Amy Gravell - Prelude to Eternity

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The vision for Prelude to Eternity was conceived during a study of the book of Revelation from the Bible. Rather than a literal musical prelude to “Eternity”, the piece is an illustration of the precursor to God's eternity: the birth, fall, and redemption of man.
​For Symphony Orchestra
The vision for Prelude to Eternity was conceived during a study of the book of Revelation from the Bible. Rather than a literal musical prelude to “Eternity”, the piece is an illustration of the precursor to God's eternity: the birth, fall, and redemption of man. The piece follows the idea that God had created a world of pure good and beauty, a genesis of perfection,only to be tainted with the stench of sin. In Revelation, the story of the final chapter in human history, the Angels possess majestic trumpets. This instrument, along with the French horn, is utilized to represent the glory of God in the main themes of the piece, at the beginning and the end. The opening horn theme is a variation on the line later played by the strings and trumpet, meant to express the wonder of the beginning of creation, and the triumphant nature of God as he invites man to a flawless eternity in Heaven through his Son.
The middle of the piece grows somber, representing the pain and suffering that plague humanity. The glissandos in the trombone must be nasty—they express the attacks against man from Satan. The entrance of the solo trumpet in measure 134 is vitally important: it is hopeful, suggesting that good still exists. As the pace picks up, the horn, string, and trumpet lines become prominent, brightly building the idea of hope. They overpower the familiar gliss in measure 186, with good overcoming the weight of evil. In measure 191, low voices recalling the once sullen theme in a new light reference the transformation of our broken world into something good. The recurring three-note runs in the violins, piano, harp, and high woodwinds emphasize the momentum of approaching eternity. The three-note theme always ends on the second scale degree, a note of inconclusion. The pattern seems unfinished, just as humanity's story is still unfinished.