Take This Gift
Available for Unison, SSA, SABar, SATB, with piano, hand drum
Duration: 3:10
Published by Oxford University Press as part of their Songbird Series.
About the piece
This optimistic piece is characterized by catchy, singable melodies and a syncopated rhythmic drive in the vocal and piano writing. The text was co-written by the composer and the vocal percussionist Cherie Chai, and celebrates the life-long relationships created and nurtured within the choral community.
It is beautifully suited as a joyous “parting gift” for choirs commemorating anniversaries, ending of seasons, graduations, or farewells, this piece honours the priceless gift of shared choral experiences.
It has been said that one finds life-long friends in choir. I am fortunate that this is true for me. One of these friends is Cherie Chai, a Singaporean choral conductor, arranger, vocal & instrumental percussionist, audio engineer, and singer I met through the Asia Pacific Youth Choir (International Federation for Choral Music) in 2011. We have since collaborated (and toured!) on a variety of choral projects, and this composition marks our first collaboration as lyricists. Thus, it is no surprise that the text for “Take This Gift” is meaningful to us, too.
The work features a particular light-hearted vocal play motif (“la la li la lay”) that is usually heard in “Canggung”, a Malay folk song. Together with hints of modal scales and supported by percussion, the piece merges folkloric elements with contemporary choral sounds.
Take This Gift was commissioned by Fort Wayne Children’s Choir to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the choral organization. It was an honour to be a part of this celebration!
– Tracy Wong, June 2023
About the co-lyricist:
Cherie is the first full-time female vocal percussionist (VP) in Singapore, and the music director and resident arranger for award-winning a cappella group, 1023. In the 2022 Voices – A Festival of Song, organised by Esplanade Singapore, Cherie featured as part of MI6, an all-star team of Singaporean choral conductors, leading the inaugural Voices Festival Choir in several notable performances.
Cherie has also worked with regional and Singaporean performers, putting up multi-dimensional shows featuring collaborations between musical instruments and vocal percussion.
In striving for continued personal improvement, Cherie was part of the inaugural intake of YES Academy Singapore, a renowned artist mentorship programme by American Voices, designed to develop musicians with skills in songwriting, arrangement, and production. As an educator, Cherie is the conductor of several Singapore school choirs, and coaches tertiary a cappella groups SUTD Vocomotives, NTU Harmonix & SIT Just Singers. She frequently conducts a cappella & vocal percussion workshops for schools, sharing her love for the art form with youths.
Instagram: @chaipercs
Connect with Tracy!
Tracy is happy to connect with choral educators, conductors, and choirs via email and online workshops!
Learning Resources for “Take This Gift”
Learning tracks are available for purchase! Contact Tracy if you would like to have Tracy workshop this piece with your choir!
Learning track licenses are provided in blocks of 50.
Please purchase additional blocks based on how many choristers there are.
Recordings / Media
Check out the studio recording of Take This Gift, sung by Tracy and Cherie.
Take This Gift (SSA) · London Voices
Choral Music from Oxford 2023, ℗ 2023 Oxford University Press
Released on: 2023-11-01
Producer: Adrian Hunter
Director: Ben Parry
Artist: Bernard West, George English
Music Publisher: Oxford University Press
Composer, Lyricist: Tracy Wong
Lyricist: Cherie Chai
Take This Gift – Score Video
Text
My feet are rooted to the ground (la la li la lay)
My voice is soaring in the skies (la la li la)
I am tied to the past, beautifully tangled with you
Hand in hand we look to the stars
Here, take this gift
It’s not mine to keep
Here, take this gift
Share it far so all may know
Let our love for singing grow
We are branches
Independent, intertwined
We are sunlight
Spreading warmth, dazzling bright
Here, take this gift
It’s not mine to keep
Here, take this gift
Share it far so all may know
Let our love for singing grow.
