International Composition Competitions

I am a young composer without any formal training. I was planning to participate in several composition competitions this year, but I stumbled upon a problem. Upon listening to winning works for these competitions I realized that my chances were close to nil. Not because of the value of my compositions but because the style of the winning works were beyond my musical taste. I don't have a constant style, but it is mostly tonal. I have stretched my creative tastes to create some atonal music, not 12-tone, but the unmelodic degree of the compositions displayed in competitions is something that is unattainable by myself as it defies my definition of music. Seeing as things are, I realize I cannot change them, but as I am a novice in competitions I perhaps have a lack of knowledge regarding them. That's why I appeal to your better knowledge. In these competitions, I can give you the exact ones if needed, is there a bias toward certain styles? Are the types of compositions, that are devoid of melody or tonality, favoured? Or maybe those pieces which are tonal aren't written by capable composers? That could be it. Maybe there aren't any good composers that participate in these competitions writing in the romantic idiom. If that is not the case are there any competitions that favour the classical style pre-1950s?

Hoping this doesn't start a war on the definition of music or the state of music today

Teodor

Well, I think the judges in most competitions want to see some originality. Something personal that isn't just "in a certain style", be that "the romantic idiom", Schönbergian dodecaphony, or a piece "in the style of Ligeti". I can't really say whether there's a bias towards atonal music, but I think the most important aspect is not whether it's tonal or atonal, but whether it's original, personal music, that is somehow different from the music others have written. Plus a certain degree of technical mastership. (In some competitions it seems to be almost only the latter though, which I find a pity.)

But of course judges in competitions have personal tastes, and sometimes you just may not meet those tastes (even though professional judges can to some degree go beyond "what they like", and appreciate originality and craftmanship even in music they don't like personally.) All, in all, I can't say whether you're "doomed to begin with" if you write tonal music (I don't think you are), but you're definitely better off writing a personal tonal music, than trying force yourself into atonality "in order to win". The results of such a self-mutiliation can be quite painful...

warning: the following will be read as quite harsh

To start with, without any formal training, forget about "international competitions". You might think you are writing great music, but the judges aren't blind. THey WILL see that you don't have any formal training.

I've listened to some winning pieces from competitions and was blown away by how beautiful they were: lyrical, original, vibrant. So I don't see anything wrong with the way most competitions are going. Competitions are SPECIFICALLY geared to finding "original new voices" in composition. They're not looking for well-written traditionalism.

Honestly, if your ear-training and knowledge of the repertoire don't allow you to hear the lyricism in non-traditional,non-tonal music, then you should seriously forget about composition competitions.

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That being said...

There IS a certain bias in the world of competitions, towards more avant-garde music. And this is a normal thing. As I said, competitions aren't there to find good craftsmen. They are there to find unique voices that stand out in the crowd.

This doesn't mean that more avant-garde composers aren't good craftsmen.

Nor does it mean that a more traditional composer can't have a unique voice, although honestly, it IS much more difficult.

Regarding this "bias", there are still people out there (we have one notorious member on our own forum) who reject ANY music that is built on ANY tonal principle. Sadly, these tone-deaf, narrow-minded, idiots still can hold court over the judging of SOME competitions.

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advice:
go back to school, learn harmony, counterpoint, orchestration, analysis.
get a diploma of some sort (the paper isn't the important part.. it's the work that LEAD to that paper that matters).

THEN, and only then, consider submitting your work to competitions.


I know I'm going to get flamed for being an academic, but don't worry, I have on my flame-retardant undies. Besides, most of the people who flame are the ones who don't actually READ a post all the way through. They just latch onto one single phrase while skimming and then launch into a tirade.

I think most people have a very slim chance of winning a competition. QcC hit on something when he said you may think you've written something great, but give it a few months and you'll realize all of the flaws. I think it happens like that with everyone.