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  3. This is a short ethnic sounding piece that i got inspiration from somewhere middle east? It is either for piccolo flute and piano or flute and bass. As a trio piano may play that loudly that bass cannot be heard. Bass/Cello player can play in different octave range. Piano line is messy and some of the passages may be impossible to play exactly as written. I made also bass accordion line but i took it away.
  4. A 'modernish' work for Guitar, clarinet, flugelhorn, violin, cello and double bass. In the eventual version the guitar will be electric. The last 5 or 6 seconds on the audio are silence in case I had to load it to soundcloud. I hope to write a small suite of pieces for this or similar ensemble, this being the first. If I gave it a title it would be "Into Spring, then" or similar. Any comment good or bad would be most appreciated and many thanks if you give it a listen. All the best....
  5. Than you indeed! Narrowing it down to one of the Bachs, it's CPE Bach's Siciliana. Armed with your hint I was able to find a recording sample and....bulls-eye! I am in your debt. Now I can get the sheet music.
  6. I have a lot of goal about composition: -learn "styles" of writing Aka baroque galant Debussy atonal pendiatonism and contemporary. -being able to write a major work(a symphonie, requiem or a free form long pièce) -maybe trying to expand some research about music effect in medecine or extrapolate about a new way to think music.
  7. Since my last posting I have been working on changing keys in the piece. My first thought was to incorporate key changes into some existing compositions, but I was unsuccessful. The pieces were written that way and it proved impossible (for me) to introduce this without changing the entire mood and feel. Perhaps at a later date when I have more experience (and confidence). I decided, then, that I had no alternative but to write something new and practice key changes in this. As it happens, at this time I went on vacation to Maui and the in the morning I played at composition with key changes and in the afternoon I played tourist. This didn't start out as a 'Haleakala Suite' - it just ended up that way. So this piece is in three parts. The first part describes waking up to roosters and bird calls; Sitting on the balcony listing to the birds, the wind, the surf; Walking down to the beach and seeing turtles that had hauled themselves out of the water for a snooze. The second part describes the trip up to Haleakala Crater. It starts as a normal drive but goes up up up and the last few kilometers (miles) were (for me) a vertiginous nightmare. I would do it again though. The third part describes the first views of the crater, then the vista opens up. The wind, the light, the shadow; The silence; Walking down the trail; The mist rolling in and changing everything. Finally, a glimpse back as we leave. It's perhaps a bit melodramatic, but I was enjoying myself.
  8. Right now, to finish the final couple pieces on this album. It has been an experience, I tell ya
  9. Last week
  10. I have recently had an interesting mind experiment with myself. I have sometimes thought of maybe going back to school for a master's in music and I've heard some great advice on discord stating that one should seek out a good composer/composition teacher that one would want to study with and go to that school where you'd be able to study with them. So I imagine to myself that I have already done that and I'm sitting with my teacher in their office, listening to some of my music, and they ask me "So what are your musical goals in regards to musical composition? What do you really want to achieve here?" That question is what inspired the following list (in no particular order): Write mimesis music - mimicry of various natural/unnatural sounds through reinforcement of harmonics in the orchestra Feature aural illusions in my music Continue writing variations pieces on various beloved pre-existing themes or newly composed themes Write a programmatic symphony Write an original piano sonata in a unique style without resorting to cliche pianism Continue finishing old pieces that I started over a decade ago to stay connected to my past Learn galant schema and use them to write original pieces of music Continue writing old Baroque dances in a new style and include different dances besides the minuet in my symphony Write occasional pieces of music utilizing dice and/or chance/aleatoric techniques/elements But ultimately - just follow my heart and write passion projects rather than cerebral exercises. Those are the goals I came up with. Share what you think of them or what your own personal goals are and how they might be different from mine! Thanks for reading. Peter
  11. Dear God... I swear I had an eerie premontion this would end up happening. @muchen_ I guess it is now my place to apologize to you as well. My previous indignant comments towards your righteous reviews of my amateurish works were... embarrassingly childish, to say the least. As hypersensitive to criticism as I might be, projecting that onto those who offer constructive advice is an attitude I need to eventually learn to fully quell and mitigate as much as possible. As such, as surprised as I am to discover you have not forsaken my humble counterpoint for good, I profoundly thank you for giving me a second chance to redeem my mischief and cleanse my reputation of these unfortunate blunders. That being said, a mere heart reaction on a blue background cannot express but even a millionth of my sheer admiration for your F major Keyboard Suite. I had thus far been hesitant to comment, partly because of the aforementioned context, but mostly because I felt there was hardly anything I could add, barely any slight detail I could point out as minimally out of place. All I could think of while listening to every single movement was how much my works pale in comparison to this masterpiece of yours. As bold as it might sound to apodictically utter such a prediction, I have a feeling my ill-patched fugues shall be forgotten way sooner than your musical expertise, and my name will vanish into thin air, my pieces will be buried by the sands of time while your masterful work will continue to be remembered and hold academic influence to learn from long after we both are gone. That is all I can say for now. On a final note, even conceptually comprehending your criticism, if only slightly so, I fear you have made me realise, from the very beginning in fact, how much I still have to understand of Meister Sebastian's music, for His alone is the truest everlasting dominion over the style we both strive to imitate, albeit in diverging ways and to different outcomes. Such poignantly eye-opening sensation, as much as it hurts to accept, is pricelessly welcome, for only thus do I have an opportunity to improve my contrapuntal writing and rise to greater heights throughout my compositional journey. Thank you kindly.
