Hall of Memory

Hall of Memory is written in response to the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, Ypres, Belgium, to those who lost their lives in the Ypres Salient of World War 1, those that knew them, and those who have since visited and have been touched by the building and what it stands for. The actual Hall of Memory contains the names of the 54,896 Commonwealth soldiers who died and whose bodies have never been found or identified; although the Hall does not contain all of the names (there were too many), it is a symbol of the immense scale of the tragedy of this and other wars. In my musical vision, I pictured a little bird (heard in the flutes and glockenspiel) flying around the Hall, representing a worldwide symbol of hope and freedom. Although Hall of Memory is appropriately and necessarily solemn for the most part, sunlight and a chorale-like melody breaks through towards the end and this also represents hope for peace. My very good friends who lived in Belgium for several years and to whom the music is dedicated, remember hearing the Last Post performed at the Menin Gate Memorial. They told me: 'I wasn't able to restrain emotion. I remember tears coursing down our faces'. Please note that the printed score and parts set only contains one of each optional string part.