This piece dates back to 1988, a period when I was deeply immersed in both teaching music and performing weekly at Raetta’s Restaurant in New Jersey. During that time, I began exploring a style of composing that aligned closely with real-time creativity—essentially composing straight through from beginning to end without relying on traditional, sectional song forms.
This method, known as through-composing, allowed for a more fluid and spontaneous expression, often tapping into a stream-of-consciousness flow. Unlike conventional songwriting, which typically involves developing short sections (like verses, choruses, or bridges) and combining them, this approach invites the music to evolve organically, without predetermined boundaries.
Original Manuscript
