Hymn to the Vanished

That day, like no other, took forever to pass.  The destruction that occurred on September 11, 2001 left me stunned and numb.  As I watched on television the uniformed workers, doctors and volunteers sacrifice their lives for their fellow citizens I wondered what I could do as an artist.  After some days had passed I felt that an offering in the form of a piece of music would be my humble contribution to the collective conscience.  I would like this piece to help inspire the inner strength and resolute determination that is necessary for us to endure and in turn keep those who died from dying in vain.

Hymn To The Vanished (string orchestra)

Over twenty years ago I composed a sincere and passionate work—a modern hymn—to honor the people who lost their lives on that day. The original work was composed soon after the attack for string orchestra and was presented at Carnegie Hall by the String Orchestra of New York City on May 24, 2002. 

Twelve years later I arranged "Hymn to the Vanished" for clarinet and piano and I performed it with pianist Jad Bernardo on a distinguished faculty recital at Adelphi University.

Hymn To The Vanished (clarinet & piano version) by Mark Gustavson

What is my music? To compose music that is as wonderful as the first works of music I ever heard. I’m trying to create an experience that I call the “musical experience.”  Part of the creation of that effect is making something unexpected happen. It’s a combination of using sounds you think you understand, to create a result you know you don’t understand. I want to compose music that puts me in the position of innocence and recreate the feeling of innocence. Simply, I compose music I want to listen to.