Be The Love
Be the Love
Kyle Pederson (2024)
Voicing: SATB
Accompaniment: piano
Music and Text: Kyle Pederson
If you want to have peace in your heart...
If you want to have peace in your home...
If you want to have peace in the world...
You got to be the peace and let it grow,
Be the peace you want to see in the world.
If you want to have love in your heart...
If you want to have love in your home...
If you want to have love in the world...
You got to be the love and let it grow,
Be the love you want to see in the world.
If you want to have joy in your heart...
If you want to have joy in your home...
If you want to have joy in the world...
You got to be the joy and let it grow...
Be the joy you want to see in the world...
COMPOSER NOTE:
The lyrics of the piece are inspired by the iconic quote, "Be the change you want to see in the world." Though this quote is often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, his actual quote is the following:
“We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change."
Wise words, which apply not only to change, but also to other qualities we wish to see more of in our communities. In this piece, singers and audience are invited to live the peace, love and joy they wish to see in their hearts, homes and world.
PERFORMANCE NOTES:
If the pianist is comfortable and experienced in this style of music, they should feel free to improvise throughout.
Optional solo beginning in M60: consider having two soloists, taking turns with one-measure phrases, interacting and responding to each other and the choir. Soloists may sing in either treble or bass clef.
If music is memorized and hands are free, the optional body percussion will add considerably to the overall experience of the piece. The choir is welcome to create their own body percussion for the piece if desired.
"want to" should be sung as "wanna" throughout.