Holmes Street Publishing
(distributed by Lorenz)
HSP1024, SATB, $3.20
Date released: 2016

Rumi, a 13th c. Sufi mystic, wrote this poem centuries ago, but its message of unity and acceptance is still potent today.  Hayes uses the Lydian mode in his harmonies and melodic structure throughout the composition.  The augmented 4th, characteristic of this mode, creates a sense of tension and release underscoring the invitation to find a common ground referenced in the text. The final melodic statement is a haunting melody of great lyricism which starts quietly, builds to a climatic moment, and then is at rest as if to say, “we have found the field of common ground.”