Is it stealing?

I have noticed a trend recently in the music I have been composing.  I have been taking themes or in some cases whole movements from one piece of mine and using them in a completely different piece (i.e. Trackings No. 2 taken from Birches).  I am not recomposing the same piece when I do this.  In fact the pieces that I take themes or movements from are "dead" pieces.  This means that I have no intention on continuing these pieces.  Of ten there are some interesting melodic or thematic ideas that I was either unable to develop to develop at the time or never got the chance to because of other projects.

To answer the question posed in the title, no it is not stealing.  Can someone really steal from themselves?  I think there are instances in which someone can.  However, what I am doing is taking from pieces that will otherwise go unfinished.

This is the case with Fate of the Future.  This is a wind ensemble piece I began sketching in 2001.  There are a couple of melodies and themes that I have always liked in the piece.  However I was unable to develop those ideas at the time and complete the piece.  I have decided to adapt those melodies and themes into Time in Memoriam since I feel that they would work well for this piece.

One day I do plan on composing a piece titled Fate of the Future.  I like this title and I am going to keep it in mind.  Right now I am just not sure what this piece will be.  All I know is that I will not be using the music from the original sketch.  It will be an all-new piece.