Cello,Piano,Steel Pan,Violin - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1095566 Composed by Aaron Gage. 20th Century,Chamber,Contemporary. 38 pages. Aaron Gage #699558. Published by Aaron Gage (A0.1095566). At the time this piece was conceived, the world had fallen into chaos. We were in the midst of a vast economic crisis leaving millions in poverty, racism had once again found its foothold in the foreground of US culture, climate change had decimated the west coast in flames while southern coastal cities were being bombarded with floods from storms. We have also been forced to see the ugliness of domestic terrorists establishing themselves in the hopes of hurting their fellow citizens. However, these issues pale in comparison to the utter devastation we have faced from COVID-19. As I write this note, we are just shy of nearly a quarter of a million people having senselessly died from COVID-19. The utter failure we’ve had in leadership and lack of empathy from our fellow citizens have caused countless families to now have empty seats at their table. There was no need for this. Hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children have died from means that could have been completely preventable. When I was asked to write this piece, I wanted to come up with a simple concept as an elegy to those lost to the virus. A simple question arose; What will we say? 50 years from now, how will we answer to those younger generations while we collectively sat by and did nothing to help each other? How are we going to excuse letting the rot that has sunk in go unpunished? How do we defend the indefensible? This question haunts me. The music you will hear channels my answer to that question. There is no true resolution. There is no happy ending. When we have finally moved on past this pandemic, we are still left in the wake of hundreds of thousands of dead citizens. One day it will hit us all how many lives we really lost. So I ask this; while you listen, reflect on every individual who suffered at the hands that did not act. Allow yourself to absorb the true gravity of what we have experienced. Give those victims a few minutes of your time. When the time comes for you to be asked, what will you say?