  12. I've been thinking about this a lot lately, partly because when I listen to symphonies post-Mahler, they seem to lack a certain justification or grounds for their existence. I know that many composers consider the symphony to be the pinnacle of instrumental (and sometimes even choral/vocal) music and definitely have the goal of writing one themselves. I personally am flabbergasted by the task of writing a symphony - should I start with a classical symphony like Prokofiev did and evolve the form in some new direction? But when I listen to many symphonies even by composers who are already dead, they fail to enter my mind as music deserving of the title of "Symphony". For example, many American symphonies written post-Mahler seem to me to be overblown and overly cinematic seeming, with too much emphasis on brass and do not seem to fit into the category of "Symphony" in my mind. Perhaps the Programmatic Symphony has some future, since the program of the symphony might lend the music the purpose and impetus it needs for its existence. Otherwise, why write a symphony only for the sake of writing a symphony? It seems like a pointless exercise. Although I don't think that the form/genre is completely exhausted - for example, why was the minuet/trio chosen as the sole dance movement to be inserted into the middle of symphonies? Maybe, like Prokofiev we should try writing a gavotte/musette instead? Or perhaps an Allemande, Courante, Bourrée or Gigue? Imagine if, as a finale to the symphony, one fashioned a scherzo out of a gigue rather than a minuet? Or maybe, the Symphony should be developed harmonically, becoming more polytonal, like Stravinsky intended? (Or should *I*, as a Polish composer, try to insert Polish folk dances such as the Polonaise or Mazurka into the symphony?) The Programmatic Symphony on the other hand seems like it might have infinite variety and utility. I think Beethoven's 6th Symphony shows that programmatic music in symphonic form can stand on its own (since some consider programmatic music 2nd rate and the program as a sort of crutch which *real* composers don't need). What is your opinion? And do you plan on ever writing a symphony and if so - what kind?
  13. You know, I like this piece a lot. You break out of your usual style of writing here, creating a balanced contrapuntal texture that is not dense, with plenty of nice sequences and imitation that brings contrast (the hockets like in mm. 19 to 21 are great). I also don't agree with some of the things @Guillem82 mentioned: I don't see or hear any harmonic mistakes/unresolved dissonances, and I don't mind the doubled notes on the violin. Sure, it's uncharacteristic but in this case it works fine, just like the distant modulations. Moving on to things I don't like...I would surmise it as: There is no apparent organisation or plan of your musical motifs. Let me elaborate. Regarding the first point, I remember saying to you before to analyse what Bach does in the WTC with his fugue subjects in order to get an idea of how to develop them (the formal term is fortspinnung). I really would like to make this recommendation again. It is not just fugues, or even Baroque music that this skill applies to - a control and constant development of a limited number of musical ideas is a trait of virtually all classical music. Especially in contrapuntal music, a failure to do this ends up making much of your music "noodling", where you have correctly constructed melodies, harmonies and parts that work with each other, but virtually zero connection between one bar and another. As an example, when I wrote the fugal section of the Overture of my Keyboard Suite, I recognised that the driving rhythm will be 6 semiquavers-per-bar. To achieve motivic unity, I limited myself to three possible settings of notes to this rhythm: an ascending scale, a turn figure (both of these can be found in the subject), and a rising fourth from the 2nd to 3rd notes followed by a descending scale (found in the countersubjects). You can check for yourself that except at structural cadences, every group of 6 semiquavers in the 242-bar long piece belongs to one of these three settings or their inversions. This is a somewhat extreme example; the Air for example is far more loosely bound by motifs, but I stand by my point. When you look back on your fugue, ask yourself: what is it that ties the whole work together? To me, it's certainly not the subject! The lack of subject entrances aside, the head (very nicely composed) has a characteristic descending, dotted, pattern which completely disappears after the first few bars! The tail (also very nicely composed) comprise of a descending scale and a rising seventh chord in quavers. Both of these elements return very rarely for the rest of the piece. So, if your core musical idea isn't actually the subject, what is it?
