Piano Sonata... mabye?

Actually, I am making it a sonata. The first movement is very frantic and the first measures need to be slowed down considerably (harmonically). I agree. From there.. I think it should be alright. The second movement is a very infectious and classical theme. I used ternary within ternary within ternary form, which is like a minuet in a minuet. So.. comments would be appreciated. I personally am very attached to the theme of the trio, but I'm not sure I was allowed to change the time from 3/4 into 6/8 at that point. I have added dynamics to the minuet too, and I have started a third movement, following the same franticness in the first movement. I will use the minuet as my second movement not because its tempo is different, but because of its laid-back feel.


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o WOW! Thats was really good. It makes me wanna listen to more classical music!

Can you post a PDF?

ok I finished it and uploaded a rough score, which will be cleaned up. There aren't dynamics from the middle onward, but yeah.

Interresant, the sheet music looks like one of the crazy violin concertos I have, times 2. I sincerely hope that you are making a Slower..happier movement to balance this furious and abrupt one...

BTW can you play this maelstrom?

HAH, no. I can play it much slower... which is how I started this piece. I can play the modernisitic theme in the middle and the slow, classical theme. But the "fast" part (allegretto) is pretty much impossible for me to play. I learned piano on my own only 2 years ago... so it's pretty difficult. I found it hard to compress my ideas onto piano music, but I did it anyway.

Originally Posted by maelstromtempest

HAH, no. I can play it much slower... which is how I started this piece. I can play the modernisitic theme in the middle and the slow, classical theme. But the "fast" part (allegretto) is pretty much impossible for me to play. I learned piano on my own only 2 years ago... so it's pretty difficult. I found it hard to compress my ideas onto piano music, but I did it anyway.

Ahh you'll learn in time...but yes..are you making a second movement or no?

Maybe? I'd say most certainly yes!

It sounds to me like you're consciously trying to imitate the romantic style of composition (which is perfectly fine), but the interesting thing is that the result's so original. In fact, I'd ask you to go further in your deviations from romantic style. If you think a chord progression sounds too extreme, use it. If you think I a section sounds too placid, add some more modern colours. That's what I think will turn this pieces from somewhere in between imitation and modernity to something I'd go and hear in concert.

Some of the two-part counterpoint sounds rather bizarre, but I think that will improve the more you compose. I can't make any specific comments on why some moments jarr slightly. You might also consider adding more pauses in the rhythms - it verges on overfranticness at times.

Originally Posted by maelstromtempest

HAH, no. I can play it much slower... which is how I started this piece. I can play the modernisitic theme in the middle and the slow, classical theme. But the "fast" part (allegretto) is pretty much impossible for me to play. I learned piano on my own only 2 years ago... so it's pretty difficult.

Composing for piano and chamber works will help to refine your writing, and you can use it to iron out technical issues. Your counterpoint is really sloppy, and it's especially blatant in this common practice tonality context. Especially in the Meno Mosso, I mean you can have "dissonance" in your tonal counterpoint if you want this color, but seeing as you don't use that sort of language in any of the piece, it just sounds wrong. Also, I hope you do realize how incredibly hard this would be to play, in case you're looking to get this performed. Sit down with a pianist ask them about it, the piano is a hard instrument to write for.

I found it hard to compress my ideas onto piano music, but I did it anyway.

And why do you think that is?

Hmmm. So you are saying that my *intended* dissonances in the meno mosso section were not appropriate in context of the entire piece and that I should write it almost entirely consonantly? I can do that.. because the melody is in the treble and the bass is there for movement mainly.

Yes, I understand it would be very difficult to play. I asked a few people and they said that it is possible with some practice and a good pianist, but I don't know for sure.

For the last question, I find it hard to compress my ideas onto the piano because I tend to think of many voices being played at once and it is impossible to play with four voices apart by a tenth on a piano. I had to lower the number of voices to write this. I chose to write this because it was what was in my head. It was something that I wanted to do.

Could you please give me some examples of areas of bad counterpoint outside of the meno mosso section?