Three Short Waltzes for Piano

These are three short waltzes from various periods of composition. The first one (G major) was written quite a long time ago, and was a practice of ternary form. I have edited it slightly. The second one (A minor) was written just prior to the overture, so it is in that sort of style. The third one (Ab major) was written recently.

As is the case with waltzes, the bass lines are fairly simple. Hopefully you all will find melodic interest. They all differ slightly in their moods, though, so I guess there is something interesting for everybody. (the total time for these waltzes is close to 9:30)

They are arranged in the usual contrasting form (fast - slow - fast).

Here they are:

Waltz No. 1 (G major) - Waltz No. 1 in G major - eSnips, share anything

Waltz No. 2 (A minor) - Waltz No. 2 in A minor - eSnips, share anything

Waltz No. 3 (Ab major) - Waltz No. 3 in Ab major - eSnips, share anything

pdfs are below. (err... the second one is the waltz of "despair" though it really isn't sad).

thank you to Zetetic and SSC for pointing out some flaws in the B section of the Ab major. If there are any more, I would like to know so that I can fix them.

Thanks

PLEASE COMMENT!!

Second Waltz: I love some of the harmonic progressions. I also really like the second voice that comes in before the middle.

Third waltz: I love the minor section. Some of the minor-to-major parts in the more major sections seemed a little abrupt though. That may have been your intention.

Other people: comment!

First One: Makes me feel a little uneasy with the harmony. There is a lot to work with here, and like you said: you did these a while ago. I think a live recording would be a little more effective...however, yes...the harmony is all over the place...and stresses on certain beats are a bit...horrid.
I would analyze more deeply...but, i think ive been pretty harsh with this piece.
Forgive me *cries and begs*

2nd Piece: This is better than the first. Clearly we see a growth in composing ability. But...yea, still its a bit cliche' in regards to harmony.

Before I comment on the last one...I think a reason i find so many compositions cliched in harmony/chord progressions is because im drunk on Debussy and Ravel. They dont even have progressions! haha...so yes...

3rd Piece: Well...ill be honest. I didnt like the A section all to much..but thats because of the above reason HOWEVER
B SECTION: WOOT. We see the inner Mael coming out here. Counterpoint galore. Im not an expert, so dont know if what you did is correct...but if 'rules' only apply with counterpoint in fugues...then this was perfect I liked it becauase it had more movement than the insistant (1 2 3, 1 2 3)...ARGH! I know that waltz are kind of hard to steer away from the (Tonic Chord Chord), but when your B section came in...if gave my ears the relief it needed.

I feel so mean! WHY AM I BEING SO HONEST!

I did notice in the B section though, near the end...it gets near impossible to play...however...so is Islamey by Balakirev and Gaspard de la nuit by Ravel. So...i wont say its impossible...because it seems reasonable. You would just need Rachmaninoff hands to play those 11th stretches!


This is my last comment: They were good! A showcase of your growth. I think my comments only pointed out the bad, but...they grabbed my attention

I thought these pieces were exceptionally well written mael, and although you probably won't respond to this comment (noticing th above), I think you should spend a little more time on these ..perhaps even lengthening them a bit or putting more creativity into them. They are indeed great pieces (especially considering the amount of time you put into them)..so don't get me wrong. But a little more work on them won't hurt at all.

Keep up the good work mael.