Reflection is a short piece for solo piano inspired by a simple image: an elderly couple sitting together on a bench, seen from behind. They are holding hands and watching the sun set as they remember some of the favourite moments of their life together.
I did not imagine this as a sad scene. Although there is tenderness and perhaps a trace of wistfulness in the music, the couple are happy. They have travelled through life together, sharing its joys and difficulties, and can now look back with gratitude and contentment.
A gentle opening
The piece begins quietly in F major, in a flowing 2/4 metre. A simple, lyrical melody is supported by a gently rocking accompaniment. The tempo marking is Andante tranquillo, con moto—peacefully, but with movement.
That final phrase, con moto, is important. Reflection does not have to mean standing still. Our memories often lead naturally from one moment to another, and I wanted the music to have that same sense of quiet movement.
The opening melody is deliberately uncomplicated and song-like. It should emerge warmly above the accompaniment, almost as though one of the couple has begun to recall a familiar story. Small rises and falls in the dynamics give the phrases room to breathe.
Although F major provides a stable tonal centre, chromatic notes and secondary dominant harmonies gently colour the music. Chords such as A major or A7 momentarily point towards D minor, while inversions allow the bass line to move smoothly beneath the melody. These passing changes of colour suggest memories appearing briefly before giving way to others.
The same memory, seen differently
The opening material returns, but it is not intended to feel like a mechanical repetition. When we revisit a memory, our experience of it is subtly changed by everything else we have remembered.
The melody becomes a little warmer and more expressive, while the harmony continues to move between major and minor colours. F major remains home, but D minor, G minor, B-flat major and dominant harmonies introduce a gentle sense of longing.
This is one of the interpretative challenges of the piece. The pianist must allow repeated ideas to develop emotionally without exaggerating them. The music should remain intimate, as though the listener is witnessing a private conversation.
A broader middle section
The central section introduces the most noticeable change in atmosphere. The metre broadens from 2/4 to 4/4 and the music moves into A-flat major—a warmer and more distant tonal landscape.
The accompaniment also changes. Flowing broken chords spread across the piano, creating a fuller and more resonant texture. Above them, the melody unfolds in longer phrases. It feels as though the memories have become more vivid: perhaps the couple are remembering a wedding, the birth of a child, a special journey or one of the challenges they faced together.
The harmony travels through B-flat minor, E-flat major and F minor before moving unexpectedly towards E major. This distant harmonic shift briefly unsettles the tonal landscape. It represents the emotional heart of the piece: memory is rarely made up only of uncomplicated happiness. Joy, loss, struggle and gratitude often exist alongside one another.
The music gradually grows towards its principal climax. This should be played with fullness and emotional intensity, but never harshly. The climax is not an outburst of despair; it is the recognition of how much a shared life has contained.
After this point, the music begins to withdraw. The dynamic falls back to piano and the harmony moves through A minor, D minor, G major and C major, gradually finding its way home.
Returning home
When the original 2/4 metre and F-major material return, they should feel familiar but changed. The couple are still sitting on the same bench, but the journey through their memories has deepened the meaning of the opening melody.
The returning phrases retain their gentle movement, although the dynamic shape is now more restrained. There is one final expressive rise before the music gradually becomes quieter.
Towards the conclusion, the tempo slows and the sound fades morendo—dying away. The final F-major chord is not intended to feel like a dramatic conclusion. It should be allowed to resonate naturally, like the last glow of sunlight disappearing beyond the horizon.
The couple remain together, holding hands in contented silence.
Performing Reflection
Technically, Reflection is approximately Grade 5 standard. The notes themselves are not exceptionally difficult, but the expressive demands are more subtle.
The main challenge is to allow the right-hand melody to sing above the accompaniment without forcing it. The pedalling should create warmth and resonance while remaining clear at each change of harmony. A gentle freedom of tempo is encouraged at the ends of phrases, but the underlying pulse should never disappear.
Most importantly, the pianist should approach the piece as a story. The opening is intimate, the central section becomes broader and more emotionally searching, and the final return carries a sense of gratitude and peace.
Reflection will form part of my forthcoming Serenity collection—a book of original piano pieces intended to offer moments of calm, beauty and contemplation.
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