Contrary for Entreaty

When I was a freshman in college, I often found that my works did not focus on developing the melodic material, but rather simply repeated the melodic phrase over and over again with a few minor changes. I decided that to remedy this problem, I would write a work that was solely focused on development of the main melody. However, as the piece progressed the overall structure began to change, and therefore the main goal of the piece changed. My main focus shifted from simple developments to a more complicated programmatic story, where the main melody is put to the test in many different ways. When listening to this work or preparing it for a performance, don't just focus purely on how the melodic material is used. Instead, try and picture the story that the music is telling that story is completely up to the listener. The title, Contrary for Entreaty is somewhat inspired from the story that I myself see (a conflict between the melody and what the melody "should" be), but everyone will view it in different ways. Encourage your students to picture their own stories when listening, so that they better understand the music, can hopefully relate to it, and will hopefully be more enthusiastic with working towards a high quality performance. - Trenton Rhodes, 2024