Emmones is a Greek word meaning “obsession.” As the title suggests, this piece explores the compulsive desires and fixations that a person can develop.The obsessive character of the work is reflected musically on both the micro and macro levels through the repetition of motifs and the persistent recurrence of specific notes and tonal centers that function as a kind of musical “magnet.”On a larger structural level, the tonal centers progress from G–D–A–E and then return through E–A–D–G as the piece approaches its conclusion. This harmonic progression creates a cyclical structure that reinforces the obsessive nature of the work and suggests a continual need to return to something familiar. It is worth noting that these tonal centers correspond to the open strings of the violin. As the piece unfolds, there is a gradual attempt to resist this repetitive and obsessive tendency through the use of melodic material and glissandi that imply a distancing from the tonal center—from one’s obsession—particularly in the B and C sections. However, the return to the tonal center of G at the end of the piece contradicts this process of distancing. Harmonic stability is ultimately restored, suggesting that the obsessive force that characterizes the A section has not been fully overcome, but instead remains present beneath the surface.