Introspections 4 is a marriage of three distinct musical ideas:

a repeating pedal line;

a second line of sustained open 5ths;

and counter melodies that are freely composed.

These three softly stated ideas overlap throughout, with the pedal line forming the foundation that binds all the ideas together. Although each of these ideas are made to fit together, they all exist in their own distinct time and timbral spaces. The pedal part for all practical purposes defines what should be a 4/4 time signature (a repeating pattern of 6 eighth notes followed by a quarter rest); the sustained open fifths happen with a rhythm that is more solidly rooted in 7/8 that is the official time signature of the piece (a pattern of half notes and dotted quarters making up each bar); and finally the free-formed counter melodies do their own thing, tying across bar lines or producing unpredictable rhythms to define their own independent ideas. The result is somewhat unsettling, while all the while ambling along at a non-threatening easy walking tempo with delicate registration.

Approximately halfway through the movement, there is a slight pause while the registration changes from soft and sweet to full-on organ, loud and angry. “Shake the room” is the marking in the score; the pattern of open fifths becomes full chords over the walking pedal in an explosion of sound. Finally, the work closes with a short, very soft and sparsely registered coda.