Charakterstück, Op. 1: Small cell, writer's block, and establishing my style

Greetings, fellow composers!

In the last few months (two, really), I have agonized over a specific melody which has haunted my imagination. My theory work was in dire need of attention, though, due to my complete lack of musical knowledge just only one year ago, so I focused on that. Now, though, despite lack of formal training (which will come, some day), I feel that I have to develop a formal composition. It would be too much strain to let these ideas sit idle in my mind. Many months have been spent listening very deeply into Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Brahms, Dvořák, Tchaikovsky, Alkan, Saint-Säens, Elgar, Debussy, Mahler, Satie, Shostakovich, Fauré, Holst, Prokofiev, Sibelius, Berlioz, Scriabin, Vaughan Williams, Wagner, Sorabji, and Grieg. I mention these not to exhibit pride of knowledge, but to give those skeptical of a starry-eyed young person an idea of my experiences.

All too often composers do not give background on their musical heritage or knowledge, or even their own intents, and I believe that it is a very important thing to do. My own background now established, you must know of my intent: I consider the piano to be the most beautiful instrument in the history of humanity. Oboe and cello come up very close, and the French horn trails behind. Many young composers try to take all of these ideas into a grand vision for a symphony on their first try, and I think... it just doesn't work. I simply do not have the experience to orchestrate anything larger than a solo instrumental work. I'd certainly never tackle a string quartet at this early age! Pianoforte composition will probably comprise (at least) my first ten opus numbers. I intend to work doggedly and with passion until they are complete.

As for the piece itself, there is not really much to say at this time. I quickly jotted my idea down (one which has haunted me for many days), and got home to put it on Finale incase my papers were lost. This piece is in F minor, and the choice of tonality is deliberate; each tone exudes a very strong feeling of colour and meaning for me, so no two keys are the same. F minor is a key of dark red (mixed with black), and is almost disgusting in the feelings of sorrow it instills in me when I hear it. My precedent in this case is not Chopin's fourth ballade, but Mendelssohn's Etude in F minor, or the opening of Rachmaninov's second piano concerto (the strong F minor chords). These are extreme virtuoso pieces, though, and my idea is significantly slower (due to my lack of technique ).

The opening is much like a nocturne of Chopin's; I think that the main melody is derived from my memories of his Nocturne in F minor (the nocturne I listen to most frequently), Opus 55, No 1. The opening is certainly familiar to that nocturne, but I have no intention of this piece becoming a nocturne. The melody is all I have, and it is but a tiny fragment, a small cell that I cannot work around. I intend to use liberal amounts of chromaticism and notes which are not in F minor, but not so much as to become the next Peter Maxwell Davies. I want to create something very evocative of the night, and yet more of a narrative fantasy than a nocturne, something like a Ballade or longer version of Schumann's beautiful charakterstücke (character pieces).

I apologize for the lengthy post, but I really want to make this an exceptional first opus. At the very least, I want to express my deepest thoughts, hopes for the future, and establish a style. This is who I am, and music will always fill my being with passion; I welcome suggestions of any kind, especially if it involves improving the thus-far non-existent accompaniment. I very easily come up with melodies, but left-hand accompaniment is the most difficult for me, probably due to my lack of formal training.

Thank you for sharing your time to examine my first foray into music. I have provided notes in the .MUS and .PDF files.

"...but I really want to make this an exceptional first opus."

Just wondering if you've overburdened yourself before you even start. Is it worth doing a few short "opus zeros" just to get the ball rolling?

I think it's useful to number everything I create, so even if it turns out to be something unspectacular, at least future music lovers might have something to reference as to time of composition. I absolutely love numbering and organizing things; in fact, I feel rather off if I don't. I believe that it's cheating to create works that are non-opus numbers; it is dishonest to present something as "opus 1" when you've had 4-5 other mini-compositions already. I want people to see my music as I develop; it's a sort of journal or diary of my progress. WoO (without opus) works always irritated me.

I have created several small improvisations.. but that was months ago, and I generally forget what the melodies were. This is something very important and special to me - I know that it is not much to work with, so I thank you for your ideas.

Fair enough. Good luck!

I heard Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata in there XD
The simplicity of the opening measures is a bit much for me. I like the melody, but I think you could have entered with the bass sooner and accompany the melody to make it a more interesting piece. It looks like you have pretty good beginning grasp on traditional methods. From what I saw, you write in a kind of to the letter way. That'll probably become less rigid later, but I'm glad you know the basics. Nice entry.