Fanfare: “Grit” evokes the brassy and rousing tropes of adventure movie soundtracks and Saturday morning cartoons, such as those written by John Williams, Shirley Walker, among others. Writing this piece was an escapade to my own musical roots for this was the first type of music I had been exposed to as a child: incidental music accompanying perilous quests, hairbreadth escapes, and other trials blocking the hero’s path to victory and redemption. I wanted to compose a piece that harkens back to the music that I first fell in love with, that opened up the gates of a legacy–symphonic classical music–that’s always been my solace in trying times.
What is grit? Grit is the dirt between smiles and between barefoot toes. Grit is a hard-boiled detective. Grit is tilling the tough soil for the possibility of a beautiful blossoming of flowers. Grit is saying, “See you soon,” and making sure it happens. Grit is helping others when it’s hard to help yourself. Grit isn’t easy bravery, but the kind of courage you need to build up brick by brick. The obligatory synonyms: courage, bravery, pluck, mettle, and spirit.
Finally, this composition, the fourth of my so-called “Beethoven Episodes”, was written to accompany Ludwig van Beethoven’s 4th Symphony. This work was written on his 250th anniversary, coincidentally during the Covid-19 Pandemic of 2020, and is the sum of my feelings wrought from that experience. Yet this work was completed on Canadian Thanksgiving, and is also an expression of all that I am grateful for, from the bottom of my heart.
