As a straight white male composer I’m trying to figure out my role. How do I bring a diverse type of poetry and music to singers and audiences without overstepping my bounds? I think about my catalog: I’ve written in Estonian, French, Somali, Spanish and Latin, but none of those languages are “mine.” I’ve arranged spirituals, Motown, Rock, Hip-Hop, I’ve arranged tunes from the Irish, Scottish, Appalachians and Norwegians, I’ve written for treble choirs, GALA choruses, and religions that aren’t mine. None of those belong to me. So am I allowed?

When I wrote “How to Triumph Like a Girl,” I was well aware that I was not a woman. One of the singers who premiered the SSA version said as much, and asked why I thought this was a piece I should write. I told her that I felt strongly about this poem and that it needed to be set to music. I realized that in the process of bringing women’s poetry to life for a female singer, I was the gender outlier in that chain as a male composer. But I wanted this story to be heard on stage and I knew how I’d want it to be told. I knew the kind of reaction I wanted the singer and the audience to feel. I knew that if I succeeded, it wouldn’t matter what my gender was. I didn’t want to set this poem for my own use, but for the musical experience of others. I wanted to do my part in lifting up women, to help them see themselves as strong. The gift here is the poetry of these women and the journey.

Mantra

Vitamin D. Sunlight. Go
outside. Get a good night

of sleep. Not too good.

Not shades drawn forever
good. Not like you used to.

Open the windows.

Buy more houseplants.
Breathe. Meditate. (One day,

you will no longer be

afraid of being alone
with your thoughts.)

Exercise. Actually exercise

instead of just Googling it.
Eat well. Cook for yourself.

Organize your closet, the

garage. Drink plenty of
water and repeat after me:

I am not a problem

to be solved. Repeat after me:
I am worthy I am worthy

I am neither mistake nor

the punishment. Forget to take
vitamins. Let the houseplant die.

Eat spoonfuls of peanut butter.

Shave your head. Forget
this poem. It doesn’t matter.

There is no wrong way

to remember the grace of your
own body; no choice

that can unmake itself.

There is only now, here,
look: you are already

forgiven.

- from Today Means Amen by Sierra DeMulder (Andrews McKeel Publishing, 2016).
Copyright © 2016 by Sierra DeMulder. Reprinted and used with permission from Sierra DeMulder.

“Mantra” was commissioned as part of the 2018 Source SongBook, celebrating the festival’s 5th anniversary. It was premiered on August 5th 2018 at Westminster Hall in Minneapolis, MN by Clara Osowski, mezzo-soprano & Mary Jo Gothmann, piano.

I LOVE the poem and the musical setting of Mantra!! Profound and whimsical— love love love it!!! - MJG

Mantra provides an affirmative sing-a-long for your audience, and it's neither challenging for singer or piano (or audience). The singer should have a very speech-like approach for the first half of the piece and prioritize diction over anything else. It's a simple, readable piece that is super effective in engaging the audience. The other two pieces in the cycle are equally successful, but Mantra is still the star. -CO

Inspired by captivating narrative, speculative fiction and making better humans through art, the music of Timothy C. Takach has risen fast in the concert world. Applauded for his melodic lines, thoughtful text choices and rich, intriguing harmonies, Takach has received commissions and performances from Roomful of Teeth, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, St. Olaf Band, Cantus, Pavia Winds, Lorelei Ensemble, VocalEssence, the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, The Rose Ensemble, and numerous other organizations. His compositions have been performed on A Prairie Home Companion, The Boston Pops holiday tour, numerous All-State and festival programs and at venues such as the Library of Congress, Kennedy Center and Royal Opera House Muscat. He is a co-creator of the theatrical production of All is Calm: the Christmas Truce of 1914, by Peter Rothstein.

Takach studied music composition at St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN, and has frequent national work as a composer-in-residence, presenter, clinician and lecturer. He is a full-time composer and lives in Minneapolis with his wife and two sons.

www.timothyctakach.com

Sierra DeMulder is an internationally touring performance poet, mental health advocate, two-time National Poetry Slam champion, and a four-time published author The Bones Below, New Shoes on a Dead Horse, We Slept Here, Today Means Amen. She is the co-host of the relationship advice podcast Just Break Up and lives in Minneapolis with her dog, Opal.

www.sierrademulder.com