The cascading eighth notes of this piece are meant to convey a rainstorm in summer. I performed this piece with my school choir in 1984 as part of a program that I wrote, entitled, "A Day's Journey Through Life." The program featured instrumental and vocal music and a slide show to depict the passing of the day and the journey through life. "A Summer Rain" was one of the instrumental pieces.

This piece employs some unusual modulations and scales that indicate that I was definitely becoming familiar with the music of the Impressionists. The opening section, in E-flat Major, is in 8/8 time, which is evenly subdivided (4-4) in each measure. In the first transition section, however, which sounds vaguely impressionistic, the beat subdivision changes to 3-3-2, and the tonality becomes obscure. The unusual modulation then slows to a Bb7 chord, and resolves again to the home key of E-flat Major, this time in a slow 6/8 tempo. The melody is dominated by an incessant D natural, the 7th of the chord, clashing with the arpeggiated E-flat Major chord progression. This slow section modulates quickly through B-flat Major, landing on the Bb7 chord, and returning to the descending them of the opening section.