Last week, the students of High School Orchestra were putting some intense work into the third movement of Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, the Elegy.
During lunch one day, I talked with Natalie, one of the English teachers at BFA, about the concept of an elegy. At the time, she was discussing In Memoriam, a poem by Tennyson, in her English class. I asked, “What’s the difference between and elegy and a eulogy?” She said, “A eulogy is specifically in memory of a person who has died. It may honor them or acknowledge the things they did in life. An elegy, on the other hand, is about loss. It can be loss of a person, but it could also be loss of something else, like identity or possessions.”
Tchaikovsky had a good deal of sadness, turmoil and loss in his life. In orchestra the next day, we connected some of the themes of Tchaikovsky’s life, including his possible loss of identity, with the movement. On a reflection sheet, one student commented that the clashing rhythms create an undercurrent of tension in the movement, possibly displaying his emotional battle.
We also connected some of the feelings of loss we experience in our own lives: loss of friends, family, and home when we move. After that discussion, they all played the movement differently – from their hearts. These kids all know loss.
