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This is a piece that I consider to be special. I have spent weeks working on it bit by bit, making one decision after another. It is Prelude No. X from Debussy’s Second Book, entitled ‘Canope’. A canope is the vessel in which the remains of mummies were stored in ancient Egypt; these were sealed with small sculptures of Anubis’s head. The piano piece is spectacular, with harmonies that defy all logic within the tonal world. I’m providing the score in concert pitch and in transposed pitch. Canope.mp3 Canope concert pitch.pdf Canope transposed pitch.pdf Link to the piano original version:

I tried it one more time, and it worked. Thanks for your help!

Hi Petr, I did some research, and the reason it wasn't embedded might be due to the link format. Right now, yours might be a link from the YouTube share button, but when I pasted the unsimplified link directly from the address bar, it worked! I didn't know that either, so this was a great learning opportunity for me. It might be worth editing your topic! And please continue with your own composing style. It is so unique and interesting.

Yes, I know that. Either I deleted it by mistake, or it didn't get added there 😅

Hi Petr - When you paste the YouTube link directly into the message it should embed automatically.

yes! there are a large variety of ensemble choices available, which, in the context of concert bands, are largely comprised of wind instruments, almost exclusively, with a bigger emphasis on accompanying percussion instruments as well.

Wow, this sounds truly symphonic. I really liked it. To be honest, the whole business of bands is a bit of a mystery. Where I live, there are loads of them – they’re street bands… marching bands? What stands out here is that there are loads of clarinets. They’re bands designed to accompany parades and play ‘pasodoble’-style music and the like. I suppose there are lots of different set-ups.

The Range of the FluteThe flute is a member of the woodwind family and is capable of producing a wide range of pitches. The blue solid line on the keyboard indicates the safe range of the flute, extending from C4 to C7. The blue dots show the flute’s extreme upper notes, where pitches of C7 and above are possible but not considered reliable in standard orchestral writing. Special attention should be given to B4, as this pitch is only available on flutes equipped with a B-foot joint and should therefore be used with caution. The Registers of the FluteThe blue arrow illustrates the perceived thickness and projection of the flute’s sound across its range. In the low register, the flute produces a relatively full but soft timbre, while in the upper registers the sound becomes increasingly bright, focused, and penetrating. This instrument can be divided into four registers, as shown in the graphic: 1st Register: C4 - A4 2nd Register: A4 - A5 3rd Register: A5 - A6 4th Register: A6 and above More Information: https://asgarzademusicschool.com/blog/blog-4-flute-woodwind-section-instrumentation-orchestration

Fantasia with a change of mood.pdfFantasia with a change of mood.mp3

I like what you have done here by essentially utilizing a well known (and somewhat cliched) sequence off the baroque period (Handel comes to mind) before demonstrating the range of tonal and chromatic possibilities with emerging romanticism. I admire your work. It at times feel they read too much as a technical exercise in counterpoint and voice leading. Your melodies need to sing! As Luis pointed out, the excessive use of arpeggios in the midi betray the experience. You could change the instruments to woodwind or strings to allow the suspensions to be sustained clearly, and utilize a quality sound set like the musescore library. You’re always on point with the technical delivery. But this doesn’t always guarantee that we ‘feel’ it. Just a suggestion ☺️ ps I’m Markus, nice to e meet!

P. S. I didn't have any specific inspiration, over the time I've been composing, I've developed my own style, which may not be to everyone's taste, so I'm grateful for every new listener. I only borrowed the thematic material from that old Czech spiritual song I mentioned, which is why this is a variation.

Hi, thanks again for listening, I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to my composition! As for your suggestion, I originally wanted to do it the way you described, but the video preview was deleted.

Interesting stuff. I appreciate what you are trying to do with the key idea although to only have one single motif risks monotony, particularly when in a largely homophonic style. That said, monotony can be delivered ingeniously such as that first movement in 3rd symphony by Goreki, in which he embed essentially a dark and soulless motif that he sustains for well over 13 minutes, starting within the bass before consistent layering with the other instruments of the orchestra it above while rising steadily in pitch and dynamic intensity… before descending with largely the reverse. All of this is said to depict the machinations of nazi germany. Perhaps even the banality of evil. the key thing is that his motif seldom stops… it keeps going and going. Modulations are sparse, again perhaps to make it devoid of color. All of this is beautifully contrasted with a human voice emerges from those depths afterwards. This piece just came to mind because of the political connotations you’re striving for. Here it is

Hi again! I listened to this piece, and it is a challenging and great piece. I like it. It’s hard to explain, but to me, it sounded like an organ piece that doesn't actually sound like an organ piece. By that, I mean it feels so fluid and the notes feel so scattered that, in a very good way, it felt like listening to a piano piece. Is there a specific work you used as a reference? I don't know of any other music quite like this. I like your composing style. I will check out any other variations if you release them in the future. Thank you. P.S. Just a small suggestion, but if you could embed the YouTube link so people can listen to it right here without being redirected to YouTube, I think even more people would check it out!

Hi, thank you so much for listening to my composition, I really appreciate it! And I also appreciate that you took the time to check out my other works. As for plugins (VSTs), I usually tweak the very basic digital instruments available on MuseHub and try to get the most out of them 🙂

Hello, I listened to this piece, and to be honest, I really liked it. It’s a fun and captivating work to listen to. The structure has great dynamics, keeping it engaging throughout, you truly have wonderful composition skills. I also checked out your other works, and Five-minute pieces for violin and piano in particular is another fantastic piece, with music that flows like a river. Please continue to share your work in the future. I did notice a little bit of audio clipping at around 1:15 in this piece (Suite for clarinet, soprano saxophone and piano), but that doesn't really matter when compared to your composition. By the way, I would be really happy if you could tell me what plugins you are using. Thank you.