  14. @chopin My apologies for my response to @Guillem82's remarks about my work. As much as I should have respectfully defended my work, I'm afraid I'll have to admit I blew my reply out of proportion. I'm deeply sorry that was the case. I should not have behaved in such an immaturerly hot-headed manner, and there's hardly anything exclusive to this forum that could excuse that on my part. I now have come to appreciate such kind, constructive criticism and believe myself hopefully ready to plead responsible for my statements and strive for your forgiveness.
  15. I think you are a very talented composer, and I fully enjoyed this. Very fun rhythms! While I can't call myself an expert in counterpoint, all I know is that it was an extremely enjoyable experience to my ears. The fact that you mostly use short and quick rhythms greatly enhances the longer duration notes you add, which really brings out this piece. I would like to remind you though that there will be constructive criticism of all types on this forum. If you disagree with a remark, that's perfectly fine, but there is no need to get upset. I recently put myself out into the public eye (yikes) by becoming a YouTuber, and criticism is just a part of putting our creative works out into the world. I've read through all the comments here though, and there was nothing offensive being said to you.
  16. @Fugax Contrapunctus I am so sorry that you recieved my comments in such a negative way. I never said your melodies are weak or that your are a bad composer, not even that you must change a comma in your work...Sorry if I sounded arrogant or something like that, but I just pretended to openly say what it standed out to me after two listenings...Probably I am an old-fashined freak with not sensibility for innovation 😉. To be honest, if you post your music on the forum you should be open to certain criticism in a respectul and constructive way and don t take it so badly. Have a nice day! Guillem
  17. One final remake of the orchestral chorale first showcased more than 3 years ago in on of my earliest videos in the channel, this time using MuseScore 4 soundbanks, improved dynamics and slightly corrected voice leadings. This version might seem of little pretense compared to the rest of my production. Still, considering the name of the original piece was "De pulchritudine simplicitate" (Latin phrase for "of beauty in simplicity"), at least I feel the intent of the earliest iteration is somewhat preserved. Enjoy!
  18. Even if I familirized myself with cyphered bass notation well enough to actually use it, MuseScore has no way of rendering those thoroughbass numbers on playback, as opposed to American notation, which at least MuseScore 3 can reproduce fairly decently. The idea was always on the table, but for aforementioned reasons I ultimately decided against it. This single-handedly manages to exemplify one the harshest pieces of criticism I have ever received. With as much restraint as I can possibly, humanly endure, I shall now write my thoughts on it: "Learn the rules properly before breaking them" is one of the most egregious maxims among those I abide by. By implying that I "need a clear idea of harmony and dissonances", you are now implying that I have not learned the rules of harmony, counterpoint, voice leading and resolutions, which I will admit I find extremely offensive, even more so coming from you. I will not even bother commenting on what "weak melodies" even means, since, as I am pretty certain you must know, what constitutes a good melody is quite subjective. The double notes on the violins, which I will have you know, is actually my main instrument, are perfectly playable. I personally checked with my instrument in hand. How they might appear "a bit out of style" is short of oblivious to me. For double violin works from the late Baroque period, perhaps you might be right. But again, as I have said often times before, my works are not intended to be seen as mere pastiches. I diverge from the conventional styles my works draw inspiration from as I please and see fit, and I hereby declare no one has had or will ever have the right to object, not you, nor the same late King Frederick the Great of Prussia who witnessed Bach's unmeasurable genius more than 275 years ago. Let me tell you what is actually strange: that someone I believed to be a follower and thoughtful acquaintance would turn out to tear my work apart so carelessly. As I see it, the tempo an the character of this piece does not favour such a suspension. Yes, I could have had a fourth suspension resolve into a picardy third and called it a day. But, like I just mentioned, I am the composer here. This is my work, and as much as I encourage criticism, this entire message of yours may as well have been a downright inconceivable affront for me. Now that you have incurred into such an action, I am spitefully assured our journey together ends here. Farewell.
