Frew Street Reminiscences

As I climbed the stairway leading to the Fine Arts Building at Carnegie Mellon University, I had a full view of 5023 Frew Street, the majestic apartment where my grandmother lived. I became entangled with many emotions and memories, inspiring “Frew Street Reminiscences.” Flashbacks of early childhood run through my mind, illustrated with a simple, innocent horn melody, string harmonics, and aleatoric winds. Thoughts of performing songs on her piano reflect a 6/8 groove in the cello accompaniment, setting up a folksong violin melody, which is then echoed by woodwinds. A somewhat tedious, faster section, with jolting eighth notes, expresses my missing her living there. Building up to the climax, referenced is the theme from the introduction, grandly exhibiting my complexity of feelings. The contrasting pulsing and flowing textures and melodies tell this story.