Senior Thesis | 2025
Eclipse: The Coexistence of Light and Dark in the Healing Process
Lillian Yeh
The process of healing is never fully black or white, but often about feeling multiple emotions all at once and working through an ebb and flow of the process, rather than progressing in a linear fashion. And, just like an eclipse is a moment of suspension, healing requires slowing down and taking a step back to work through difficult emotions. However, the fleeting nature of an eclipse promises light at the end, just as the journey of healing inherently does as well. In both healing and an eclipse, light and darkness coexist.
To explore these ideas further, I composed a piece called Eclipse, which explores the journey and nature of healing through music. The composition, written for solo viola, is a three movement piece that encapsulates three main parts of the healing process: acceptance of the need to heal, embracing difficult emotions, and emerging as a transformed individual. By weaving together these three stages of healing, Eclipse reflects on how healing leads to growth in the strength of an individual and their perspective.
The stages of emotional healing can be categorized into seven primary categories: awareness, acceptance, processing, release, growth, integration, and transformation.1 In the first stage, awareness means “embracing your emotions without judgment or resistance.” Oftentimes, what comes before this is denial of these emotions or fear of committing to the healing process because acknowledging that healing is necessary can often be the most difficult part. The second stage is acceptance, which entails
1 A., Margot. “The 7 Stages of Emotional Healing: A Roadmap to Peace.” Growing Self Counseling & Coaching, August 6, 2024. https://www.growingself.com/seven-stages-of-emotional-healing/.
“embracing your emotions without judgment or resistance.” This stage requires letting the feelings be there without denial in order to move forward. The third stage, processing, is about actively “engaging with [emotions]” to better understand where the difficult emotions are actually rooted. The fourth stage, release, is about “letting go of past experiences, pent-up feelings and all of the energy they consume.” The fifth stage, which we label as growth, refers to the newfound strength that is attained through making it through this process. The sixth stage of integration is about applying the lessons learned throughout the ups and downs of the healing process into new life experiences. Finally, the last stage, transformation, is about reaching an end to the healing stage that ultimately has produced “a stronger, more resilient person.” Each of these stages has great nuance, and as the nature of the healing process goes, the process is not linear and is highly individualized. In Eclipse, I take inspiration from these seven stages, but form them into three major stages that ultimately form the three movements of Eclipse. While the structure of Eclipse is informed by research on the emotional healing process, it is also inspired metaphorically by the physical healing process which comes in four stages–hemostasis, defense/inflammation, proliferation, and maturation.2 Particularly, the idea that physical healing “varies greatly from wound to wound [...] susceptible to interruption due to local and system factors” aligns exactly with what the emotional healing process looks like.
2 John Maynard, “How Wounds Heal: The 4 Main Phases of Wound Healing,” Shield HealthCare, December 13, 2021.
The first movement, “Prelude,”3 focuses on awareness and acceptance (and denial) of emotions and the healing process as a whole. The second movement, “Adagio,”4 is centered around constructive processing and release of those difficult emotions and experiences. Finally, the third movement, “Andante Comodo,”5 explores the feeling of growth and transformation after making it all the way through the healing journey. Within each of the movements, I capture the specific details that each of these stages entails. Although composing each movement was unique in its own way, there were a lot of similarities in the way I approached composing this piece as a whole so that there was a sense of cohesion among the movements. For that purpose, I will be diving into specific aspects of each movement that were uniquely important for each individual movement. Before I discuss each of the movements in depth, it is important to address the nature of the creative compositional process. A large part of composing this piece was tweaking, rethinking, and rewriting. At the time of writing this reflection, I am still working on revising parts of the composition to be more accurate to my musical vision. That is why I will be primarily discussing the first and second movements, since the third movement is still in the process of rigorous rethinking. Rather than reflecting on the third movement itself, I will describe my current thought process and the thinking behind my vision for the third movement.
The first movement, the “Prelude,” was the first movement I composed, which meant a lot of the process was centered around
3 “Prelude” typically refers to an introduction work or movement of a work.
4 “Adagio” means “slow” or “slowly.”
5 “Andante Comodo” means “comfortably at a moderate tempo.”
creating the melody that can convey thematic contrast on its own. The “Prelude” follows an ABA pattern, where the A theme repeats, but develops by the end of the piece. The first movement portrays these two contrasting themes, but ultimately emphasizes the way these two themes blend and transition into one another to highlight how interconnected they actually are. The first appearance of the A theme shows an attempt to accept the pain, but the hint of darkness in the melody line is clear through the redundancy of notes and dissonance in the double stops. The beginning of the piece presents a simplistic, but dark, melodic line (Figure 1).
