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About the Composer
Timothy C. Takach
Timothy C. Takach Publications
Crossroads
Joyfully celebrate a pivotal milestone in one’s life.
SATB, piano
“Crossroads” has an uplifting energy that shines a light on the future that’s to come. A fitting piece for graduation, for momentous events, for anniversaries, for celebrations, Joyce Sutphen’s wonderful poem captures the essence of what it’s like to reach a milestone in one’s life – to leave one part of life behind and look forward to the future. Takach has set this music with joyous vocal lines and a semi-supportive, semi-independent piano part. Voice parts are never alone, always set in homophony with at least one other part, and the repetition of the main theme allows for faster learning. Singers of any age are sure to find this piece personal and engaging.
Composer’s Notes
Sometimes we look back on events in our lives and recognize them as pivotal moments – an occasion where something significant changes. And then there are moments in life of which we’re aware at the time, they feel like a milestone as they happen. Graduation, a career shift, the start of a family. Joyce’s poem captures this so well, and she uses such vivid metaphors for what we leave behind as well as what’s ahead. I like thinking that we could call one of these moments as a birthday, a rebirth that no one else celebrates but ourselves. Recognizing a moment like this takes being self-aware, an admission of our past (good and bad) and a strong vision for the future, even (and especially) if we don’t yet know what it holds.
– Timothy C. Takach (2017)
Text
The second half of my life will be black
to the white rind of the old and fading moon.
The second half of my life will be water
over the cracked floor of these desert years.
I will land on my feet this time,
knowing at least two languages and who
my friends are. I will dress for the
occasion, and my hair shall be
whatever color I please.
Everyone will go on celebrating the old
birthday, counting the years as usual,
but I will count myself new from this
inception, this imprint of my own desire.
The second half of my life will be swift,
past leaning fenceposts, a gravel shoulder,
asphalt tickets, the beckon of open road.
The second half of my life will be wide-eyed,
fingers sifting through fine sands,
arms loose at my sides, wandering feet.
There will be new dreams every night,
and the drapes will never be closed.
I will toss my string of keys into a deep
well and old letters into the grate.
The second half of my life will be ice
breaking up on the river, rain
soaking the fields, a hand
held out, a fire
and smoke going
upward, always up.
– Joyce Sutphen
From Straight Out of View by Joyce Sutphen. Copyright © 1995, 2001 by Joyce Sutphen. Used by permission of Holy Cow! Press.
All rights reserved.
$2.15 per licensed PDF
Music from Timothy C. Takach Publications
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For a Change
Difficulty: 2Duration: less than 3 min. -
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