Of all the piece I have written to date, Hero’s Journey has become the most intimately and honest piece I have ever attempted. This piece was inspired by many years of depression and anxiety, the constant struggles I've endured, and the many years I have keep quiet about it. I wrote this piece to reflect on those feelings and to show how far I’ve grown and come on this “journey”.

     I didn’t want to make this piece too obvious so instead I based it off one of my many favorite video games, Legend of Zelda. The Hero wakes up, the hero gets a sword, the hero goes on a journey to save the princess, the hero fights the main antagonist, the hero saves the princess and they live happily ever after. I took this story a step further and embedded my personal story underneath the surface. The unnamed hero (me) has to fight the anti-hero (my anxiety and depression), enduring all the trial and tribulations and has to save himself from… himself. 

     Although this piece is one continuous piece, each section is treated as its own personal movement/moment. The opening section is depicted as a vivid nightmare that seem to be occurring in the mind of the Unnamed Hero. This is where the Anti-hero theme is mostly present, infecting every element in this section. 2

     The following section begins with the sound of air being blown through the instrument mimicking the sound of the air, or settling waters. As the air continues, an open ambient space begins to setting allowing for  fragments of the Hero theme and Anti-hero theme to appear, finally waking up the hero from his nightmare and giving him his quest. The ending of the second section is the hero accepting his quest and leaving on his journey. 

     The third section of this piece is the duel between the Hero and Anti-hero. In this section, an inverted version of the Anti-hero wappears and is blended with sections from The Soul is Here for Its Own Joy from Songs of the Coming Day by David Maslanka. Blending both my musical elements and Maslanka’s musical desires. I wrote a musical battle between the Hero and Anti-hero. 

     The fourth section of this piece is solely focused on the Hero theme and is musical written as a result of the “battle” section that previously occurred. Hero has lost the battle with the Anti-hero and is forced to return home with nothing to gain, or so he thought. 

     The fifth section is the Hero accepting himself for who he is. Written as a bombastic fanfare-esque passacaglia, I am reinforcing the mental struggles I have gone through to get to where I am today. Finally, the last section ends with the closing of The Soul is Here for Its Own Joy with the added Hero fragment, symbolizing the peace I have made with myself as I continue to live out my days.