The Range of the PiccoloThe piccolo is a member of the woodwind family and is the highest-pitched instrument in the woodwind section. Despite its small size, it has a bright and penetrating sound that can easily cut through an orchestra. The blue solid line on the keyboard indicates the safe range of the piccolo, which extends from D5 to A7. The blue dots line shows that the piccolo can reach C8 or even higher, but these notes are not considered safe. Additionally, the notes B4, C5, and C#5 should be avoided, as they do not exist on a standard symphonic piccolo. The Registers of the Piccolo The blue arrow illustrates the sound thickness of the piccolo. In the low register, the piccolo has a fuller, thicker timbre, while in the higher register, its sound becomes brighter and penetrating. This instrument can be divided into four registers, as shown in the graphic: 1st Register: D5 - A5 2nd Register: A5 - A6 3rd Register: A6 - A7 4th Register: A7 - & Detailed information: https://asgarzademusicschool.com/blog/blog-3-piccolo-woodwind-section-instrumentation-orchestration

Thanks very much for your suggestions! I'm revising the score to make some of these fixes. The cello line is not really meant to be the main feature; I think of it more like a cantus firmus, and I prefer the familiar melody to be there more subtly. But I didn't write slurs into the cello part just to try to give it a little bit of detachment from the other parts. Not sure how well that works, but that was the idea. The two quarter rests in those measures you mention are because the a tempo comes only on the fourth beat of the measure. Thanks again!

A nice and cute miniature piece. It is (obviously,) one movement long, and has 124 bars. It is written in Ab Major. https://musescore.com/user/96214813/scores/35260994 Sketch No. 1.mp3 Etuden Op. 53.pdf

Hello! Interesting piece to have listened to. I must apologize now as I have some comments and in an effort to stay concise, I will be blunt. Here are my thoughts: (view on PC if able, not mobile) Double check the alignment of your diminuendos and crescendos. To me, it casts the illusion that the score is a little unpolished: With the slur groupings (two-note slurs), was it your intention to make it an ensemble feature? I saw some spots that have two-note slurs in one instrument, but not the others, even when the gestures feels the same: Measures 2 and 6 (in cello) as one example. Last thing would be dynamics themselves. If cello is the main feature, I think it a little asymmetrical to have the violin 1 be a dynamic marking louder than the melody. Shouldn't the cello be the loudest voice when presenting the melody? With the tempo markings, I think it looks better and easier to read when the text is a font size or two bigger or in bold. As a performer, it helps visually distinct the two text field types. Last few picky things would be measures 8,14 and 21. Why not just use a half rest for the other voices on beats 3-4? For the ending 4-bars, why not write "Sempre diminuendo" meaning "Always Diminishing" or "Morendo" to imply "dying away". Your pianissimo to Niente dynamic is a little messy with the spacing not consistent between all instruments. Final thing is to double check/ update is the idea of adding copyright information and a subtitle to say "for String Orchestra" or "for String Quartet". This helps as on first look of the score, the ensemble size is not mentioned. Good work!

I'd never written for concert band before, however, that's the only ensemble, aside from one performance, that I've ever rehearsed and performed a production within... So I am very familiar with how the instrumentation is utilized in concert band scores. This was inspired by some work from another collegue of mine, that with their permission, I was allowed to put my own "twist" on it, and it is very very far from it's original form... I suppose that makes it more original than arrangement, but ah. I can't take all the credit for it if I didn't conjure it up myself from scratch. It's very short, and I didn't really have any intent on developing it into a more lengthy, complete piece, despite my desire to do so... I think it's quite extravigant, triumphant and reminds me of a hopeful feeling. I suppose the idea is that it can be used, potentially as an opener piece for a band somewhere, somehow. lol Let me know what y'all think P.S. Yes, I know there are a couple of engraving errors, such as Dynamic marking placements for example. The score isn’t a polished and finished product, 100% as of right now. Just an FYI 😅 Thanks!! -Unc whatliesahead.pdfWhatLiesAhead.mp3

This is a short thing I wrote in one day, perhaps a bit self-indulgently expressing my rather, shall we say... mixed... feelings right now about my country as we near the 250th anniversary of independence. The cellos play the melody of "America the Beautiful" while the violins and violas add harmonies that subvert the simple tune. As always, any comments or feedback would be appreciated! Semiquincentennial.mp3 Semiquincentennial.pdf

@Alex Weidmann Thank you for listening. Yes, the piano version is very different – more ‘intimate’, perhaps? – despite that crescendo. I was in no doubt that the brass section was meant for that part... When I orchestrate something that already exists (for piano, generally speaking), I have two options: 1) to be as faithful as possible, which in some cases is almost essential, 2) to recreate the piece for the orchestra. In this case, it usually turns out quite differently.

Hello, This modified version flows very naturally and feels more balanced. I also like the fact that the transitions between sections are smooth.

Ah, I see. (I thought Frank Bridge was a landmark; which I hadn't looked up yet. Ha!) Regardless, you brought Britten's advisor's piano music to life. Your rendition of it is quite stunning; and does invoke the urban late night mood as for-mentioned. And, the second portion of my post (regarding difficulty of percussion part) still stands.