Listening (Stravinksy, Igor - In Memoriam Dylan Thomas (1954)

I felt like Stravinsky spent a good deal of time on this piece to make sure that it was what he intended it to be. I think this because it was more his friend and colleague that he was going to collaborate with. Thomas died of alcohol poisoning, and I feel that this composition most accurately describes his memory. This piece seems somewhat serial because of the jumps from notes. The poem that the lyrics are not based on the rage of his death, however they are a struggle for his Thomas's father to work hard. Since his father was blind he doesn't want him to go dark into the night. I thought that this was interesting because the picture of Thomas and his incident with drugs seems like he wouldn't have this caring emotion.