This movement was composed between 1974 and 1975 and was the first movement of the work to be completed in my mind. All of the action is near and around a mountain lake. I often worked on it as I drove on I-65 between Athens (where I worked during the week at a co-op job while in college) and Bessemer (where I stayed with my parents on weekends). The grand hill in Cullman would be very colorful in the fall. A piano sketch was recorded on Sept 28, 1975. As I had no way to write the music, that recording served as the documentation for later use. A short fragment was added to the movement later. A literal transcription of the piano recording was entered as a Cakewalk file in the mid-1990s. After the other movements were completed as Cakewalk files, considerable revisions were made to the file during the period between August 24 and September 6, 2003. Although fine for piano, this form did not play well on the statistical orchestra I use. The revisions involved octave translations, correcting some chord errors, and restructuring chords for full orchestral effect. A brief repeat of one theme was eliminated in the concluding section.

The movement begins as the protagonist enjoys a perfect day in early autumn. The sky is bright with a few rolling clouds and there is a slight breeze. There is a only a hint of leaves turning colors. The frolic theme from the first movement is now very relaxed as the young offspring who grew up during summer have now matured and are getting ready for their first winter. In the next theme, eagles soar over a mountain lake and catch fish. This section ends with an beautiful explosion of color and majesty followed by a slow and tranquil theme of peace as the protagonist takes a nap.

The music anticipates the winter storms that will be coming with the first storm of autumn. There is a sense of urgency and fear as the first southward migration escapes the coming grasp of winter. The protagonist is also preparing for winter, and a derivative of the frolic theme conveys his efforts to understand all of this. Play and intelligence are interrelated. Thus, a variation of the frolic theme serves as a deep-thinking theme and is used here and in subsequent movements.

The music begins joyously after the sad close to the previous section. The colors are at their peak. The protagonist observes all of this and tries to resolve inner conflicts about this magnificent spectacle being the result of death of the leaves. The music is very mysterious and magical. Color after color is observed until the music climaxes with the opening theme as beauty takes dominance over the concerns about death.

The peaceful theme that opened the movement is heard again and gradually fades as the sun sets. The protagonist settles in for the night at his camp site by a lake.

The following are excerpts of the different parts for easy access.

tron_movement2_part1.mp3 Score: tron_movement2_part1.pdf

tron_movement2_part2.mp3 Score: tron_movement2_part2.pdf

tron_movement2_part3.mp3 Score: tron_movement2_part3.pdf

tron_movement2_part4.mp3 Score: tron_movement2_part4.pdf