Beethoven Wrote Für Elise For Alice – I Wrote For Norah For Norah
- Dominic McGonigal
- Apr 20
- 1 min read
Monday, 20th of April 2026
I just heard that Norah loves her piece and she’s going to stick with the piano because of it. That makes me happy!
A week ago, we were staying with friends on the Ring of Kerry (west coast of Ireland) on the Wild Atlantic Way. We had a beautiful walk on the beach (John is an expert in seaweed, among many other talents), enjoying the crystal clear, clean water, the soft sand and the ancient sea shells revealed by the tide.
We were having a refreshing glass of wine when Norah was sent upstairs to practise the piano. I followed her up quietly and sat listening to her play Für Elise. We got talking and then I was playing Für Elise with her as a duet.
Two days later, I woke up with a piano piece in my head. I wrote it down immediately, before even taking my morning coffee. It bypassed my notebook (unusually), going straight into full notation. A little tidying up, and there was Norah’s piece, For Norah. I realised then that I had subconsciously borrowed some thematic material from my Sunset At Sea – rather appropriate for Norah whose life is bound by the sea.
LISTEN HERE:
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