Chance - Elegy
December 2, 2022
The Symphonic Band performs John Barnes Chance’s Elegy, conducted by Shawn Vondran.
Program Note
Elegy was commissioned by the West Genesee Senior High School Band in memory of one of their students who tragically passed away. It is a reworking of Chance’s Blessed Are They That Mourn, an unpublished composition originally for orchestra with chorus. Elegy is a solemn, single-movement work based on a five-note motif stated initially in the low woodwinds. The piece builds to a bold horn statement that reaches a dramatic climax. A brass fanfare played against the opening theme in the woodwinds ends abruptly, after which the piece closes in a fragmented echo of the beginning. The music symbolizes the tragedy of a life cut short, seemingly unfinished, as a portion of the original motif is left hanging while each instrument fades away. Sadly, Chance wrote Elegy only months before his own sudden and tragic death at age 39. The piece stands as an emotional monument to this composer’s unfinished career.