Heartbreak in the Motherlode

The passionate and soulful writing of this middle episode of A California Gold Rush Trilogy captures the despair and heartbreak experienced during the California Gold Rush. Slow, moving melodic lines and deep harmonies paint a picture of emigrants far from home; then the music moves forward with a sense of hope in the search for gold and riches. Determination marches relentlessly forward, never giving up, building to a climax, but eventually returns to the opening theme of loneliness and despair in the last few bars, creating a shiver with the final tonality.