Concerto in F minor for Harpsichord and String Orchestra

Hi all!

MASSIVE EDIT:

All of the previous posts on the individual movements have been consolidated into one thread, thanks to chopin

Just a bit about each movement:

I - Though the solo line seems a bit sparse, I chose to leave it alone. I like how the harpsichord picks up on the orchestra's material and transforms it throughout those long arpeggiated sequences.

II - Where the first movement showcases the orchestra a bit more, this one is all about the harpschord. A lot of imitation going on in the solo part, with a number of different recurring figures. Concludes with a Phrygian cadence.

III - A lively jig, with melodies dueling against each other in canon (mostly the keyboard part). Also features some call and answer between the keyboard and the orchestra.

It's the three on top, in order: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...?bandID=430217

Feel free to comment and critique!

- BE

it is a very well written piece, sober, well balanced and fluent, with flawless harmony and interesting dialogues between solo and orchestra. anyway i think that you could add more fire specially to the solo part. although it is nice as it is, the solo voice is somehow predictable or maybe too much shy, attached always to the same patterns of motion and melodic design which are basicly chords in arpeggio. there is less melodic boldness and adventurousness to this voice than i could expect from a soloist. that can be just my taste, but maybe more surprises, allowing your Muse to open full wings and fly, could add a greater appeal to this already fine composition. best regards.

Very wonderful! I loved it. I would like to hear it faster . You should email me the MIDI. I would like to look at it.

To frantz:

i think that you could add more fire specially to the solo part. although it is nice as it is, the solo voice is somehow predictable or maybe too much shy, attached always to the same patterns of motion and melodic design which are basicly chords in arpeggio. there is less melodic boldness and adventurousness to this voice than i could expect from a soloist. that can be just my taste, but maybe more surprises, allowing your Muse to open full wings and fly, could add a greater appeal to this already fine composition.

Thats exactly what I was thinking. Though I feel the arpeggio motions were acceptable, as they are present in the ritornello melody, there could have certainly been more zest in the solo line. I think part of the problem was that I was still stuck in the "orchestral writing" mode of thinking when I was writing the solo line. If there was a way to make it feel more improvisatory, that would be great. That would take some playing around at the keyboard.

As a keyboard solo, it's not very impressive, but would the current solo line be more impressive if played on a violin?

And Brandon, thank you! I'll be cranking out a faster version in a bit .... with violin solo.

maybe the change of instrument could produce a more appealing effect, but is just "effect" what you look for? i am sure you are fully able to introduce some spicy and meaningful touches into the soloist part without changing the instrument, which is a very fine choice. the arpeggio writting work very nicely indeed, the concert is really enjoyable, but you could just make a further effort to improve it and making it really remarkable. you are not far from that, because the main work is already perfectly fashioned, missing just those bold and original details that make all the difference between a good piece and an outstanding one. maybe a good idea would be to rest for a while till you can gather new forces and inspiration. i suppose that to compose a full concert would be a tiresome effort! when one concentrates too much on a single work sometimes one often misses new and important ideas that float around the focus. just take a time to refresh your mind and later you will surely return to the composition with the needed solution. this material deserves that! good luck! i am looking forward to know the result!

Alright then, I'll sleep on it and see what turns up. Thank you for your advice !

This is a wonderful... um... fantasia, I'll call it for now, but my only problem is is that almost the entire solo parts consist of never ending arpeggios. Are you planning on any revisions to the solo part? Because I do believe that adding a "second subject" for the solo part would make the solo part more melodic and not so repetitive. Hey, I just sparked an idea: why not add a second fugue (or contrapunctus) in the middle of the piece? Bach's Triple Concerto in A Minor employs this, and it sounds very well.

This would sound very well when performed by an authentic performance group. Well done.

Hey! Good job! I like it, although i do agree with them that the solo part could be a little bit more interesting at the beginning. At 3:40 it is very good. Reminds me of Vivaldi, which for me would be a very good thing. So yeah, at 4:15 about, it sounds sooooo good. Im not sure if its Bach or Vivaldi or who but it sounds great. I like how you repeat it again at 5:27.

Just out of curiosity, what is this scored for? ooooh, nice major chord at the end. As it was coming to it, i was like "hmmm this would be a nice ending" but uve already done it, so good. I'm not sure if this is a very baroque-ish thing to do, but maybe add a cadenza? Anyway, great job. I look foreward to hearing the other mvmts.

If what you wanted to do was to create a piece in the style of Bach and Handel, you've succeeded. Congratulations. This piece, though not necessarily "original," was nonetheless a pleasure to listen to. To reconstruct music in any style is a daunting task, especially if that style has essentially died out. Remember that back in Bach's day this kind of music was heard everywhere, so writing it back then was like writing a pop song today.

Still, I think you've created a very complex and in depth piece of baroque style music here. I really have nothing within the piece to criticize. Perhaps somebody who knows a bit more about baroque music can tell you what you can do to imitate that style even more closely, but for my part I wouldn't change a thing.

Thanks for the input, Resse