(BEM’s Lament)
How do you acknowledge the loss of a parent? It took me 2 years, after the passing of my Father, before I could fully express that loss. The theme of this piece is a lament but also a celebration of his life.
My Father was a horseman, naturalist, and avid birdwatcher, as well as an amateur jazz piano player. And, most memorably, he never forgot his childhood dream of being a cowboy on the western prairie.
During his final years, there was a particular bird call that seemed to follow me wherever I was walking. I always felt comforted by its song. My father helped me identify that songbird: a White-Throated Sparrow. So now, when I hear its song, I know my dad is still with me….and always will be. The ‘loping’ left hand melody speaks to his cowboy dreams of ambling across the plains on his beloved horse, Billy.