Conceptual Music Competition 8: Uncharted Waters

CMC: Conceptual Music Competition


This competition is open to registered members of the forums of
OverClocked ReMix, VGMix, Ormgas, VGMusic, SheezyArt, Gaming World, and Young Composers.



CMC 8: Uncharted Waters
"With a sack of clothes and a blank piece of parchment, the hero boards for his voyage through uncharted waters. The paths ahead are many and unexplored. What Towns, Lands, and Adventures lay before him. From sleepy port town, to stormy night, to the vast expanse of sunlit waves stretching to the horizons. What lies beyond, or for that matter, below. An epic exploration of the seas and beyond, deserves an equally epic soundtrack." -Zekk

Results!:

• Text results and critiques

There are 5 entries and 1 bonus entry for this round...

Joseph Poch - "Uncharted Waters"

• "The theme behind this composition is a young man who departs on a 'Uncharted Voyage' on a sea dewlling ship. The song starts out with a boatswains call signaling the boarding call for the ship. This is soon followed in the music by a gleefull goodbye to land and a hello to the sea as the ship sails off to the horizon. The next section of music is about a sleepy night on ship. This night soon gives way to a stormy sea, where the young man must rise from bed and help the ship's mates in order to last the night. In the final section, the main theme is revisited in a farfare to the morning sunrise which lights the waves in beauty."

Abadoss - "The Sea"

• "There are no familiar stars or winds. Ghosts of land vanish on the horizon like flakes of snow to the touch. Could this be real? Light and color dance on the surface. Clear as glass, yet unwilling to reveal the ocean floor. The waters move with a strange motion - as if the creatures of the deepest fathoms were at play, their distant melodies now only waves against the hull."

Joseph Liao - "The Cheeky Explorer"

• "It's about this little guy - a boy not too young, but not too old. You know, like, adolescent. It's his first trip out to sea, trying out the whole 'discovery' thing. He's got this little dinghy or something, and gets beat up by the sea. But he's like, young, so he's got this defiance. And this optimism. So he keeps going. And he sees all these *wonderful* things. The things you see when you're out to sea. The stuff you read in Melville, or watch in Titanic. And he accomplishes his self-discovery mission."

Magister ZZ - "Watered Charts"

• "It's more or less a programme piece, so I'll outline the events that transpire. One thing to note is that the melody in beginning two phrases are to represent the hero (used like an leitmotif), so keep an ear out for it throughout the piece. I'll leave the rest of details to you, though.
  
  I: Leaving Home, Reluctantly(0:00~1:10)
  II: Boarding the Ship (1:10~1:40)
  IIIa: Meeting the Crew (1:40~1:50)
  IIIb: The Captain Enters (1:50~2:10)
  IIIc: Reprised Debauchery (2:10~2:30)
  IV: Hushful Nostalgia and Wistful Dreams (2:30~3:30)
  V: Sudden Encounter (3:30~3:50)
  Note: I didn't have too much specifics in mind for the happenings in Section VI, so the titles are somewhat more equivocal .
  VIa: "Enterprise" (3:30~4:10)
  VIb: The Protagonist at Work (4:10~4:20)
  VIc: ??? (4:20~4:50)
  VId: Profit (4:50~5:00)
  VIIa: The end of this tale... (5:00~5:20)
  VIIb: ....for now. But what awaits in the future? (5:30~5:50)."

stephenspies - "Journey to the Unknown"

• "The music starts out with the hero boarding for his voyage and starting his journy. The music then turns into to a semi-atonal action theme. That is when the hero is in the storm. The cymbals and gong represent the waves in the storm. This ends in a short sad clarinet solo, which happens when the hero is upset over what he lost from the storm. Finally, the piece ends with him getting to the uncharted waters. This starts out with a trumpet solo with a melody that is repeated through out the last part of the piece."

Reaktorz0 - "Untitled" (bonus entry)

• No description given.

