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Upon coming across this ascending chromatic motif while improvising on the violin, I wondered just how well it would work as a fugal subject. Having now developed it into another one of my fugues, I thus present here the results. Enjoy! YouTube video link:

Hello! only 6 month later, I have finished my Quartet. Well, at least a draft of it 🙂 I'm hoping to get some as usual excellent feedback even though I've been bad and away from listening and commenting and interacting with this great community. Anyways, great to be back, feels good to have finished the quartet, and hello everyone! -Giacomo quartetto3b.mp3

Good to hear from you, Henry! It's always a welcome sight to hear your feedback on my piece 😁 I do see what you mean there. I'm not going to say I fully agree with your opinion regarding the juxtapose at b. 129 (since that was sort of my intention to have the tutti come out of nowhere), but I can definitely get what you mean during the final modulation back to Cm on b. 231. Even I thought that particular bit sounded a bit rushed when I listened to it around the end of the writing process (because I knew had to bring it back to Cm somehow in order to finish the piece), but I had run out of ideas and decided to abridge the two of them together so I didn't have to leave without a finished movement. I'll think about your advice once I get to revising it: I'm taking a break from symphonic writing (that stuff's a real brain frier). That's probably in part due to my tendency to intently listen only to the beginnings and endings of a symphony's first movements: I get lost somewhere around the middle, so that's probably the reason why the middle it sounded so melodramatic 😅 I'll consider adding some drama here and there, though: I can see why you'd think there wasn't enough sturm und drang in this movement so far. I'd love to hear where you'd place these moments, because I really don't know what material to put in, or where I should even be putting them. If you also have the time to spare, I'd like to hear about your gripes regarding my structure: I know this movement probably isn't as well-crafted as you (or I) would have wanted, but there's always next time to improve my work, right? 😉 That's very kind of you! Again, I'll be sure to heed your advice when I get back to this symphony. It's always a pleasure 👋

This Pavan and Galliard is something I started writing all the way back in Spring of 2022 but put on the back burner because of learning new pieces. It's really intended for a virginal or other plucked keyboard but here it is on clavichord. I consider the Galliard to be much better than the Pavan, the lively character is more reflective of the dedicatee, so if you want to you could skip to that at 7:42. Not that I think the Pavan is mediocre at all, but yeah. I intend to write the score in a font similar to that of My Lady Nevell's Booke, and record it on a better instrument at some point.

@Henry Ng Tsz Kiu thanks henry, i always appreciate the time you take to listen and review. i think i fixed the link… anyways, the pavan is always rather stately and in 2 and the galliard is always in 3, however the galliard as in the case of william byrd and his multitude of proteges collectively known as the “virginalists”, the measures/ beats are often be subdivided in ways that create a different emphasis at different times…. i’m probably explaining that inefficiently since i’m not much of a musicologist or theoretician. but there’s rarely anything simple about the rhythm for the galliards. in some cases the pavan might have a triplet section that becomes kind of a galliard within the pavan, and there can even be a tripletized section within a galliard so it becomes a galliard within a galliard….or something. Most of the time, the galliard will follow the pavan though there are stand-alone pavans and stand-alone galliards. By the time of these types of keyboard pavan and galliards, the dances themselves were probably falling out of fashion and the virginalist pavans and galliards were probably not danced to, and certainly weren’t meant to be. They were often memorial pieces (as is this one). With respect to the dance themselves, apparently galliards included 4 steps and a leap….i’m guessing the leap lasted two beats to equal 6. as you can read about, elizabeth I of england apparently used them as exercise. The steps to the pavan seem very simple and understated, or minimal you could say. Very true about the false relations…there’s a meme somewhere with a bunch of people cheering/raising beer mugs with the caption “Fans of english renaissance whenever there’s an F against F#” or something and i think it’s pretty accurate 😄

I DON'T LIKE PLAYING GAMES!!!!! PLUS MY MUM WON'T ALLOW IT 😭😭😭!!!!!

Hi @Samuel_vangogh, For the theme it's beautiful, but maybe you can vary the piano accompaniment a bit instead of repeating chords since those elements can also be varied later on! For var.1, I like that you exchange roles in b.25. Like @Markus Boyd, maybe you can change the harmony a bit like what Elgar does in his Enigma Variations (also in G minor)! For the Baroque varitation it will be interesting to invite polyphonic texture there! Thx for sharing Henry

Aw Henry, thanks for the wonderful contribution to the new composers. You are truly a kind and talented individual. Hoping the best for your future, whatever 2024 may bring to you. xo Will definitely listen to these pieces you've picked.

