“The Lofty Hill” is set to a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning originally titled, “The Autumn.” The poem focuses on the changing of the seasons, an analogy for the changes that we will face in our lives. Growing old, drifting apart, moving away, and searching for better opportunities are all changes that we will all face. But in this poem, Browning encourages us to not be distressed by change, but rather to accept it.
Writing “The Lofty Hill” was a challenge, as I had never written for strings before, but I am happy with how it turned out. “The Lofty Hill” premiered on December 1st, 2023 at Golden Hornet’s Winter Whoop-De-Doo. The song opens with the viola and the cello playing a tune that I wrote to sound like the feeling of sitting atop a high hill overlooking everything in late summer and early autumn. The speaker invites the listener to look at the view. The listener is distressed by what they see, however, because they have realized that many of the flowers have died in response to the coming winter. The speaker reassures them that no change is as great as the promise of heaven at the end of our lives.
This piece is available in
Viola, Cello, Voice
Violin, Cello, Voice
Piano, Voice
Comments