The Quill and the Lyre: Music and ‘Comings and Goings’

Every story has its soundtrack. For Comings and Goings, the most overtly relevant piece isn’t tucked away in a concert hall—it’s right there in Billy Joel’s “This Night”, spinning from Kelly’s stereo in Mission Hill. Yet, at the heart of this pop ballad lies Beethoven’s Adagio cantabile, whose timeless melody Joel borrowed and reimagined, creating a poignant bridge between classical longing and modern romance.

Beethoven’s Echo, Joel’s Voice

Joel’s “This Night” is more than a simple adaptation; it is a conversation across centuries. By recasting Beethoven’s Adagio cantabile from the Pathétique Sonata—a movement renowned for its introspective yearning—Joel transforms it into a song about fleeting intimacy, sung in the idiom of the 1980s. This duality mirrors the novella’s own work: it takes the emotional architecture of Beethoven’s music and reframes it within the lived texture of young adulthood.

Why Both Pieces Fit Comings and Goings

• Literal presence in the scene: Kelly doesn’t just play any music—she chooses “This Night,” inviting Beethoven’s Adagio cantabile into the room’s emotional cadence. The classical and pop elements unite as a soundtrack to the kiss and the offering that follows.
• Motif alignment: The lyrics (“This night could last forever…”) echo the novella’s theme of brief but intense romantic connections. At the same time, Beethoven’s original melody brings a depth of longing and nostalgia, making the song itself a vessel for both motifs.
• Memory recursion: For Jim, the familiar strains of Adagio cantabile—now transformed within “This Night”—carry him back to Mark’s grin, Marty’s kiss, and the ache of first love. The song bridges past and present, layering Beethoven’s heritage into the moment with Kelly.
• Emotional inheritance: Just as Peggy Jensen Cai noted in her review, the story resonates because it captures something most people have felt. Joel’s song, built on Beethoven’s ache, turns classical yearning into a pop anthem of youthful longing, making both pieces central to the emotional landscape of the narrative.

A Living Motif

What makes “This Night” and Adagio cantabile so relevant is that they do not simply accompany the story—they embody it together. The song is a living motif of memory and inheritance, a reminder that every fleeting connection carries echoes of both the classical past and promises of the future, woven seamlessly into the present moment.