Sisi ni moja (We Are One), Jacob Narverud | Santa Barbara Music Publishing, Inc.

Sisi ni moja (We Are One) [level: Medium]
Jacob Narverud: Bio and other works

RELEASED: May 2022

voicing: Two Part Mixed | catalog number: SBMP 1694 | duration: 4:10 | price: $2.30
accompaniment: piano, djembe
Accompaniment Track: piano part - FREE Download
Instrument Part: djembe part FREE Download
Other Voicings: SA, SAB, SA(T)B, SSAA, TBB, Unison

Ever clever, composer Narverud came up with a highly rhythmic celebratory composition. The title translates “We are one”, the theme being that all human beings have much in common. The energetic djembe sets the tone, the piano adds its own rhythmic design, and the singers deliver the message, at times sounding as though there should be a campfire at the center of their circle. This BEST SELLER is great fun, a profound message, and an intriguing piece. See composer notes below for pronunciation.

CLICK HERE: See the Complete Score or download a perusal copy: HERE

CLICK HERE: Read the Text or Poem

We all laugh, we all cry, we all feel hunger, we all feel pain.
We all love, we all hate, we all hope, and we all dream.
We are one world, one people. And we all breathe the same.
A tribe of many languages, a group of many heartaches,
fighting for peace among the land.
Heja, heja, sisi ni moja. Heja, heja, we are one.

We all want, we all need, we all seek passion, we all seek joy.
We all bruise, we all scar, we all fail, but learn to thrive.
We are one world, one people. And we all breathe the same.
In the darkness of the night and in the glory of the morning,
we walk along the path and find our way.

Now we stand here together and lift our hearts in song
to the rhythm of this moment in our lives:
Heja, heja, sisi ni moja. Heja, heja, we are one.

We all laugh, we all cry, we all feel hunger, we all feel pain.
We all love, we all hate, we all hope, and we all dream.
We are one world, one people. And we all breathe the same.
A tribe of many languages, a group of many heartaches,
fighting for peace among the land.
Heja, heja, sisi ni moja. Heja, heja, we are one.

We all want, we all need, we all seek passion, we all seek joy.
We all bruise, we all scar, we all fail, but learn to thrive.
We are one world, one people. And we all breathe the same.
In the darkness of the night and in the glory of the morning,
we walk along the path and find our way.

Now we stand here together and lift our hearts in song
to the rhythm of this moment in our lives:
Heja, heja, sisi ni moja. Heja, heja, we are one.

CLICK HERE: Choral Tracks (Practice made simple)

Sisi ni moja (We Are One) choral track bundle contains a part dominant track for each voice part, a balanced voices track, and an accompaniment track if the work is not a cappella (the accompaniment is also included with the part dominant and balanced voices track). Get more information and listen to samples HERE

Price: $49.99 (Each bundle is licensed to be used by up to 50 users)
Please adjust the quantity accordingly if you have more than 50 users.

CLICK HERE: Composer Notes

The original voicing of Sisi ni moja was commissioned in 2015 for the Michigan State University Children & Youth Choirs by their director, Kyle Zeuch, to celebrate unity and community through cultures. This piece was written specifically for their world-music concert theme, “We are One.” It was requested to be similar in style to my arrangement of the Kenyan song “Jambo,” and was commissioned by the director for SA(T)B choir, piano, and djembe. The SA voicing was written two years later (2017) for the Lawrence Children’s Choir in Kansas, Carolyn Welch, Director, and a TBB voicing was requested by the publisher later that same year.

I wanted to create an uplifting, hopeful song that had a modern, popular-style vibe and dealt with the choir’s theme of unity and one-ness. Since the piece was intended to represent all people and all cultures, I sought to write a text that would reflect just that. I was teaching high school at the time, and a student in one of my choirs was from Kenya. I asked her to assist me with a Swahili phrase that I could combine with a new original text, which would translate specifically to “We are One.” Though not a common Swahili phrase, we came up with “Sisi ni moja,” pronounced “Moh-Jah” with a hard “J”. “Heja” (pronounced “hey-yah”) is a non-word with no literal meaning, and does not represent any specific culture. It is given a more instrumental treatment in the chorus, acting as a joyful, declamatory backdrop to the song’s message of unity. This “celebratory chant” mirrors the piano and djembe’s heavy rhythmic influence, energizing and driving the song forward.

When I wrote Sisi Ni Moja I specifically chose chord progressions that would be familiar to the ear of both the audience and the singers performing. These popular music chord progressions, coupled with the speech driven rhythms and repetition in the piano, allow listeners to feel an instant connection to the music and focus on the message of the text.

-Jacob Narverud (2018)

SATB Version: performed by The Signature Chamber Chorus - Sam Kakai, conductor

Reviews | submit review

"My 9th Grade Treble Choir LOVES this piece! The rhythm and text are engaging; the lines are very singable and musical. "
review by: Josh Anderson, Tampa, FL -