Elegy II
Nick Norton
Product ID SON00001508
Composer Nick Norton
Duration 03:00 min
Genre Classical, Concert piece, Contemporary, Solo piece, Chamber music
Instrumentation Viola
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Elegy II

Elegy II

SKU SON00001508
Composer Nick Norton
Arranger
Genre Classical
Concert piece
Contemporary
Solo piece
Chamber music
Instrumentation Viola
Free description For solo viola
Grade 4
Duration 03:00 min
Year 2014

Score

€ 10,00

Program Notes

For solo viola

I wrote Elegy II almost immediately after the Isla Vista shootings in 2014. Many of my students and friends at UCSB were deeply affected, and some came quite close to being in the line of fire.

The piece reuses some melodic material from my first elegy, which I had written for my grandmother’s funeral a few years earlier. Both end on a picardy third. For the first elegy, I considered that a way of embracing a future influenced by the love for and memories of her. For this one, I’m not so sure. At best, it feels like an honest wish for healing. In the face of the daily murder of innocent people, it feels like a hollow gesture. In any case, if the piece brings someone some comfort, I am glad for that.

Elegy II was premiered by the violist Jordan Warmath at a concert at UCSB in memory of the victims. A violin version followed shortly thereafter, and then a video and recording performed by my friend Jonathan Morgan.

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