Elegy in Eight: Remembering Cheryl Barbara Grotius Hunt

My Aunt Cheryl was a remarkable, wonderful woman.  I know we all say that about our aunts, and I'd never say it wasn't true of a single one of them.  Most often, aunts are special blessings, not-mothers who love and support us - but at a safe distance.  Like I've heard so many grandparents say, there's joy in caring for grandkids but a certain grace in being able to "give them back" at the end of a day or a stay.  I think the same goes for aunts.

From every summer and holiday break from as far back as I can remember up to today, I've looked forward to my visits with Cheryl, her husband Jim, and my eight Hunt cousins.  That's right, eight.  Cheryl was remarkable if for no other reason than that she gave birth to eight fantastic little Hunts, who I've been blessed to call some of my best friends for my entire time here on this rock of ours.  Yvette, Erin, Frankie, Todd, Rachel, Adam, Alexis, and Zachary - also called The Redchild - are like my second family.  

Beyond her remarkable childbearing (and childrearing!) capacities, Cheryl possessed the same intoxicating smile, vibrant laugh, and peculiar sense of humor that is the mark of any member of the Grotius-Macksoud clan.  Plus, she was a woman of profound faith.  As Todd wrote in her obituary (the rest is below), "Upon hearing an ambulance, a shadow of pain and worry would pass over her face as she said, "Thank you, Jesus," while making the sign of the cross. She loved her husband and children, family and friends without judgment."  And we loved her right back.  With a love like hers, there was no other choice.

It was all the sadder, then, when Cheryl died at age 61, after a 3-1/2 year battle with cancer on June 22, 2008, surrounded by Jimmy and her eight children.  You can read a written reflection on her death here.

I wrote this elegy two days after her death, while I was on retreat at St. Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana.  Entitled "Elegy in Eight," it's a tribute not only to Cheryl but to the family she raised.  I performed it after the funeral ended, so none of the family probably got to hear it then.  It may have circulated a bit after that; I'm not sure.  In any case, it's here now.  I go more into the structure of the piece - yes, it's dissonant in places - below, but you only have to read that if you want to.  For now, just hit play and remember with me a woman of boundless faith and incredible love.

Cheryl, we miss you.

About the piece:
I don't want to overanalyze my own music, but I do want to give you a sense of what's behind how this piece is constructed and, as a result, how it sounds.  This might be especially important to the family, because despite the fact that I know Cheryl wanted (and had!) a joyous funeral, I didn't write the piece for her - so it may not be in the style we'd expect when thinking about her wishes for the funeral.  Rather, I wrote as an expression of my memory of and my feelings for her, especially in her relationship to the family as a whole.

Here's how it comes together:
The opening theme is "Cheryl's Theme."  Light, a little playful, melodic.  After the initial statement, a second theme, "Jimmy's Theme," enters and interacts with the first, sometimes in harmony, sometimes in in tension.

In the next section, the first pitches in a series of eight pitches that will dance throughout the piece enter the mix, forming new chords, interspersed with variations on the first two themes (like 1:24-1:40) meant to depict the warmth of a family growing together.  This sequence repeats itself as the second set of four pitches in the sequence are introduced, one by one.  Then, with a clash, adversity enters the life of the family.

After a final statement of Cheryl's theme at 2:50 and a rapid-fire playing of the eight pitches in sequence, the eight tones enter the bass line in sequence under a soaring chordal adaptation of the theme, depicting one's final rising above the adversity of life before passing into silence.

Finally, the entire obituary, by my cousin Todd Austin Hunt:
Cheryl Barbara Grotius Hunt; beloved wife, adored mother of eight children, cherished sister and daughter, surrendered her time upon this earth Sunday afternoon.  She was 61.

In the midst of a years-long struggle with cancer which she fought with her brilliant faith and beautiful smile, she underwent a second operation to address a staph infection on June 9.  In conjunction with her courageous fight with cancer, Cheryl emerged from the procedure unusually weak.  After much prayer, the Hunt family took her to Hunt Country, the family home in Lexington, Friday June 20.  Cheryl Hunt died peacefully, surrounded by her husband and eight children.

The oldest sibling of six children all concentrated with talent, Cheryl blessed those in her presence with a lovely singing voice.  Her voice saturated the Hunt home with a divine harmony.  For each of her children, she composed a song to celebrate their names in infancy.  She was a devastatingly beautiful woman who captured the hearts of many, but chose only one to love for her life.  Gifted with a wild imagination, she told improvisational stories to get her children to sleep.  Cheryl, with her husband Jim, loved to travel; they journeyed to Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Mexico and Central America, as well as much of the United States.  During those travels, she would discover the wonderful purses and craftsmanship which thrilled her.

Cheryl Hunt’s greatest legacy is her encompassing love and faith in Jesus Christ.  She loved all without the barrier of selfish, personal gain.  Upon hearing an ambulance, a shadow of pain and worry passed over her face as she said, “Thank you, Jesus,” while making the sign of the cross.  She loved her husband and children, family and friends without judgment.  She lived her life in imitation of Christ, giving and giving, until that point when she could give no more.  She is loved and will be sorely, sorely missed.

Cheryl Hunt is survived by husband Jim Hunt of Lexington, KY; daughter Yvette Andrejczak; daughter Erin Hunt Ferguson; son Frank Hunt; son Todd Austin Hunt; daughter Rachel Hunt, son Adam Hunt, daughter Alexis Hunt and son Zachary Hunt of; mother Najla Grotius, sister Dianne Berry, sister Terese McKannan, sister Bobbie Ann Schutz, brother Joseph Grotius and brother Gregory Grotius of Evansville, IN.