Reflections on "In Giving I Connect With Others"

Isabel Allende’s essay, In Giving I Connect With Others beautifully illustrates the thought-process and sensations of a mourning mother. In Reflections of ‘In Giving I Connect With Others,” phrases of the essay are performed rhythmically with drama by a vocalist, while the instrumental parts echo the mood of the text through a mosaic of colors, harmonies, and motivic development. The complex rhythmic motifs and its development suggest a rise and fall in momentum, accompanying the emotional direction of the words. The thickening harmonies and various textures create an atmosphere that mirrors the loss of Allende’s daughter. The essay and the music support each other in order to evoke a tone that is illustrated through Allende’s poetic story-telling.