7th Annual WML Academic Symposium

Presenter(s): Ashlie McCrae
Title: October 17 Suite Movement 2: Storm of Unrealistic Expectations
Developed under the guidance of Dr. Aaron Carter, Music

This is the second movement of my October 17 suite for piano, which was the last to be composed. The suite was written throughout my sophomore and junior years, in response to the first aniversary of the day one of my professors prayed for me. That day was so significant because it ultimately helped in my decision to stay here at Campbell. But because the first aniversary did not go well, I became depressed. This movement in particular is the most tense out of all three movements as it depicts an oncoming storm. There are four distinct themes: the first of which is the impending storm, a slow theme that gradually becomes louder in dynamic. The second is the rain and thunder, which speeds up considerably. The third is a slow theme of mourning for the day. Lastly you will hear a fourth theme, which is taken straight out of the third movement, presented two years ago.