Eventually, the A theme transitions into the B theme, labeled with “Vivace,”6 which is much more accelerated and musically dramatic than the previous A theme (Figure 2). However, while the A theme and B theme may musically seem to be in stark contrast to each other, they actually build towards the same idea. The A theme is specifically an attempt to accept pain, while still feeling a sense of hopelessness and uncertainty underlying the melody. The B theme is the exact same idea, just a stronger outburst of the denial. With the B theme, I am depicting the fear of accepting the pain. After all, accepting the pain is the first step to healing, which can often be something that is frightening to face, perhaps because it feels as though healing takes a lot of effort and means moving on. The A theme transitions to the B theme with a sequence of eighth notes that rise then fall between the D and G strings on the viola, representing the push and pull of being in denial (Figure 2). Then, it escalates with two sets of ascending sextuplets to establish a growing tension (Figure 3). The
6 “Vivace” means “lively” or “dynamic.”
melodic line reaches a peak then descends to arrive at its final outburst: the sequence of aggressive and emotional double stops (Figure 4).7 The real emotion here is a frenzy of the overwhelming, almost unfathomable, feeling of distress, and the fear and uncertainty of how to deal with that distress. The B theme concludes with a slow line that lives primarily on the G string and conveys a sense of intense hopelessness, while accepting that healing is necessary (Figure 5).
The descent of hopelessness at the end of the B theme gradually shifts as the movement rises to the final A theme (Figure 6). The final A theme is a developed version of the first A theme. This time, however, it takes into account the obvious pain the B theme depicts, and gradually works towards a hopeful ending. The development of the A theme this time around sounds pained, but not dark, a distinction that can be heard from the increased movement in the notes themselves. This movement ends with the end of the A theme in a more hopeful key to represent a shift in mindset that prepares us for the following movement.
The second movement, “Adagio,” is the slow movement, because it is often the active engagement with emotions that takes the most time and effort. In this movement, I really wanted to explore the fragmented and confusing nature of the process, primarily through offbeats. In terms of structure, the “Adagio” also utilizes the ABA theme, but with its climatic moment being a clash of both the A and B theme. The movement also ends with a codetta as a transition into the third movement. The first A theme of this movement plays with offbeats, unpredictable rests, and time
7 A double stop in string music is when two notes are played at the same time.
signature changes that leave the audience uncertain of when to expect the next phrase, a sensation that I wanted to use to represent the uncertainty in addressing all of the emotions and feelings (Figure 7). The conflict that I wanted to portray in the A theme resounds in the dissonant notes as well as the rhythmic unpredictability. Following the A theme, there is a long transition to the B theme, wherein a variation of the B theme from the first movement emerges (Figure 8). This transition slows down, brings back a reflection of the internal conflict that the first movement’s B theme portrays, and is an ultimately descending line in the viola part that brings us to the minor key of the B theme.
The B theme musically portrays exhaustion, and even being pushed to a place of almost wanting to give up at times. Oftentimes, the healing process can feel like it has no end, and the B theme represents what it feels like to question if it’s even worth it or if it’s really the right thing to do. The B theme is the yearning to stay still. Although the A theme is already slow, the B theme offers contrast in its color and mood in portraying exhaustion as the result of struggle. The codetta that appears at the end of the movement rises, falls, rises again, falls again, and eventually rises one last time to dissipate softly, like taking deep breaths before the final movement of Eclipse, which ultimately symbolizes the growth and transformation after the healing process.
Out of all of the movements of Eclipse, my compositional process for the third movement is by far the most informed, not only due to my experience with writing the first two, but also because I had a stronger sense for how I wanted the piece to sound stylistically. I began researching two primary composers and the compositional techniques in the style. The two composers I
researched were two widely known impressionist composers, Debussy and Ravel. Both composers are known for creating music that often conveyed more of a musical–often dreamy-sounding–landscape, as opposed to a piece with a narrative. I was sure I wanted to take inspiration from some of their greatest works and learn how to really achieve a flowy and colorful, but reflective, feeling. I began by first learning about their compositional styles and researching impressionism in music.8 I found that both composers used expansive arpeggiation (primarily in their piano pieces), parallel motion, whole tone scales, and other techniques that created an atmosphere.9, 10, 11, 12, 13 Many of the techniques I discovered when studying Debussy and Ravel were more easily applied to piano music because of the inherent advantage of playing with both hands. As a result, I develop more creative approaches for how to adapt these techniques for solo viola. For example, while parallel motion is easier to execute on the piano, it would come in the form of double stops on the viola–holding two or more fingers at a time and playing multiple strings at once. The third movement will draw on the styles of these two composers to capture the feeling and atmosphere of emerging from the healing process as a transformed individual. Just like Debussy and Ravel, I
8 Robert Hutchinson, “Music Theory for the 21st-Century Classroom: 32.1 Impressionism.”
9 Nahre Sol, “How to Sound Like Debussy,” 2018.
10 Nahre Sol, “How to Sound Like Maurice Ravel,” 2020.
11 Arpeggiation is a musical technique in which the notes of a chord are played individually and, as a result, create the effect of a broken chord.
12 Parallel motion refers to movement of two or more voices or melodies in the same direction and by the same interval.
13 A whole tone scale is a scale that consists of only whole steps between notes. The whole tone scale is said to sound dreamlike as a result.
really wanted the audience to experience the transformative feeling in this movement and not just listen to the storyline of the healing process.
