Title: Elegy for an Angel
Commission/Dedication: Written for Mike Lynch
Premiere: Details unknown.
Composer: Barbara York
Publisher: Cimarron Music Press
Year: 2006
Program notes from the composer:
None.
Author assessment:
“Elegy for An Angel” is a two-movement work written for Mike Lynch in memoriam for his St. Bernard, Angel, who passed away. The first movement is tense, disconnected, and lamenting. In asking Mike Lynch about this commission, he described the first movement as “at the time Angel actually passed the first movement very much reflected my emotions.” The first half of the first movement, in the key of d minor, charts the path of being lost and lamenting the passing of someone dear to you (in this case, Angel, the St. Bernard). The tempo markings, Apassianato=54 and Triste=48, help create a sense of dread and wandering stillness that comes with the loss of a loved one. The second half of the first movement moved to D major and bumps up the tempo to 74. This section depicts acceptance, but still yields the loss and confusion through the chromatic nature of the melody.
The second movement, in the key of G major, is all about being at peace knowing your lost loved one is in a better place. The accompaniment is reminiscent of traditional, late 20th century style church piano with ascending, arpeggiating chords. The melodic material is completely wholesome (as compared to the chromaticism in the first movement) and deviation only comes from octave jumping. York captures the essence of peace and tranquility perfectly and provides a landscape that offers reflection and remembrance on the good that came from knowing your loved one. Mike Lynch described the movement as “the memories of the next.”
The first half of the first movement lends opportunity for character development and emotional swells. The difficulty in this piece lies in the pureness of the bottom half of the first movement and the full second movement. This is a great piece to practice and work with drones to fully grasp the tonality of the melody and the singing quality it creates.
Recordings:
