This piece illustrates the flight of the bar-headed geese across the Himalayas which seems to be an impossible feat yet they do this journey twice a year. Flying requires ten to twenty times more oxygen than resting and at the altitude of the Himalayas there is only half to one-third of the oxygen. This piece musically depicts the flight of the bar-headed geese in order to inspire others of their flight. That what seems to be impossible can be made possible through adaptation and determination. ‘Over the Himalayas’ begins with a five-note musical motive taken from Vaughan Williams’ piece ‘The Lark Ascending’. The notes begin to ascend as the geese migrate upwards, with musical material illustrating the accelerated heart rate and the thinning of oxygen that these geese experience. As the geese cross over the top of the mountain range they rarely glide as they are flapping fliers. At this point in the composition the material is melodic but also kinetic. As the geese descend on the other side of the Himalayas the composition descends in pitch with a musical line that is retrograde from the beginning ascending material. This composition makes use of the full range of the viola. Trills and tremelo depict the flapping of the wings and scales illustrate the ascending and descending flight of the geese. Since geese travel in flocks, the piece includes the use of chords throughout. There are passages in this piece that include the bow rocking over all four strings back and forth to show the constant flapping of the wings. Throughout the work the tonal centre shifts to show the journey of the geese over time and the time signature also shifts during the flight. The performer is encouraged to make use of rubato throughout since the tempo of the flight is not consistent. There are moments in the composition of fast tempi when the notes will ascend or descend rapidly and there are other moments when the tempo will slow to show the geese are conserving energy and slowing their heart rate.