John Williams Elegy Analysis

My favorite piece of music is “Elegy,” composed by John Williams for a solo cello and orchestra. In this piece that was written for the memorial service of two young children, Williams brings the raw emotions of grief to life, imitating the sorrow of a mother who has just lost her world. Through the chilling precision of each note’s placement on the page, Williams conveys a message without words, and communicates the significance of lost innocence through music. In the first line of the piece, the violins harmonize and form a flawless chord, depicting the world as we innocently believe it to be: pure and ideal. Initially, in its reply to the orchestra’s marvelous picture, the cello appears to imitate this perfection, carefully and timidly