Some pieces announce themselves dramatically, with bold, decisive openings ("Da-Da-Da-Dum"). Others seem to begin as if the music has always been there, with the performer merely joining a stream already in motion. This latter idea—that music exists before and after we hear it—has long fascinated me. It mirrors our relationship with the musical canon: works that have existed for centuries and will likely outlast us. When Duo Shiluv invited me to composer a piece their project Romantische Echos: Lieder und ihr Nachhall, I was once again drawn to this concept. Endless Melodies, a set of six pieces for guitar and cello, seeks to answer a simple but elusive question: What keeps a melody going? The pieces explore loops, unresolved tension, perpetuo mobile motion, and motives that constantly evolve and reshapes themselves, all while drawing inspiration from the romantic expressivity of the Lieder tradition.