available for violin solo, or for two violins
There are lots of songs about leaving. Farewell moves us toward a greater sense of our connections to each other and to a place, toward a fullness of feeling we might normally keep at bay. Music can carry that flow outward, or give us a small bit of ritual so we don’t get swept away by it. It’s one way to stay ahead of parting, I guess.
I wrote this tune for a friend’s last night at the artist’s colony Yaddo. The truth is, I barely knew her, but she was kind to me, and she was going through a hard time. She was a little sad, and sometimes it seems like we can feel other people’s feelings, so I was sad too. It seemed like the thing to do: a small comfort, I hope, for all those times when we have to step out of our temporary retreats and face the hard world.