Ffe Mwe, Mwe Ffe
Poet/Lyricist:
In 2013 I led a drum circle at a Portland First Unitarian Church event where folks worked on making gifts for members of FUUC's sister church program in Uganda. In preparation, I went looking for traditional Ugandan rhythms to introduce in the circle and came across this Bantu adage: ffe mwe, mwe ffe—"they are us and we are them." — Joan Szymko
"Ffe Mwe Mwe Ffe" begins with a simple unison call, the energy of community coming together for the common good grows with each interwoven and layered rhythm that enters; most important being the drum rhythm, gwanga mujje—"come to my rescue." A soloist then introduces Mahatma Gandhi's inspiring words, "be the change you wish to see" . The message of the work shines brightly: compassion begins when we see ourselves in each "other. " Premiered by Aurora Chorus in December, 2013.
The TTTBBB verison was created for professional ensemble, Cantus, especially for their 2016 concert series, "Will You Harbor Me."
Level:
| Item | Voicing/Instrumentation | Duration | Price | Audio | View Score | Quantity |
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| JS-053DLicensed PDF | SSAA, hand drum | 3:15 | $2.00 | https://joanszymko.com/sites/joanszymko.com/files/audio_samples/14%20Ffe%20Mwe%2C%20Mwe%20Ffe%20%28ssaa%29%20_%20JS-053.mp3 |
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| JS-053MXDLicensed PDF | SATB, hand drums | 3:15 | $2.00 | https://joanszymko.com/sites/joanszymko.com/files/audio_samples/JS-053MX.mp3 |
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| JS-071DLicensed PDF | TTTBBB, hand drums | 3:15 | $2.25 | https://joanszymko.com/sites/joanszymko.com/files/audio_samples/Ffe%20Mwe%2C%20Mwe%20Ffe%28TTTBBB%29JS-071%20copy.mp3 |
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| JS-053 | digital purchase only | N/A | ||||
| JS-053MX | digital purchase only | N/A | ||||
| JS-071 | digital purchase only | N/A | ||||
| JS-053.1D | set percussion parts (3), available from the composer | N/A |
