an occasional rumpus, my second extended work for piano and my first completed piece in 2021, is part of series of works exploring the chromatic scale; it is, in a sense, a meditation on, and an exploration of, the chromatic scale as a motif. Written in 19 short sections, though not planned that way, and lasting just over six minutes, the work intermixes extended passages of quiet, introspective music and loud, brash music; hence, the title — an occasional rumpus — that is, an occasional commotion. The work contains no quotes, but the piece was written with a number of composers in mind: Bach (the brilliant harmonically-constrained counterpoint); Beethoven (the late Piano sonatas), Brahms (the late piano music), Chopin (especially the Fourth Ballade), Liszt (the piano music generally) and Boulez (particularly the Second Sonata and Incises).