Within a Mile of Home
Thomas Beverly
About this work:
Program Note:
I spent the fall semester of my junior year of college studying abroad in Prague, a place that is entirely unfamiliar to someone born and raised in a small Texas town. I was surprised by a new part of Czech culture almost everyday, but sometimes I didn’t learn quickly enough. On my second day in Prague, a little old Czech lady smacked me with her cane because I didn’t give her my seat on the tram. I wanted to be across the pond, surrounded by a different culture and isolated from my own, but after a few weeks, these differences became an issue. I needed a place, independent of time or location, where I could take a few deep breaths and feel as comfortable as if I was within a mile of home. This piece is an effort to build such a place, a place where I could wrap myself in a warm blanket of sound and smile. For anyone who has had a similar experience, I hope that when “Within a Mile of Home” fills the room, it wraps you up and gives you some of the comfort it has given me. Enjoy.
Year composed: 2008
Duration: 00:04:00
Ensemble type: Keyboard:Piano
Instrumentation: 1 Piano