Three Songs Without Words was written two years ago. It is inspired by the lyrical works of many composers, such as Mendelssohn and Grieg. It describes three very different moods, during a long, harsh Chicago winter, which was made harder by the fact that I had just discovered I had to face new physical difficulties. The second movement, Lamenting, is a direct channeling of the depression I had felt afterward discovering the nature of these physical challenges. Three Songs Without Words took third place in the Illinois Music Educators Association’s 2009 All-State Composition Competition. 


Three Songs Without Words - II. Lamenting (for Trumpet, Violin, and Cello)

David Jin