After an adventurous backpacking trip with the family to the Channel Islands for spring break, I’ve returned to work on the fourth movement of my Symphony No. 4. This movement has been sitting dormant for a while—since 2019, in fact—when I first announced that it would be a fusion of Beethoven’s Eroica symphony finale and the stylistic fingerprints of Hindemith. But as I’ve resumed sketching and revisiting old notes, I’m starting to hear echoes of Lutosławski and even Ruggles in there too, likely because he left a mark on the first movement of the symphony.
Reexamining the Theme
Since this final movement is a theme and variations, I decided to revisit my earlier drafts of the theme before writing any further. Beethoven reused this theme in several works—notably Fünfzehn Variationen (15 Variations), Op. 35, and again in the finale of his ballet, Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus (The Creatures of Prometheus), Op. 43.

Fünfzehn Variationen

Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus - Finale
He famously reworked it yet again in the Eroica. That kind of reuse tells you something: this is a powerful, flexible theme.

Symphony No. 3, "Eroica", 4th movement
So before diving into the structure of the movement, I needed to make sure my own version of the theme was equally strong.

My earlier sketches focused on the bass line, which plays a foundational role in Beethoven’s variations and ends similarly to the theme I’d already written into the first movement of my own symphony. That continuity was intentional. It’s part of the long-range planning I had done back when this symphony was first taking shape. I felt pretty confident in those notes, which is why I actually started drafting the first section of the movement just before our trip. But right before we left, I realized I needed to flesh out the full theme properly before continuing—so I hit pause.
Hindemith, Quartal Voicings, and a Touch of Jazz
The treble line of the theme was meant to evoke Hindemith’s melodic style. I’ve always admired how his melodies can be surprising and twisty while still feeling grounded in tonality. Some of his quartal harmonies remind me of McCoy Tyner’s jazz voicings—another influence I find incredibly rich.
In fact, Hindemith was one of the first ingredients I knew I wanted for this movement, long before I chose the Beethoven finale as a formal model. And choosing that particular Beethoven movement made sense, not just because of the form, but because of the fugue possibilities—Hindemith adored fugues. The idea clicked. Add in a few textures that feel reminiscent of Lutosławski’s Symphony No. 3 (one of my all-time favorite works), and you can see where this is heading.
There’s also the rhythmic link: the five-note rhythmic theme I’ve been threading through the entire symphony needed to appear here too. Fortunately, this thematic material lends itself nicely to that kind of integration.
Refining the Theme
Back to the present: once I sat down with my earlier draft, I developed a new treble melody—one that hints at Beethoven’s original but steers more toward Hindemith while also echoing the Ruggles-like theme from my first movement. After several revisions, I landed on something that finally felt right. This, of course, meant updating the bass line to match—but I’m glad I caught it before moving further.

I went back, made the necessary adjustments to what I had already written, and then moved forward quickly, getting ideas down in Dorico. (I use notation software like it’s paper—especially when working on pieces that don’t require more modern notational tricks. That approach has served me well since the ’80s.)
Following Beethoven’s structure, I let the form guide me: if he used the bass line as the basis for a variation, I did too, and I kept the lengths of variations roughly proportional. I didn’t try to perfect every idea right away. Instead, I marked sections to revisit later and let myself keep writing. I try not to be too critical at this stage, and not so rigid that I miss the opportunity for unexpected ideas to appear and grow—something I always encourage composers to allow in their own process. Some of my favorite moments come from those surprises, emerging better than anything I originally planned.
Now I’m about two minutes into the piece, and I’m about to introduce the treble melody for the first time. The momentum is strong, and I’m trying to ride that wave.
Balancing Work and Music
Of course, composing is just one part of the puzzle. I’ve also got performance commitments and I’m busy preparing my orchestra for its spring concert in May. Add in the usual tasks (like filing taxes), and my days are full. Still, I’m doing my best to maintain this creative groove and move the symphony forward.
With any luck, I’ll be able to keep up the pace and have more to share with you soon. I’m excited to finally be giving this symphony the attention it deserves, and I hope to wrap up this movement—and the symphony itself—by summer’s end.
Stay tuned.