To a Traveler (1971) by Andrew Imbrie
for clarinet, violin, and piano

To a Traveler takes its title from Kenneth Rexroth’s translation of an allegorical poem by Su Tung Po. The poem suggests the passage of time and the departure of a friend. Although fashioned in one continuous movement, three main sections (slow fast slow) are clearly perceptible. Toward the end of the first section, the violin leads the piece to a passionate climax, only to disappear. The ensuing return of thelyrical opening materials is made more poignant by the violin’s sudden absence. Indeed, this was intended to represent the departed traveler, Norman Fromm, to whose memory the work is dedicated.