Thoughts and Dreams of a Dying Man

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Thoughts and Dreams of a Dying Man for Strings, Percussion, and Mezzo Soprano

Thoughts and Dreams of a Dying Man was written for the New Music Project's 5th annual commission series entitled "Music for Strings, Percussion and Contact Microphone."  The piece itself is a musical reflection on a poem by W. Jude Aher.  One thing that drew me to Mr. Aher's poetry was his ongoing fight with a genetic disease that caused him to have multiple strokes since 1993.  This reminded me of my Uncle, who died five weeks after being diagnosed with stomach cancer back in 2006.  During my time with him shortly after his diagnosis I noticed a change in his perception of life and way of thinking.  This change seemed to be more of a transformation from a physical and material reality to a more spiritual and enlightened one.  After his death I became fascinated with how people's perceptions change when they are faced with the cold reality that their life on earth is quickly coming to a close.  All the petty things that we face in our everyday lives seem superfluous to someone laying on their deathbed.  Mr. Aher's poetry emanates with this raw emotion.  He's not afraid to speak his mind and explain things how they truly are.  Most importantly, he has not given up on his dreams.  He continues to write poetry to this day and he is a living reminder of what humans can accomplish during their time on earth.

Instrumentation: String Sextet, 2 Percussion, and Mezzo Soprano

Size: 9 Performers

Composed: 2013

Duration: ~3:28 minutes