Rekindle (2021)
for soprano, clarinet, and piano.
4 min.
Commissioned by The Peoples Church of East Lansing.
I wanted this piece to feel both stable and unstable, complete yet missing something. Sometimes the different parts seem to be in different keys, in different rhythmic spaces, even clashing with each other. There are short moments that seem cohesive and unifying, but they do not last long. The relationship between the parts change as the piece continues, especially after being “reminded of the sincere faith that lives in [the listener];” the unstable beginning motive is then paired with the “correct” bass at the end, thus reestablishing, or rekindling, the relationship that was lost or forgotten.
Text:
I am grateful to God when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.
Recalling your tears, I long to see you. You fill me with joy.
I am reminded of the sincere faith that lives on in you, passed down through generations.
Through the laying of my hands, rekindle the gift of God that is within you.
God did not give us a spirit of cowardice. He gave us a spirit of power, of self-discipline, and love.
- Adapted from 2 Timothy 1:3-7