The biggest musical and stylistic inspiration for Eclipse was Gabriel Fauré’s Élégie. I took great inspiration from the impactful, but simplistic melody line in the viola, especially at the beginning of the piece. Although the melody is primarily a descending scale, it contains such depth of emotion in the slow tempo, repetition of phrase, and descending nature. In Eclipse, I kept my melody and theme in the first movement as a very simplistic, but deep, line by only using primarily eighth, quarter, and half notes, and reducing movement in the melody line itself. I also took a lot of inspiration from the “outburst” moment in Fauré’s Élégie. Leading up to this peak moment, there is a gradual build up as the phrase crescendos and the tone grows in intensity. The outburst itself is a simple line descends and then ascends constantly until it reaches the climax of the piece, where the melody repeats itself.
The compositional process of Eclipse began with improvisation with recordings on my iPhone whenever potential melodies came to mind. In the Fall of 2024, Dr. Abigaña introduced me to the idea of “sketching,” which I initially thought was just transcribing what I had improvised in the recordings. However, as the name suggests, sketching involves literally sketching ideas out without specific pitches, tempi, dynamics, or any technicalities at first. The purpose of this is to translate the feeling of how I imagine a certain movement or certain section of a movement to sound, by drawing it out in a way that makes sense to me. I used lines–wavy, straight, jagged, swoopy, curly, angular
lines–to establish how I imagined a movement to feel like overall. From there, I began narrowing down, section by section, assigning descriptive adjectives to what I had drawn, and then eventually arriving at specific notes once everything else was developed.
The greatest lesson I learned from this whole process was to accept and begin with imperfection. For months, after I first began working on improvisations, I would record a melody and develop it, only to return to it a few weeks later and be dissatisfied. And, as a result, I would want to restart and improvise something new and discard the old idea, only for the same thing to happen once again. The biggest problem was that I could not accept an idea that didn’t start perfectly at first, and struggled to commit to its imperfection and consider how to improve it. This set me back for months, until both my mentors started pointing out that I was becoming too detail-oriented and focusing on producing pitches and rhythms rather than a piece itself. It was then that I realized that the “sketching” I was doing was not real sketching, but simply writing down notes. Before I could ask myself “What exactly do I not like about this?” I would cross it out and move onto the next improvisation. When I finally began sketching, assigning descriptors to sections of a movement, and then imagining from there, it became easier to identify my musical direction. From there, whenever I decided I didn’t like something about a certain melodic line, I would simply look at it and ask myself “why” and experiment with different variations of the same melody. Sketching and seeing a composition as its larger picture and whole made having a direction within each musical section, phrase, and note much easier.
Through the process of composing Eclipse, I realized that while healing is often seen as a necessary response to a negative beginning, it is actually an incredibly transformative and important part of life. While composing Eclipse, I took many tidbits from my own life as well as learning from my conversations with others and how they have stayed resilient in some of their most difficult moments. Some loved ones in my life described what it was like to go through the ups and downs of healing, what it felt like to have some days where it felt like they were brought right back to the beginning, how it sometimes felt stupid to still be in the process of healing when no one else around them could understand their situation, and so much more. There are so many aspects and intricacies of the healing process, most of which are deeply personal. No one healing journey is the same, and it is truly the combination of so many feelings and thoughts, often so confusingly blended together all at once. I created Eclipse as a way to reflect on the idea of healing and what it means to me, but also as an invitation to others to connect with as this is something that we all experience on some level in our lives. In reality, healing is a process filled with both difficulty and beauty simultaneously that I think can be understood better through music than in words. Through composing this piece, I hope that Eclipse will be a transformative experience for both the performer and the audience.
Bibliography
A., Margot. “The 7 Stages of Emotional Healing: A Roadmap to Peace.” Growing Self Counseling & Coaching, August 6, 2024. https://www.growingself.com/seven-stages-ofemotional-healing/.
Fauré, Gabriel. Élégie. Timothy Ridout. March 26, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60XFSEFkS8Y&pp=y gURZmF1cmUgZWxlZ3kgdmlvbGE%3D.
Hutchinson, Robert. “Music Theory for the 21st-Century Classroom: 32.1 Impressionism.” https://musictheory.pugetsound.edu/mt21c/Impressionism.h tml.
Maynard, John. “How Wounds Heal: The 4 Main Phases of Wound Healing.” Shield HealthCare, December 13, 2021. https://www.shieldhealthcare.com/community/popular/201 5/12/18/how-wounds-heal-the-4-main-phases-of-woundhealing/.
Sol, Nahre. “How to Sound Like Debussy.” August 15, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ydnwI5dzts.
Sol, Nahre. “How to Sound Like Maurice Ravel.” March 29, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u7h22SAkyc.
Figure 1. Eclipse “Prelude,” measures 1–4 of the viola part.
Figure 2. Eclipse “Prelude,” measures 30–42 of the viola part.
Figure 3. Eclipse “Prelude,” measures 35-37 of the viola part.
Figure 4. Eclipse “Prelude,” measures 37-39 of the viola part.
Figure 5. Eclipse “Prelude,” measures 42-44 of the viola part.
Figure 6. Eclipse “Prelude,” measures 45-54 of the viola part.
4 of the score.
Figure 8. Eclipse “Adagio,” measures 11 16 of the viola part. Importantly, the sixteenth note portion of this section resembles the Vivace seen in Figure 2.
