Tower and Town, August 2026 (view the full edition)Soundtrack your Story: Beethoven 3Lucas has won a place in an anthology of young writers based off the National Literacy Trust's 'Soundtrack your Story' competition. This was inspired by him listening to the Beethoven's 3rd Symphony. "And here, we lay to rest Jasper Bunker, a good friend of many of us, a fine man. He was a diligent worker, a loving father, and a devoted husband; but more than anything, he was a man of music. It was his solace from the troubles of the world, as many of you close to him would know, and nothing but a smile was visible on his face when listening to Beethoven's 3rd symphony, his absolute favourite work. It wouldn't be a true send-off if we didn't play that piece now" The opening chords, definitive and strident, resonated and the crescendo seemingly filled the high ceilings of the church, the sound almost palpable. Standing quietly at the back of the church, the congregation oblivious to his presence, Jasper closed his eyes and smiled softly; happy memories of times gone by flooded my mind and the rhythmic ostinato swept me back to my days of playing in the local marching band. It was a small ensemble, nothing more than a group of friends, yet every time we performed, the people genuinely enjoyed it. It wasn’t just about the size or skill of our group, it was something deeper, more profound. We played music to make others happy, not for personal fame. The acoustics of the church seemed to absorb the sound, Eroica is said to be representative of Beethoven’s musical triumph over the physical ailments that afflicted him during the latter part of his life - music as a healing balm. A sense of warmth washed over me as multicoloured sunbeams shone through the stained-glass windows, a gentle rainbow on the church floor. I felt a strange sensation, one of fading away gradually, peacefully. It began with my senses and before long I could not smell nor taste and soon, the sense of touch became elusive as well. My vision faded and it seemed as if some sort of infection was spreading swiftly across my body, yet I felt no pain nor discomfort. If anything, I felt strangely at ease. Black spots appeared, sporadically scattered across my vision, and my sight was swallowed up also, leaving me with only my hearing. As I drifted off to some place elsewhere, the speaker said his final piece: "a famous person once said that death is not extinguishing the light. It is putting out the lamp because the dawn has come." Well then, let us discover what virtues come with the dawn. Lucas Barr (Year 8) |