Voting Rules!:

• Voters will be allowed to pick a first place (3 points) and any number of honorary mentions (1 point). Only one set of votes from any one voter will be accepted and a person cannot vote for any one piece more than once. Corrections to votes, from the original voter only, will be accepted, but corrections will void the previous votes. Basically, a voter can vote and correct the vote, but only the final form of that vote will be counted. Send all votes to Abadoss by PM or e-mail. Please include any and all constructive critiques (not to be confused with bashing) about them with your votes as well, so that there's always a sense of growth in the artform. If you wish to remain anonymous, just state so in your PM. Thanks.

• The voting period will last from the moment the entries are posted in the thread to the Saturday of that week. The voting period for this round ends June 2, so be sure to spend some time really listening to the pieces.

• Any participant in the competition can vote, but not for their own pieces. However, in an effort to encourage voting among participants, any participant who votes will have 2 points added to their voting score.

Official Rules!:

1. Each piece must be originally composed for this competition. Arrangements and remixes will not be accepted. (Pieces composed by the participant prior to the competition will not be accepted.)
2. Each piece must be 2:00 or longer and match the competition theme.
3. Only one entry per person. Collaborations will be allowed, but each collaborator may not submit any other pieces. (This also means that a person cannot collaborate on two or more different pieces at the same time.)
4. A link to the entry piece must be PMed or e-mailed to Abadoss prior to the deadline set for each competition. DO NOT POST THE LINK IN THE THREAD!
5. Important: Each file must be labelled accordingly: Composer_Name_-_Composition_Title_CMC#.mp3
   (For example, if Vincent Delano submits a piece called "Running with Scissors" to CMC 16, then his filename would be: Vincent_Delano_-_Running_with_Scissors_CMC16.mp3)
6. MP3 file format is required. Know that even OGG will need to be converted into MP3. (If someone is unable to do so themselves, Abadoss would be willing and able to do it for them.)
7. Entries should be accompanied by a description and/or story to help listeners understand what the piece is about. (Not required, though.)
8. All entries must be submitted by Saturday, May 26, 2007 at 11:59 PM - PST, GMT-8.

You can find the competition threads for each forum listed below:

• OverClocked ReMix: Conceptual Music Competition 8: Uncharted Waters - OverClocked ReMix Forums
• VGMix: VGMix 2.5 / Conceptual Music Competition 8: Uncharted Waters
• Ormgas: ocremix at ormgas.com - Streaming videogame music remixes: Forums / General / Conceptual Music Competition 8: Uncharted Waters
• VGMusic: Videogame Music Archive :: View topic - Conceptual Music Competition 8: Uncharted Waters
• SheezyArt: SA . Topic: Conceptual Music Competition 8: Uncharted Waters
• Gaming World: Gaming World Forums - Conceptual Music Competition 8: Uncharted Waters
• Young Composers: Conceptual Music Competition 8: Uncharted Waters

Good luck and have fun!

Previous CMCs: Conceptual Music Competition (1-9)

um is this theme about Water and seas and the nautical world or just about uncharted regions that haven't been discovered (ie not necessarily the sea). I can't really tell from the brief but I assume its the sea right?

Yes.

cool thanks. I might enter if I have the time. sorry about the misunderstanding

May 26th........twelve days. That's a bit tight, but I just might try it.

This seems very interesting.. I'll participate next time. I'm in the rhapsody competition right now, so..

Abadoss : Can I ask if there is any prize for the winner(s)?

and the 7th "rule": I don't use stories, or descriptions really in my music. Can't I send only the mp3?

should I also send a score with my entry?

Looking forward to the replies.

Originally Posted by nikolas

Abadoss : Can I ask if there is any prize for the winner(s)?

and the 7th "rule": I don't use stories, or descriptions really in my music. Can't I send only the mp3?

should I also send a score with my entry?

Looking forward to the replies.

The prize for the winner is everlasting recognition of having won this round and the privilege of choosing the theme for the next round. The competition is mostly for fun and for an excuse to write music.

When I say description, it is not limited to narration. The description could be along the lines of what inspired your piece, what you were trying to convey, or it could be something enigmatic that could tip off the careful listener as to the purpose of the piece. It can be what the piece is about or it can be about the piece. The main idea is to help the listener understand your piece a little better.

The score won't be necessary, though it does my heart good to hear you ask that.

and the instruments to use are...?

whatever we choose ?

You are free to use whatever you feel will best convey your interpretation of the theme.