the Duke (Little Concerto #10)

This is a story of a wealthy but naive duke. The evenly measured early piano line suggests confidence and rigid training. As the rest of his orchestral suite appears, the piano triplets suggest that his subjects see a young duke that is a bit spoiled, foppish and self-absorbed. His advisors decide to take him aside. A brief discordance and a slower tempo confirm the seriousness of the discussion. He takes a moment alone, his thoughts swirling like the triplets in the wind section. The french horns announce the epiphany. The strings announce his reappearance in court. He is a better man, triumphantly a better man, having turned his commitment towards those whom he serves. He has become, in deed as well as in title, a duke.