  19. Hi, Here a piece for I wrote for strings in baroque binary style. Let me know your comments.
  20. Hi, that is a great composition with really good interaction between the two violins and nice modulations. Only remarks the harsichord part only in the bass cheaf looks a bit rear to me, I see a clear trio sonata texture. What about writing it for Cello and 2 violin? Harsichord part will be then played on the bass harmony giving some chords. Common practice would be write some throuthbass numbers unter the baseline, but it could be laborious if you are not familiar with that and one need a clear idea of harmony and dissonances, on the other hand could be a good exercise of voice leading and even inprofe some "weak" melodies. Then also the double notes on the violins look a bit out of the style and distract a little bit, also I see some unresolved dissonances. Final point the last bar is a bit strange. You resolve first in minor and than in major. But are fine, but I would choose one of those. One think I feel very common practice is resolving to the major chord with a decorated forth suspension on the harpsichord part.
  21. Hi @PeterthePapercomPoser Thank you for the comments! I still think I could shorten a bit the developement minor section.
  22. Good job! This is pretty good for your first Minuet. The only two things i'd say is 1. the main motif with the trill is a tad bit over used in my opinion. creating separate variations or perhaps creating another rhythm instead of the same 8th to 2 16th notes and 2. is that i feel again the rhythm of the left hand is always the same: half and quarter. Maybe add something like some 8ths? Look at Minuet in G and look at the left hand. It's still relatively simple but always making something new causing the listener to wonder whats coming next. Have a good day! I actually saw this on reddit earlier today haha.
  23. Hello! I recently started writing this Nocturne for my final project in my Music Appreciation class. I wanted to know your thoughts on the A section so far. As you can tell there will be a contrasting B section that hasn't been completed. But what can I improve on this piece? Nocturne_in_E_major.mp3 I FORGOT TO ADD "ADAGIO" TO THE TOP PRETEND ITS THERE.
  24. Hi @Louis dB! I think in order to get Musescore to behave better and give a better rendition of this kind of string work, you should bring the level of the viola up in the mixer - right now the viola is being lost in the texture and you can't really hear it. Also, Musesounds isn't always quite clear enough when performing certain quick lines - especially at the beginning of phrases. I think adding some accent marks (>, or ^) to those notes will give your lines proper emphasis and will make them sound better and clearer. Also - some of your notation is unnecessarily ugly: Since the 16th notes on beat 2 & 3 are meant to be staccato anyway - I would just keep them as 8th notes with staccato marks - it will look nicer and won't change how the piece is performed or rendered. Also - I'm all for ending pieces on non-tonic chords but in this case I feel like your piece doesn't feel finished. Maybe add a ritardando? Even if you slow down toward the end - to me it would still sound like this piece is an introductory movement and that more movements should follow. But that may just be my personal preference. Thanks for sharing this quaint quartet! Peter
  25. well ty henry for your review, musescore is strange indeed. the reason you tell to change the notation is because thoses arent supposed yo be written like that in that key signature?
  26. Here's another quote from Milan Kundera's "The Unbearable Lightness of Being": I do wonder if this story of how Beethoven's "Es muss sein!" motif was conceived is true. If his supposed exchange with Dembscher occurred a year before he wrote his Op. 135 quartet, then he couldn't have heard Debscher's complaint, since by then he had already been deaf!
  27. Hi I was thinking how hoplites would organize when they prepare to defend and attack, and i have read from somewhere that they had flute players in the battlefield. The melody is to keep discipline, the first 4 bars, but the second 4 bars is already a background melody. B part is a description of the maneuvers what hoplites do when preparing. The time signature 7/8 helps hoplites to recognise their own maneuvers and signals in the battlefield and that is also difficult for enemy to anticipate. This kind of thoughts were a motivation for this piece. Yes, addition to semi parts or inter parts is possible and good idea in order to have 3-5 minutes long piece. There the 7/8 rythm could change to for example slower 7/8 rythm for a while. maybe 5/8 and 11/8 could be used as well. They are prime numbers, and 12/8 or 9/8 would be too simple for battlefield and easily guessed and anticipated by the opposing party. The piano playing chords is auto-generated by Musescore. I learned only few days ago how to change the instrument from piano to distortion guitar. The power chords are simple, and in the battlefield musical players probably have play only octaves and 5th or 4th as an accompanion. The low note players may have been horns that can play only overtones. Flutes and wind instruments can play certain scale. The phrasing and articulation could be more cultivated especially if i make this a chamber music. But in the music sheet that is for a band - There are no phrasing marks in the notes and the players can add their own phrasing to it. also there is flute, violin and clarinet that have different kind of phrasing techniques. I may first try it out with a small band and after that i make these markings.
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