Musings was composed in reaction to the various styles, genres, and composers of the 20th century. It is a period of time in music history I am deeply fascinated by, mostly because of how many of these composers began to experiment with time, temporal space, chromaticism, and instrumental ranges & extended techniques farther than had ever been done at that point. This kind of experimentation stretched to avant-garde music, some forms of jazz, and even to progressive rock bands such as Yes; even now, it still continues today in all kinds of music.
This piece is built on an inner sense of frustration as the music tries to comprehend the nature of its own existence. Its theme is inspired by the style of 12-tone music and is transformed into three subsequent variations, each with their own individual characteristics. The form is described below:

THEME - The initial theme is built on an inner sense of foreboding doom, characterized in the form of a funeral dirge. The theme gradually builds into an even greater sense of dread with each rendition while texture and rhythmic complexity grows with it. The piano's fullest range is explored in the form of clusters, some more alarming than others as well as adding to the inherent frustration within the music.
VARIATION I - A scherzo takes over, jolted and quirky yet maniacal and jarring to the senses. It gradually dies down, transitioning into...
VARIATION II - The theme is built into harmonies familiar to the ears, structured in an alien, ethereal soundscape engulfed in isolation. The music plods along in uncertainty, before pausing to reflect a dreamlike quality of nostalgia.
VARIATION III - Computer-like, pointillist music rapidly enters the fray as the theme struggles to make its appearance memorable amid the chaos. The music of before is recalled in scattered fragments throughout this variation, lost in translation as the cacophony of sound catapults its way to the very end.