Elegies
An Elegy is a bespoke, piano-based musical portrait that honours one person you love and miss, created through a tender, in‑depth conversation about their life and your relationship with them.
What is an elegy?
A unique, composed piece that translates memories, stories, and small everyday details into intimate, contemporary classical music.
A lasting musical keepsake you can return to in moments of remembrance, share with family, or play at commemorations and anniversaries.
How will it be created?
You meet with Garreth (in person or online) for a gentle, structured conversation about your bereavement, focused on the person’s character, quirks, and the love you shared.
Garreth then composes and records a piano work specifically for your loved one, shaping melody, harmony, and pacing directly from what you share.
Once the piece is completed, Garreth will invite you to meet again. He'll play the piece to you several times, explain the compositional process, answer any questions you have, and give you another opportunity to reflect on your grief and remember your loved one.
What will it be like?
It'll be guided by you.
Crucial to know is that the tone is not only about sorrow; it centres on love, connection, and the textures of a life well lived, reflecting the idea that there is no grief without love.
Many people experience the process as quietly supportive, helping them feel less isolated in grief and more able to name and hold their feelings.
What you receive
A dedicated Elegy for your loved one.
Two 1-2-1 sessions with Garreth.
The Elegy recorded in high quality audio that you can listen to privately, play for others, or incorporate into ceremonies.
Sheet music of the Elegy, so that you can play it on the piano, or get another pianist to play it for you.
Responses from elegy recipients
The mother of a young son who died very suddenly and tragically wrote (translated from the original German):
I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the song you composed for my son. Words are hardly enough to describe how much it touches me that you gave him his own melody - a child who you never knew personally and who through your music has come to life so much.
You didn't just listen to him by taking in what I said - you heard between the lines, felt what remained unsaid. And that's exactly what I feel in every single note. There is so much tenderness, so much respect and so much honest intimacy in your song that it feels as if you have carefully captured a part of his being and given him a place where he can continue to exist. A place where he is not lost, but resonates, breathes and is remembered.
For me, this song is much more than a musical gift. It's comfort. It's recognition. It is a quiet but powerful proof that my son has left a mark - even in the hearts of people who were never able to see him. Your music says: He was there. He was important. He will be heard.
The fact that you treated him with so much empathy, sensitivity and respect moves me deeply. You gave space to his memory without taking it over, and there is something incredibly valuable in that. This song carries a warmth that catches me when I can’t speak, and accompanies me when the longing becomes particularly intense.
I am eternally grateful to you for this gift, for your openness, your compassion and your art. This song will always be a precious treasure to me - something I treasure because it was born of true compassion.
With deep gratitude
Stefanie
WE made the snow fly upwards — elegy for jane
I wrote this piece on behalf of Will, who lost his mother Jane. Here’s what Will has to say about the piece:
Every time I hear this piece, it stops me. The tune feels like snow floating — light, weightless, almost defying gravity — and it takes back to standing at the top of the Empire State Building with you. That moment when we made the snow fly upwards. Pure magic. This composition holds that same feeling. Wonder. Awe. Love.
It reminds me of how anything felt possible when we were together. Together, we really could do anything. Our combined power was incredible — stronger than fear, stronger than the world below us. There’s joy in these notes, but also a deep ache, because I miss you more than words can say. Still, when I listen, I feel you with me — in the quiet, in the memories, in the magic we shared.
This is our tribute to you, Jane. Thank you for the moments that still rise, just like that snow, and for a love that will never fall back down.