The three billy goats Gruff

Hello everybody!
This is my first post here. I'm a 16 years old guy from up-north, in the brown-cheese-eating, ski-going, fairy-tale-telling country. (Norway, that is)
I'm a complete, complete, complete newbie at composing music. My background is from ten years of piano, clarinet and oboe playing. So, I only compose music for fun, but I still think it's a great hobby, and I would love to learn more about it.

Well, anyways, here's my "first" composition ever, a short piece written as background music for the folk tale "The three billy goats Gruff". (Google it if you want to know the plot.)

Finale file:
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MIDI:
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Hi there, Eirik!
I really liked your piece! almos fairy-tale like! the cuntermelodies are really nice and the themes are very interesting. Could you tell me what the headlins mean? they are all in norwegian...

Anyway what i didn't like is that the piece gets a little chopped. there are too many long brakesand they give a desioriented feel to the piece. Also the contrasting horn solo - it sounds good, but i think it needs some backgroung... maybe in bassoon. I'm not saying that the jolly fulte - spooky horn contrast is bad, only to make it work the horn needs acccompaniment. and there are too long brakes beetwen these parts. sorry to say so but they left me alittle desoriented. maybe you can put some "background noise". not an actual noise but something to keep the flow./ Also it could be just me, but i think the flute should be a little louer.

A really nice piece. i also must mention i imagined a dialogue between, a small elf-like creature, and some big, mean bully minotaur.. Needs a little work around the edges, though. keep composing!

Ah, I might have forgotted to explain the details of it.
It's supposed to be played with a narrator, who will speak in between the pauses.
The flute/clarinet and horn melodies are supposed to illustrate the smallest, middle and largest billy goat, while the bassoon and horn cooperate in being a troll.

Translations:
"De tre bukkene Bruse" "The three billy goats Gruff"
"Troll" "Troll"
"Den minste bukken Bruse" "The smallest billy goat Gruff"
"--- mellomste -------------" "---- middle -----------------"
"--- største -----------------" "---- largest ------------------"


Here's an english version of the fairy-tale:

Once upon a time there were three billy goats, who were to go up to the hillside to make themselves fat, and the name of all three was "Gruff."

On the way up was a bridge over a cascading stream they had to cross; and under the bridge lived a great ugly troll , with eyes as big as saucers, and a nose as long as a poker.

So first of all came the youngest Billy Goat Gruff to cross the bridge.

"Trip, trap, trip, trap! " went the bridge.

"Who's that tripping over my bridge?" roared the troll .

"Oh, it is only I, the tiniest Billy Goat Gruff , and I'm going up to the hillside to make myself fat," said the billy goat, with such a small voice.

"Now, I'm coming to gobble you up," said the troll.

"Oh, no! pray don't take me. I'm too little, that I am," said the billy goat. "Wait a bit till the second Billy Goat Gruff comes. He's much bigger."

"Well, be off with you," said the troll.

A little while after came the second Billy Goat Gruff to cross the bridge.

Trip, trap, trip, trap, trip, trap, went the bridge.

"Who's that tripping over my bridge?" roared the troll.

"Oh, it's the second Billy Goat Gruff , and I'm going up to the hillside to make myself fat," said the billy goat, who hadn't such a small voice.

"Now I'm coming to gobble you up," said the troll.

"Oh, no! Don't take me. Wait a little till the big Billy Goat Gruff comes. He's much bigger."

"Very well! Be off with you," said the troll.

But just then up came the big Billy Goat Gruff .

Trip, trap, trip, trap, trip, trap! went the bridge, for the billy goat was so heavy that the bridge creaked and groaned under him.

"Who's that tramping over my bridge?" roared the troll.

"It's I! The big Billy Goat Gruff ," said the billy goat, who had an ugly hoarse voice of his own.

"Now I 'm coming to gobble you up," roared the troll.

Well, come along! I've got two spears,
And I'll poke your eyeballs out at your ears;
I've got besides two curling-stones,
And I'll crush you to bits, body and bones.

That was what the big billy goat said. And then he flew at the troll, and poked his eyes out with his horns, and crushed him to bits, body and bones, and tossed him out into the cascade, and after that he went up to the hillside. There the billy goats got so fat they were scarcely able to walk home again. And if the fat hasn't fallen off them, why, they're still fat; and so,

Snip, snap, snout.
This tale's told out.[/b]

Charming! This is your FIRST composition? Really?? Well done, indeed. You have a natural talent.

This reminds me of Prokoffiev's "Peter and the Wolf" - very much the same kind of format, with melodies and motives that represent the characters and illustrate the action aurally.

It would be wonderful if you could arrange a performance (perhaps with your colleagues at school?) for children to see how it comes off. This wouldn't be too difficult to arrange, I should think. I believe kids and adults alike would get a kick out of this. It's engaging, yet the musical material is simple enough not to make too many demands of the attention and comprehension of children.

Some interesting chamber music being posted these days! Welcome to YC.

Hey thats a very neat idea! exacly "peter and the wolf" style. i guess that now that i know about this the music itself doesn't need much work.
Brilliant idea!

Hmm, this is very charming! I love your melodies, and after reading about why the pauses are there, it all makes perfect sense. Your ten years of piano did you good.

The oly thing I think you should look out for is that while it looks like you wrote the Bb Clarinet in the Concert Key of A, you have the Clarinet play an E below middle C. I do not believe that is possible on a Bb Clarinet. You might want to check on that.

Otherwise, excellent first piece! This would be an excellent work for children.

The lowest clarinet tone written in my piece is the F# below middle C, which equals an E in concert pitch. As I play the clarinet myself, I'm pretty (well, actually 100%) sure that the clarinet can play down to an E below middle C (which equals a D in concert pitch). ;-)
Thank you for all your good comments!