Elnora's Violin
Elaine Fine
About this work:
This is a one-movement work inspired by Gene Stratton Porter's 1909 novel A Girl of the Limberlost, which is set in a town situated near what was once a series of vast swamps in the eastern part of Indiana. The heroine of the novel is a teenage girl named Elnora Comstock who, in the process of "coming of age," discovers that she has inherited a talent for playing the violin from her long-dead father who she never knew. Through a particular set of circumstances, Elnora is given her late-father's violin, but must practice the instrument in secret for fear of reminding her mother of her father's sudden death in the swamp. This piece comes from the part of me that understands Elnora's irrepressible desire to explore the natural world around her and express its wonders through music. Through playing his violin, Elnora is able to connect with her dead father and ultimately help heal her mother's grief over his death.
I wrote "Elnora's Violin" in November 2005 for Sharilyn Spicknall, who, like Elnora, is a native Indianan. The piece is published by Seesaw Music.
Year composed: 2005
Duration: 00:03:45
Ensemble type: Solo instrument, non-keyboard:Violin
Instrumentation: 1 Violin