When I wrote this piece I wanted to experiment with using different harmonic languages and textures as means of expression within very small forms. The idea was for each movement to be like a unique little jewel. The result was that each movement is alternatively sober and contemplative, thoughtful yet wistful, mischievously playful, and unabashedly joyous.
     The melody of the Lament moves upward mainly in fourths and fifths, somewhat obscuring the tonality. These upward leaps are like a cry of defiance and only when the line moves downward by steps do we realize that we are in a minor mode. This downward motion itself spans the interval of a fourth. But unlike the defiant upward leaps, the stepwise descent is a resignation to the sadness of the lament.
     The Lullaby uses only four notes all spaced one whole step apart. This could be heard as part of a whole tone scale or as steps 7, 1, 2, and 3 of the mixolydian mode. The melody plays with this ambiguity and the changing meter further enhances the Lullaby’s ethereal quality. The shift in register at the end brings the work to a peaceful close while the final and somewhat inconclusive note augments the air of fantasy. Are we still awake or are we dreaming?
    A playfully elusive tonal center keeps us guessing in the third movement, Game. Fragmented melodies are juxtaposed with bold chromatic shifts as a constant, restless motion propels the music forward. Finally exhausted from its own mischievousness, the piece settles down before one final outburst that reveals the answer to our musical riddle.
    Compound, arpeggiated chords form the harmonic basis of the final movement, Dance. By combing different chords, one on top of the other, new chords are formed. This extended harmonic color imbues the music with a vibrant fluidity, as the melody swirls, glides, and gracefully dances to a joyous finale.