Two Friends Like Fireflies | Joseph Gregorio | MusicSpoke
I have two friends who hum like fireflies, Form with their bodies symphonies of light Made of music, they are, and of clay, A mixture of the earth and Milky Way
If I let them, they can reach into my chest And give me back the nugget of my self Dizzied by them, I am, as if the sea Rose from both shores, gently drowning me
Dizzied by them I am, as if by wine And they have been my friends as long as time
— Mohja Kahf (b. 1967) “Two Friends Like Fireflies” (1998)
Note: The author grants permission to reproduce the text above in concert programs.
Composer’s note
Two Friends Like Fireflies was made possible by a generous commission from the 2015 ACDA Women’s Commission Consortium (headed by Iris S. Levine, National Repertoire & Standards Chair for Women’s Choirs). In the fall of 2015, I was at work on this commission — using a text entirely different from the one above — when the plight of Syrian refugees began to enter the public consciousness in the United States. Concomitant with the rise in public awareness of the Syrians’ predicament was an increase in uncharitable and hostile rhetoric toward and aggressions against the refugees and Muslims in general, perpetrated by leaders and laypeople alike. Saddened deeply, I found myself abandoning my original plan for the commission, instead poring over works of several outstanding Syrian-American poets. Though I enjoyed reading texts by many excellent writers, I felt a particularly strong affinity for the poetry of Dr. Mohja Kahf. “Two Friends Like Fireflies” is an ode to friendship inspired by two women who, once introduced to each other by Dr. Kahf, overcame a generational divide and differing backgrounds and ethnicities to find much common ground and, through conversation, arrive at many profound insights about life. I extend my deepest thanks to Dr. Kahf for her permission to set her words to music, and to Dr. Iris S. Levine for the opportunity to compose for the Consortium. — J. G.
About the poet
Mohja Kahf (b. 1967; pronounced [mohʒɑ kɑf]) is the author of a novel, The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf (2006), a book of poetry, E-mails from Scheherazad (2003), as well as an academic book, Western Representations of the Muslim Woman (1999). Her second volume of poetry, Hagar Poems, is forthcoming from the University of Arkansas Press in 2017. Kahf is a professor of comparative literature and a member of the Middle East Studies Faculty at the University of Arkansas. Born in Damascus, Syria, Mohja Kahf grew up in the United Statesspecifically, in Utah, Indiana, and New Jersey. She is a member of the Syrian Nonviolence Movement, which was founded inside Syria in April 2011 by Syrian protesters dedicated to nonviolence.
Duration approx. 5’
Keyboard (for rehearsal only)
Commissioned by the 2015 Women’s Choir Commission Consortium of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Iris S. Levine, National Repertoire & Standards Chair for Women’s Choirs
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2015 ACDA Women’s Commission Consortium Members
Aria Women’s Choir – Sean Boulware, conductor
Bella Voce Women’s Ensemble – Jennifer Tibben, conductor
Bonneville High School Bel Cantos – Steve Dresen, conductor
Cantala (Lawrence University Women’s Choir) – Phillip A. Swan, conductor
Canzona Women’s Ensemble – Cricket Handler & Jill Anderson, conductors
Carthage Women’s Ensemble – Peter Dennee, director
Central Bucks West Women’s Choir – Joseph Ohrt, conductor
Clark College Women’s Choral Ensemble – April Duvic, conductor
Concordia University Donne di Canto – Marin Jacobson, conductor
Elektra Women’s Choir – Morna Edmundson, artistic director
Flower Mound High School Women’s Chorale (Flower Mound, TX) – Mark Rohwer, conductor
Girls’ 21 from Cherry Creek High School – Adam Cave, conductor
Grand Rapids Women’s Chorus – Lori Tennenhouse, conductor
Holton-Arms School – Mary Jane Pagenstecher, director
Jenny Lind Vocal Ensemble at Augustana College – Michael Zemek, conductor
Kennesaw State University – Alison Mann, director
Ladies of Lee (Lee University) – Jonathan Rodgers, conductor
South Dakota State University Women’s Choir – Laura Diddle, conductor
Spirito! – Molly Lindberg, artistic director
University of Mississippi Women’s Glee Club – Debra Spurgeon, conductor
University of Southern California Oriana Women’s Choir – Jo-Michael Scheibe, department chair
Voca Lyrica – Ginny Kerwin, conductor
Vassar College Women’s Chorus – Christine Howlett, conductor
Vox Femina Los Angeles – Iris S. Levine, artistic director
West Ottawa High School Select Women's Ensemble – Pam Pierson, conductor
Wheaton College Women's Chorale – Mary Hopper, conductor
WomanSong (West Virginia) – Emily Capece, conductor
WomenSing – Martin Benvenuto, artistic director
Xavier University Women’s Chorus – Robyn Lana, conductor
Also available for SA / SSA / SSAA from Joseph Gregorio
The Hall
SSA & piano | SSAA & piano
Areté Music Imprints (#1202 [SSA] | #1217 [SSAA])
A setting of a poem penned by Mark A. Boyle as a reminder of the importance of having compassion and empathy for those we meet.
When Music Sounds
SSAA & piano
Areté Music Imprints (#1189)
Commissioned by the Penn State Glee Club (Christopher Kiver, director), When Music Sounds is an ode to the power of music. The piece opens with a gently unfolding piano introduction answered by the chorus; the chorus is divided into two, three, and four parts respectively for the poem’s three stanzas.
Martes
SSAA a cappella
Walton Music (#WW1550)
This energetic a cappella composition for women’s voices sets a Spanish superstition: “On Tuesday, don’t get married, don’t go on a trip, and don’t leave your house!” Commissioned by the Peninsula Women’s Chorus (Martin Benvenuto, director).
Roulez jeunes gens roulez
SSAA, piano, body percussion
Walton Music (#WW1617)
A wonderful program opener or closer, this high-energy, highly suggestive arrangement of French folk song
“A la Rochelle est arrivé” uses piano and body percussion and tells the story of three young women haggling with sailors that have just come into port.
Alleluia
SSAA a cappella
Areté Music Imprints (#1196)
A gentle, introspective rendering of “Alleluia,” with an exuberant middle section.
City Trees
SSAA a cappella
Walton Music (#WW1967)
A gentle setting of a text by Edna St. Vincent Millay about the sound made by the wind — but not always heard — in the leaves of city trees. A call to mindfulness in daily life.
