When I first saw the prompt image, I was really struck by the beautiful stained glass depiction of a love between these two young people and its tragic ending. I really wanted to capture the beauty of the scene with an intimate romantic theme, but tinge it with all of the sadness and tragedy of this romance ending so violently.

As I was writing this piece, I envisioned a scene in which someone is retelling the story of these tragic lovers by describing the events depicted in each stained glass window. The piece begins with a bit of intensity as the viewer takes in the totality of this cathedral in its sad grandiosity. The music becomes quieter and more intimate as we are told the story of these two young people from separate kingdoms falling in love, with the main theme being played by the flute to associate the melody with their romance. As we learn that the two had to separate to fulfill their duties to their kingdoms, the music becomes a bit more wistful with the oboe playing a brief sad melody. The music then suddenly gets more intense as the two lovers reach their violent ends in the midst of a bloody battle between their two kingdoms. A final reprise of the main romance theme crescendos with the rest of the ensemble as the music becomes increasingly more intense and the lovers meet their heartbreaking demise. The music ends with a quiet moment on the harp and dulcimer to underpin the sadness of the story.

Overall, I’m really pleased with how this turned out! Thank you to the original artist of the piece for creating such a beautiful and inspiring work, it looks absolutely stunning!

Here's a SoundCloud link if you'd like to listen there:

https://soundcloud.com/enchanter-tim-851243646/hymn-for-an-undying-love?si=a1ba1...