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I saw an article today that actually surprised me. https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2025/10/playstation-is-trying-to-scrub-any-mention-of-its-failed-concerts-from-the-internet Sony has canceled and is basically trying to bury that they were doing a tour of video game music from some of their biggest titles at present. This is the first time I'm aware of a video game music concert tour, of mainly orchestra music, being shelved due to a lack of interest. Some are saying a lack of marketing is to blame; others that the music isn't great. I can see the former possibly being true, but I can't see the latter. If Hans Zimmer, Nobuo Uematsu, & Slayer can still have sold-out concerts, then "meh" music can't be the problem here. Also, the Uncharted series I think was on the bill, and it actually has some good music. What it got me thinking about though, is that it seems to me like video game music, just in general, doesn't seem to be as popular as it was ~15 years ago. One of the first online music communities geared towards composers and studio musicians I ever joined was OCReMix, probably about 2012 or so. Back then, every college age person wanted to be either a video game composer or was going to "Video Games Live" and trying to get a Remix past the judges panel. New people came all the time. The former hasn't changed. Plenty of young musicians are still falling for the trap of video games being a golden field of opportunity, but last I checked out OCR, it's basically still the same people who were there in 2015 making remixes. VGL hasn't toured near me in years, so far as I know. I used to go annually with friends, but even 10 years ago, I noticed they weren't drawing as big of crowds each passing year. This is quite a shift as articles 10 years ago were boasting about how "Video Game Music Saved The Symphony Orchestra". In 2015, this Playstation touring orchestral concerts would've been a license to print money. https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-videogames-are-saving-the-symphony-orchestra-1444696737 My hypothesis is that in the 2010s, there were nostalgic millennials still high on the '90s and 2000s video game soundtracks, which were great. A lot of millennials were big on gaming, but I don't think Gen Z is as much. From what I see of Gen Z playing games, they usually only play big franchises and social games like Fortnite, GTA and sports games. So, I think that they aren't as familiar with games where a soundtrack that "slaps" is noteworthy, and the millennials are now all middle-aged and either grew out of gaming or just simply don't have the time to go to VGM concerts anymore. But maybe I'm wrong and it's stilling secretly booming somwhere. Curious to know YC's thoughts, since I know there are VGM fans here.

Hey, cool concept! The atonal parts required me to put on my creative listening skills! But I agree with everyone else that the col legno section is very well done. The beginning section could potentially be akin to a march perhaps. But even though this is atonal, the piece sounds pretty structured to me. The ending though, is a bit to abrupt for my taste. While it does have a cadence, it just felt unfinished to me.

Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 8.5 9 8 8 9 10 8 9.5 This gives me a spooky romantic vibe. Perhaps lost souls on Halloween trying to find love or meaning to existence. It's very enjoyable to listen to not only because of how emotional this is, but because this type of harmony resonates well with me. Furthermore, I find this piece to be well structured, and easy to follow. I love how you break up the momentum at around 1:20. As a YouTuber, I learned that this is incredibly important to do on longer videos. Especially with the the shorter attention spans these days. Melody and Motive + Harmony: I just find these to be very clear throughout your piece, with logical breaks and great emotional supporting harmony. Form and Creativity: Highly structured, easy to follow. Score presentation + Playability: Beautiful score and this seems very playable. Execution and Taste: This is a highly romantic piece that does give off Halloween vibes, and I resonate well with this style.

Unfortunately the competition entries are required to be for a set of 3 - 5 instruments. This is for solo piano. But thank you for your interest and I hope you get the feedback you want/need!

Here my 2nd movement of my Piano sonata no 2. I hope you like it.

That's exactly what I noticed: the tonal clusters. It is so refreshing to hear modern harmony. Do not get wrong...I traditional harmony is great, but modern harmony is like diving into the deep end of pool when it is 90 degrees out side. you feel so much better.

You are truly welcome. This is first time doing this.

Kvothe, thanks for your mark!

Thank you, Henry! Thank you so much for your comments. It seems like the criticism could have really improved this music—it's really missing other harmonies. How should these clusters be played? Spread your hand wide, so that your first and fifth fingers line up, and press with your palm, not your fingers. Yes, the folkloric opening theme may not be the most appropriate, but nevertheless, the music itself, to me, reflects the frightening beginning, and I thought it appropriate to include it here. The music itself was originally written for a larger ensemble, you're right, but the recording was made with soloists and without the double bass—a kind of chamber version. I think the deduction is fair.

Piece of the Beast mp3. Hey y'all. This is a piece I wrote to practice writing for piano and could fit the theme of this competition. It's not really sinister or unsettling, just has more of a dark mood. Feedback will be very much appreciated. Thanks for listening. Also, I have an Instagram music page (TayloredScores) where we as composers can keep in touch and inspire each other.

