Ashes of Soldiers (2010)

Two movements; soprano, clarinet/viola, piano; ca. 9 min. The composer writes: Ashes of Soldiers (2010) is in two movements: the first is for clarinet (or viola) and piano; in the second, a soprano is added to the instrumental duo. Thematically, the two movements which are performed without pause are closely related. Rather than composing two contrasting, discrete pieces, my intention was to make the second movement a continuation and development of the musical ideas introduced in the first. The text is based on a poem by Walt Whitman, from his Leaves of Grass. Despite the poem's specific setting in Civil War era USA, its theme is universal: the mourning of all soldiers who have died in battle, regardless of their allegiances. Ashes of Soldiers is dedicated to my father, Alan James Eatock, who was a soldier at one point in his life, and who passed away in 2010.