Choral Competition [DEADLINE PASSED!] View Submissions Thread

I want to join as well

Do we have a deadline to have our pieces turned in by yet?

My range is from Ab at the bottom of the Bass staff to Ab Bottom of the Treble Staff. My comfort range is from F to F, but I can dip lower or sing higher with relative ease. I'm a lyric baritone, so I like songs with a lot of line.

Also, I have a Collegiate Men's Chorus that would probably be interested in performing an amateur work written for TTBB Choir. I also direct a barbershop chorus, so if anyone choses to write a song in the barbershop style, I can have that performed as well (though I will definitely have to be the judge for such pieces).

As for Sean's questions, I originally wrote the rules to admit only keyboard accompaniments because that will usually keep the focus on the voices, which is what this competition is about. But if you do submit a work with orchestral accompaniment, the judges should still look at it and judge it fairly.

Remember! The rules are very flexible! So stop asking questions - just write good music!!

As for submitting already completed works, I see nothing against this. If one thinks their older piece is just as suited to show off how they work with voices, then by all means. But, I would strongly suggest against submitting pieces that have already been posted on Young Composers.

Being at a music conservatory, I am positive I could find a couple of singers to lay down a piece - whether or not it was written for a smaller group, or we just do it as a quartet or something, maybe laying tracks over to get a full chorus sound. Of course, a solo would be easier to find, but smaller groups are feasible as well.

Sean - Are you going to participate as a judge or composer?

Pianoman - There is no deadline as of yet.

I think I would better serve this competition as a judge. I can submit my opinions on the singability and prosidy of a piece, and I know quite a bit about choral arrangements, so I think I could serve this competiton well as a judge. However, as stated before, I only have Finale 2006. If anyone has a file incompatible with this, I suggest submitting an MP3 and a PDF of the score. Just let me know what I have to do and when I have to do it, and you can count on me.

I am thinking of changing some of the rules for this competition, and I'd like to have a community decision.

I originally put down that the rules would be lenient, and I still agree with that idea, but I have reconsidered a couple of things and have come to a solution that creates more limitations in the competition.

1. No piece without text or meaningful text shall be admitted - this is to focus the competition more, rather than leaving it completely open. Honestly, I feel this competition is going to go to whoever has the most accessible musical style rather than who is the most skilled at writing for voice. But with extra perameters set, we will be able to compare the final pieces more to each other, rather than just what each judge prefers or does not.

2. I want to say no accompaniment allowed, as to keep the focus strictly on the text and the writing for voices, but I'll let you guys decide.

3. The text must be presented in full, and the composer must include with the finished product a detailed summary of how he translated the words into music, and any hardships he incurred during the process, etc. This is to cement the composers ideas into a verifiable source, whereupon the judges will guage accurate representation vs. what the music portrays.

Also, with these additions ratified, if so, I will change the name of the competition to 'YC Text-Setting Competition'.

P.S. I'll pm all the participants.

1.) I agree with this to a certain extent. I have written songs without actual words, just sylables (ex. "Ba Va Da Doo Way Ah"; go HERE for the .MUS file and the midi). You might have included that in general text, I just wanted to specify that I think that should be allowed.

2.) I think accopaniments should be allowed so long as they dont distract from the vocal.

3.) I like the idea of a discription with your piece. Music is very interprative, and its helpful to know why something was written the way it was written.

Thats just my 2 cents. The piece I'm working on follows the strictest rules you could set in place (4 parts, no accompaniment, full original text etc.) so I'm not saying any of this in hopes of helping my piece qualify, its just my oppinion.

I like all of Nicktoven's new parameters.

I hate when people post questions that have already been answered in the thread.

I am thinking of changing some of the rules for this competition, and I'd like to have a community decision.

I originally put down that the rules would be lenient, and I still agree with that idea, but I have reconsidered a couple of things and have come to a solution that creates more limitations in the competition.

1. No piece without text or meaningful text shall be admitted - this is to focus the competition more, rather than leaving it completely open. Honestly, I feel this competition is going to go to whoever has the most accessible musical style rather than who is the most skilled at writing for voice. But with extra perameters set, we will be able to compare the final pieces more to each other, rather than just what each judge prefers or does not…

..Also, with these additions ratified, if so, I will change the name of the competition to 'YC Text-Setting Competition'…
[/b]

I am not one of the participants but if I was, I think I'd prefer a much more open-ended set of rules that you started with. After all, good choral music doesn't HAVE to be set to text.

<div align="center"> I CAN'T BELIEVE I JUST SAID THAT! </div>