Crowned in Glory (PDF Score & Parts)
Crowned in Glory (PDF Score & Parts)
Crowned in Glory is a line from J.R.R. Tolkien’s poem “The Lonely Isle” which he wrote as he was leaving Britain, having been called to serve on the Western Front in the First World War. By this point in the Great War, the conditions on the front lines as well as the unimaginably high casualties were both public knowledge. Tolkien, like many other young men of the early twentieth century, bid his beloved country farewell for what would almost certainly be the last time.
My piece attempts to blend two interpretations of Tolkien’s poem. The first, a direct text painting of Tolkien’s words. Phrases such as “Ye murmurous never-ceasing voices of the tide,” and “Until the sun pace down his arch of hours,” find their realization in specific musical motives and timbres throughout the piece. The second interpretation is one that aims to capture the spirit of the poem, illustrating not individual lines from Tolkien’s work, but rather evoking the somber tone the poem carries as a whole.
As you listen to this piece, place yourself in the shoes of a twenty-something young man, watching your home slowly fade over the horizon as you grapple with the very real possibility that death awaits you where you’re being sent. Anger, sadness, despair, and a sort of powerlessness settle in, as forces well beyond your control pull you towards a conflict which will kill all but a few of your close friends in the coming years.