Karen Griebling

Horn in F, Cello, and Piano

Persistence of Melody, is inspired by a belief that a memorable melody or motif is an essential to a piece of music and Salvador Dali’s painting, Persistence of Memory. The dripping clocks, depicted by glissandi and a “tick tock” musical motif becomes twisted and warped as the movement progresses. The second movement is inspired by a lesser-known work by Dali, The Red Orchestra. A figure reminiscent of the famous Spanish cellist, Pablo Casals, bends over a cello shaped as a woman. The grand piano that makes a reference to a bull and the matador’s cape. The final painting of the triptych, Three Young Surrealist Musicians, depicts three young women with instruments in attitudes that suggest being depleted after a final performance on a concert; the horn lies at their feet, the cello is draped over the arms of one figure in the same way as the clocks were in the first movement, and the piano lies disfigured and tipped because it is missing a leg.