Thoughts of Passing

About “Thoughts of Passing”

Thoughts of Passing is a heartfelt solo miniature piece dedicated to the memory of loved ones who have departed. With its delicate melodic motif and simple chord changes, the composition captures the bittersweet emotions that arise when remembering those closest to us. The introspective nature created by the repetitive melody invites listeners to connect with their own experiences of loss and to find solace in the beauty of music.

Written in 4/4, the melody is often played in intervals of 6ths and shits between the tonic and the submediant note playing the melody. The motif is made up of an eighth note followed by two 16th notes. These motivic cells are tied together to give that lilting feel. There are variations to the motif in bars 9-15, which coincides with the changes in the harmony.

The harmony in this piece is quite simple and stays predominantly diatonic. In the first 8 bars, the harmony shifts from Bb, G min, Eb Major, then to F Major. In 9-11 we have a ii-V-I sequence, followed by a G min which sets up for the C Maj 7add9 chord. This chord is a secondary dominant which leads us to the F/C chord, setting us up for a plagal cadence.