Secular

Choral score

$2.15 per copy (you are buying a digital license)

Text:

I am growing flowers
in the darkest part of my heart
for if light ever enters
it would know where to start
- noor unnahar, used with permission

From the Composer:

A tiny poem—just a few lines—yet it holds within it such profound hope and resilience. As individuals, as communities, as a nation, we all endure seasons of darkness. And as a Minnesotan, I know winter well. It seems that if we hunker down and gather our lives a little closer—loved ones, pets, blankets—we may emerge, after a time, unscathed and ready for whatever comes next. Within each of us, there are quiet, hidden spaces—places of nourishment and possibility—where hope takes root. And perhaps, on the other side of darkness, something luminous awaits.

The music unfolds in a quasi-round between the voices. While not a true round, I shaped moments that break the form open, allowing for greater expression and deliberate contouring. The overlapping entrances and recurring motifs create a sense of familiarity, giving the piece a meditative quality. And when the climax arrives, it emerges in striking contrast to what came before, like light breaking through shadow.

Find a small, quiet place in your heart. Plant flowers. Hold onto hope. Nurture beauty. Show the light where to start.

- Timothy C. Takach, 2025