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Fanfare For Life was commissioned by AT&T and composed as
a direct result of the gang violence in Chicago during the summer
of 1994.
A 14-year-old girl, Shavon Dean, was shot and killed by
11-year-old gang member Robert Sandifer. Robert was then hunted
down and killed by two members of his gang, a 14-year-old boy and
his 16-year-old brother. Robert was shot twice in the head. That
same summer 5-year-old Eric Morse was dropped to his death from
the 14th floor of a public housing high-rise by a 10-year-old boy
and an 11-year-old boy, because Eric would not steal candy for
them.
With Fanfare For Life, the beauty of life is presented with an
orchestra fanfare. In the second part the lives of these children
are symbolized by two distinct pentatonic melodies. These
melodies are cut short as were the young lives that never
developed. The third part (brass tutti) is a variation of the two
"child" melodies, symbolizing the families that now
only have memories of those lost lives. The last part is a repeat
of the initial fanfare again emphasizing the beauty of life and
the need to cherish it.
Fanfare For Life is dedicated to the memories of Shavon Dean,
Robert Sandifer, and Eric Morse.
Reasons to celebrate life can come in many forms, the birth of
a child, finding God, release from prison, getting married,
winning the lottery, or just sitting under a tree and
appreciating your existence on earth. In 1970, while on guard
duty in Viet Nam, I vowed to myself that if I ever got out of
there alive I would always cherish the life that I have.
In 1994 a young Chicago boy took the life of a young girl and
then two young boys took the life of that young boy and another
young boy took the life of a baby boy and it went on and on and
on.
Viet Nam becomes a distant memory.
Fanfare for Life is my celebration of life, and I hope that each
listener can find a reason to also celebrate life in whatever
relative way the music presents itself.
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