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F. Jane Naylor

Be Strong and Strengthened (2015)

for trombone and piano

This fantastic new work emerged from an intensely personal and emotional experience that the composer has chosen to share through music. Following her husband's sudden death, Naylor found a handwritten note that said "Be strong and strengthened", which had a profound effect in helping her cope with grief. Naylor's work uses a motive that represents the devastating stroke that claimed her husband's life, and leads the listener through some of the emotions she felt in grieving: loss, aloneness (not to be confused with loneliness), dread, some anger, anxiety. These feelings are evoked through various compositional techniques, one of which requires the trombonist to create a rarely-heard, ethereal tone colour by playing with part of the instrument removed. A harmon-muted sound represents the appearance of the message, a march-like figure based on the rhythm of the words "Be strong and strengthened", which leads the work to an uplifting and triumphant conclusion.

This work was created with a grant awarded by the Prince Edward Island Council of the Arts on behalf of the Department of Education, Early Learning and Culture.

Duration: 7 min.

| Score sample | Program notes |

Price: $18.00, shipping included