications
Su Rahva Koda (The House of Your Kindred)
Unique textures and warm melodies define this expansive piece for 8-part choir. Sung in English and Estonian.
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In “Su Rahva Koda (The House of Your Kindred),” Takach combines two poems from famed Estonian poet Juhan Liiv. The opening lines, sung in Estonian by the men in 4 parts, are haunting and very expressionistic. 4-part treble writing follows, setting up an undulating pastoral texture. As the piece builds to a fiery conclusion, the rhythm pulses underneath the main statements. Masterful orchestration for a cappella choir, this piece will challenge and delight your singers as they embody hope for future generations.
Composer’s Notes
When Bill Skoog and I were talking about creating a new piece, he was intrigued by my idea to set Estonian poetry in the original language. When I read Ju?ri Talvet’s translations of Juhan Liiv’s work, I encountered a problem. The translations were so beautiful that I didn’t want to rob people of hearing them. I felt the meaning would be lost to non-Estonian audiences if the piece were just sung in Estonian. So I came to a compromise: I combined two of Liiv’s poems in this piece and set the first in Estonian, the second in English, and a few phrases in both languages.
The poems certainly come from Liiv’s experience with Estonia’s cultural independence from the Russian Empire in the 19th century, but I feel that they can be read more metaphorically too, making them more of a personal journey.
Diphthongs should be split in half on the sustained note, with the singer spending equal time (when possible) on each. I’ve noted these instances in the score. Also, an “h” (as in “rahva,” “ta?hte,” “ta?ht,” and “ehk”) should be articulated as a small puff of air, like the beginning sound of the English word “here.”
– Timothy C. Takach
Text
Tule, o?o? pimedus,
Come, night’s darkness,
vo?ta mind su?lle!
gather me to your lap!
Minu pa?ike ei tunne mind,
My sun doesn’t recognize me,
o?o? ja?a?nd mulle.
the night is left to me.
Ainust ta?hte sa?a?l pole,
There’s not a single star,
minul on kole.
I am in fear.
Varja mu u?le.
Cover me.
Kui tume veel kauaks ka sinu maa,
Though your country be dark for a long time,
Ta?ht su?ttib ehk taevas su u?le veel.
Still a star may glitter in the sky above you.
Though your country be dark for a long time
and your burden heavy to bear,
though you never reach,
never reach the blue shore of your desires.
Still a star may glitter in the sky above you,
still a flower may blossom over your grave,
and your thought and your mind
one day pulse from the breast of your kindred
and move and create and spread
and lay beautiful roads;
it will build the house of your kindred
and echo from one generation to the next.
– from “My Psalm” and “Though Your Country Be Dark For a Long Time” by Juhan Liiv (1864-1913), translated by Ju?ri Talvet and H. L. Hix. Used with permission.
$1.60 per licensed PDF
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