Commissioned for the Yamashiro Junior High School Band in Kizugawa City, Kyoto Prefecture. The theme is drawn from the book "On the Meaning of Life" by Mieko Kamiya, a doctor who worked closely with people suffering from leprosy. The director said, "Now that our daily lives are changing due to the effects of the new coronavirus, I want children to think about what it means to live and what the purpose of life is. I want this piece to be a catalyst for that."

The music expresses impressions of the words and poems quoted in the book. If I had to give each scene a title, it would be "The Language of Life," "What Deprives Us of Our Motivation, in Search of a New Motivation for Life," and "Transformation of the World of the Heart".

The entire composition has a simple form of slow, fast, and slow, with many "fast" parts using sedimentary chords of "perfect 5th + major 3rd". For example, chords such as "do, so, si, fa#" fall into this category, and by creating the sound of the major seventh degree in "do, si" and "so, fa#", you can express a more edgy and rugged sound.

A smaller group can perform this piece. (If there is only one Tuba player, play lower notes) It doesn't require advanced technique, but it does require a lot of time and attention given to philosophical (emotional) themes.

(Takafumi Hikage)