• For Chinese symphony orchestra, Balinese gangsa, trombone chorus and quinton (2 bang di, 2 qu di and qin di, 2 sop sheng, 2 alto sheng, 4 suona [1 alto chromatic and 3 traditional], 2 yang qin 1 and 2 yang qin 2, 4 pi pa, 4 zhong ruan, 4 gu zheng, 4 alto trombones, 4 tenor trombones, 4 bass trombones, 4 gao hu, 8 er hu, 1 quinton, 4 zhong hu, 4 celli, 4 basses, 8 percussionists on kantilan female/male and glass chimes, pemade female/male, 4 Chinese temple blocks and western bass drum, calung female/male and geophone, jegog female/male, yun luo and Taoist hand bell, vibraphone, xylophone, set of 5 timpani)

• Duration: 15'
• In 1 movement
• Composed in 2002
• Commissioned by the Singapore Armed Forces Music and Drama Compan
• Dedicated to John McNally and Kuo Pao Kun
• First performance: 20.11.02 the Singapore Armed Forces Music and Drama Company Chinese Orchestra conducted by R Casteels Victoria Concert Hall (Singapore)
• ISMN 979-0-9016515-4-8
• Parts: To rent the parts, please email <rc@robertcasteels.com>
• Recording: To purchase the cd Sonata Profana, please email <rc@robertcasteels.com>

In 2002, Singapore lost two of its most respected art doyens and educators, sculptor John McNally and dramaturge Kuo Pao Kun. McNally originated from Ireland and Kuo Pao Kun from China. This elegy pays tribute to the uniqueness of these two extraordinary personalities. The main inspiration for this composition is the loud, exacerbated music associated with Chinese funerals, the Gregorian mass and the old Irish ballad “I’m the man you don’t meet ev’ryday”. The composition is based on the numeral four, which in the Cantonese dialect, sounds similar to the word for “death”. Numerology permeates the entire structure of the piece as well as the number of musicians. The glass wind chimes refer to McNally’s predilection for glass and wood in his sculptures. The bronze bell refers to Taoist rites. In western music, trombones have long been associated with funeral music. At the end the sound of sand rustling through the geophone aims to convey a sense of timelessness. The first performance took place in 2002 in the Victoria Concert Hall, Singapore.

Quote
The dynamic sound world of Elegy includes an impression  of Chinese funeral music, painted using atonal musical language.
Lee Shin-Kang, Singapore