Submission link: https://www.youngcomposers.com/t48430/submission/

Sure, you're welcome to! But the competition closes tomorrow - Friday, October 31st! I am assuming that you mean that you want to submit music?

Dear readers, This is my submission for the Halloween (Fall 2025) competition. I realize it’s quite a last-minute entry, but after discovering the event a few days ago, I decided to give it a try for fun. I’m genuinely excited that we can all share and experience each other’s music. It’s wonderful to meet you all and hear your work. About this submission: Diptych for piano quartet - I haven’t settled on a title yet, so it will remain Diptych for now - a two-part musical piece, hinged yet paired to form a unified whole. It leans toward the contemporary classical genre, shaped by elements of both expressionism and impressionism. If I had more time (and I hope there will be more competitions like this), I might have written something more whimsical or festival-inspired for the occasion. Still, to me, contemporary harmonies and expressions possess their own kind of "terrifying" beauty that is celebrated on Halloween. My inspirations for this piece include artworks such as Francis Bacon’s Painting 1946 and Francisco Goya’s Saturn Devouring His Son. Kind regards, Cosmia

I'd like to participate, if possible

Sure... Or we can be lazy /s

Entry: Daunting Steps Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 10 9 9.5 10 9 7 10 10 Average Score:9.3 Very good Review: Execution: 10 The entry met the two requirements for this competition: an ensemble for solo instruments with the time frame of 3-7 minutes (with a sweet spot of 5 minutes). Instrumentation : Triple tonging in the woods usually marked with Flz. (flutter tongue). That way, the flutist knows how to tongue the notes. As for String writing: there are some techincal issues to be addressed. First, Sul G marked only one measure. That seems bit confusing. The measure tremolos with double stops...that might be cause playabity issues. the port. to natural harmonics. Also, i am not sure if Arco with tremolo can be achieved then a port. That is rather demanding. In this area, the entry will be score 7. Score presentation: After a careful readful of the score, there notation and engraving errors. There was hair pin that was not algin with the staff. There are rest that 8ths rest that should be quarter rests. The 16h note triplets in compound meter might be misleading. Ergo, the score will 9 Taste: What I like about this entry is that is experiments with idioms that general audience might not be accustom to. There is high sense of chromatism that leads you wonder if this atonal or not. Ferium knows how push beyond traditional harmony and open the door into modern harmony. For that, I will give a 10 Form Development Structure Time There is a clear sense form and structure in this entry. Although it does not use classical structure, which one may be used, you have to know how modern composers use form and structure in new ways. Unlike the traditional sonata forms, this piece is more like Rapsody or similar to scherzo. Both are free forms. I am going to Scherzo in this case, since the meter matches here. (However, I am not sure...if that composer wrote that way). A Scherzo is built like minuet but in 6 or 3. And in this 6/8 with two meterical stress. And that was achieved well. 9.5. Harmony, Textures: The interplay between parts created moody polyphonic and chordal textures. 9 Melodic material The melodic material through this was well devopled. 10 Overall this orginal and creative: 10

I don't think a piece like this can fit metrics such as Melody, or Harmony, so I will just give you my thoughts. I love the use of articulations, I feel like its a great way to make a piece sound more authentic. The score is beautiful, and interesting to look through (since you use articulation marks). Is this playable? Probably! But it looks really hard. My favorite part was when the piano came in, and brought a false sense of security and peace. That part is awesome! And nice homage to Bach's Fugue and Toccata to conclude that (somewhat) peaceful, but eerie piano section! There is so much dissonance, but you do introduce some clarity as well, the mix is something I find quite interesting. Does it remind me of Halloween? Yes! At the 1 minute mark, this part in particular, reminds me of a chase scene. At 1:33, with the parallel octaves, I felt it was a good way to break the chase scene (as if the person being chased is looking around for safety). Not sure if anyone picked up on this...we all know at 3:18 we hear Bach's theme. But at 3:23, we hear it again, listen closely! Very cool piece!

Among all the other previously published canons of its type, this one might as well have turned out to be the most demanding to perform, in no small part due to the choir's conventional maximum ranges being reached in at least three voices, including both soprano (C6) and bass (E2), making it no small feat to sing. The main lyrics would roughly translate from Latin to English as follows: "In the direst of circumstances the true heart of men shall sing with great hope of leaving behind a memorable life. Even death can conquer those whose memory lies in the glory of their good deeds." The coda, as per usual, reinforces the core message in a variety of ways. YouTube video link:

Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 10 6.5 9 8.5 6.5 6 10 8.5 I love this! Your theme is fantastic, fun, memorable, and lighthearted. You pulled off the Halloween vibe very well without using over the top dissonance, which in my opinion, is not easy to do. Is this playable? Probably, but it seems exhausting especially with the lack of tempo changing (one constant fast tempo) and all of those block chords. But this can be fixable if you ever wanted a live performance. The intro was also a fun way to take the listener into your variations. Melody: I'm giving you a 10 because you not only have a clear motif / melody, but its also fun and memorable. For example, this is something I can hum to. Harmony: Standard functional harmony, perhaps a bit thin at times, but because your melody is strong, I'm ok with that. Form and originality: Great form, highly structured, and a pretty original work in my opinion. Score Presentation and Playability: This is where there could be issues. Two pianos are fun, but expensive if you wanted to get a performance. And a lot of unison between the pianos can probably create some strange sounds, and potentially thin harmony. I'm not sure this would have been a Bach approved piece because of that, but we can look the other way here because we are in 2025, not the 1700s. Execution of Challenge and Taste: I gave you high scores here because I feel like you nailed the most important part of the challenge...to create a Halloween piece. When you don't even have to describe the piece, and you just feel the holiday vibe, you know you delivered.

submission time

this is a submission for the 2025 halloween competition. i was just really going for a spooky halloweeny vibe but not like "terror and dread and killer" vibes. it's definitely lighter than the other submitted pieces. also, contrabassoon! very spooky sounding instrument, and i've tried my best to harness that specific quality of it. enjoy!

Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 7.5 8.5 8.5 7 8 10 9.5 8.5 The intro is fantastic! I can definitely see this as a sinister happy go lucky ice cream truck, traveling through the night. It just needs some bells. This also has a twilight zone vibe in my opinion. The harmony and dissonance is spot on for a piece like this. And about 3 minutes in, I am hearing some form develop. So we go from a somewhat free-form unstructured intro into a structured bit (the bossa nova-esque section) which I think fits very well here. Melody: My favorite part was your intro, leading into the development of the piece. Middle section is fun too though. At first I wasn't sure about your ending, but listening to it again, I think it works. The ending in fact leads to some interesting, unresolved suspense. Harmony: Lots of dissonance here but it gets the job done well. Harmony is important when it comes to mood, which influences the execution of challenge metric. Form: Free form intro, followed by bossa nova like structure, yields a form I could follow. This seems like an ABA form. Originality: I think this is pretty original. I get twilight zone vibes, but, that's ok, you put your own twist on this. Score Presentation & Playability: Nice layout, easy to follow, and the note density for a woodwind quintet seemed more than reasonable. I don't see any issues with playability. Exeuction of challenge & Taste: Love the vibe, and you know what, it definitely makes me think of a Halloween Ice cream truck. You just need the bells now and we got ourselves an ice cream truck slasher film!

Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 6.5 4 7 8 8 10 7.5 4.5 Hey, so you have a pretty distinct motif and theme, and your overall mood does portray something spooky. I'm not sure I would have realized this was about killer clowns, but the general vibe is there. And you have some nice instances of dissonance to help amplify the mood! Fun use of articulations and pizzicato as well! Melody, Themes and Motives: You do have a clear theme / motive which is fun to pick out. Harmony: You had some instances of dissonance, but aside from that, I couldn't pick out any obvious key changes, modulations, and the harmony seemed quite static. There may have been some key changing now that I am listening again, but they are brief. Also, sometimes weaker harmony is fine, but only if the melody or theme is strong. Form: I had no problem following the structure, and your clear themes and simple harmony actually work in favor here! Originality & Playability: I think this is pretty original, and it should be quite playable. Execution: I do get Halloween vibes, but like I said in my summary, I'm not sure I would have gotten the Killer Clown vibes. Taste: I love darker music like this, but either the melody or harmony has to be a little stronger in my opinion.

Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 5.5 8 8 9.5 10 7 5 7.25 What an adventurous trio! And your key changing is really fun, especially around the 3:25 and 3:40 mark. I had mixed feelings about whether this felt like a Halloween piece though. But there are certainly sections that represent structured chaos and friction. As for your time signatures, very abnormal (when was the last time I saw 3/16?) but hey, you made it work! Melodies & Form: I think you had some fun motifs, especially in the Bassoon. I do think this piece is pretty structured, but the melody / themes are sometimes is hard to piece together. Harmony: This modern sounding trio creates some gorgeous harmonies, especially towards the end! Creativity & Score Presentation: Beautiful score presentation, and original! Playability: Not sure, but the note density seems pretty high for a woodwind trio. Also, there are a lot of time signature changes that could be hard to follow. Execution: As I stated in my summary, it doesn't quite sound like a Halloween piece to me. But if you were to put this in a cartoon, I think that's where the piece would shine! Taste: I listened to this a few times to make out the structure so I could give a somewhat coherent review. I have to say, the style grew on me. Originally I gave this a 6.5 from my first listen, but I could bump that up to an 8. So I just averaged them out, and that's why I put a 7.25 in case your wondering!

I hear he is writing music for a new film...