Hi @Awsumerguy, Thx! That timpani at the introduction is so much alike with Brahms' Symphony no.1. Also the beginning of the exposition, as noted before, is very much like Mahler's Symphony no.2. For me, I feel like the preparation to the section in 4:54 a bit too long with those dominant pedals and Gs, maybe I will shorten it. The 4:54 is very beautiful though. For me the gap in b.129 and then the sudden forte chords after it is a bit abrupt without preparation. I think you are recapitulating the introductory theme here, but I think you can move more smoothly to build up the forte chords reasonably and fluently! The modulation to A minor is quite nice, just like that freakingly god modulation in Brahms' Symphony no.1 finale! I feel like the modulation back to C minor in b.231 again not prepare enough when you just use common notes for modulations. Harmonically it works but dramatically and narratively it doesn't for me. I think you can at least give some disappointment to the music before getting back to C minor. As @Markus Boyd noted the coda is so dramatic and I like it very much too! For me maybe the shortcoming of the movement is the planning and structure of it. The beginning and the end is very exciting to listen to, but between them there's not much contrast of energy and drama. The energy is more or less in the less exciting side, rather than ups and downs to excite the listeners. There is indeed contrast of mood, but both are serene and less exciting. The solo passages are beautiful, but sometimes you can feel less interested when you keep immersing in beautiful passages. I hope there will be some passages with fire and force inserted between, instead holding the fire till the end burst! Honestly I feel bored up to minute 9, until the coda! Hope I won't be too nitpicky on this one. But for me you are one who have the horizon to write very good music and I hope my nitpicky review helps a bit on it. Thx for sharing! Henry

Hi @gaspard, Welcome back! I always love your unique clavichord pieces shared on the forum! I love the Pavan for those modal chord progression and false relation, which as @Guardian25 said capture the renaissance style. I love the Galliard too, it's indeed more lively, but both are great for me as they always act as a pair for contrast. Btw. I forget about the characteristics of both of the dance haha... The link maybe wrong here since it always move to the Galliard and skip the Pavan after clicking the video. Thx for sharing! Henry

Next I will have the chamber pieces here: 1. @Thatguy v2.0's Verdant Dawn This piece is so vivid at depicting the dawn, and it serves as the main inspiration of my own Wind Quintet. The quartal harmony also inspires my own String Sextet. 2. @Jean Szulc's String Octet This piece is just a powerful display of rhythmic power. The quartal harmony and idiomatic strings writing are amazing too! Another inspiration for my own String Sextet. 3. @Sean Brown's Romance in D major for violin and piano This is such a virtuosic showpiece. I don't see any piece as vituosic as this one and Sean plays the violin part himself!!! 4. @Krisp's "Nocturne", for Harp, solo strings, choir, clarinet and voice. I choose this one over his late Crépuscule d'automne since this one features even more timbre here, but both are excellent and unique, especially with Jean's own rich and mellow singing! 5. @Gwendolyn Przyjazna's Violet for Saxophone Quartet This one is such a magical piece full of film noir mood. Such a delicious piece for the ear. 6. @Ivan1791's Una noche de primavera (A Spring Night) Such an emotional deep piece with Ivan's spectacular benighted style! Of course Ivan plays the piano part. 7. @Eickso's Toy Box Suite Such an impressive piece featuring the percussion instruments and Evan's aleatoric style well fit with the timbre here! 8. @PeterthePapercomPoser's Variations for Wind Trio in Bb minor There'a no way the king of variations in this site is not featured here with one of his variations. I choose this one over his London Bridge one or the Wind Trio in Gb major one, simply because I love this one more LoL... (wait I forget that the London Bridge is a piano work rather a chamber piece...) 9. @jawoodruff's String Quartet This one can be hard to get into in the first place, but as Jason has said it IS indeed very serious, and here you will see mature chamber writing! 10. @dhslamas's Variações Seresteiras(Woodwind quintet) This one is unforgettable even though I remember it in the last place... Great wind colour, mature writing and fascinating harmony and rhythm... Do you want more??? (11. My Own String Sextet LoL... But that will be unfair!!!) P.S. Remember to watch Mike's premiere on the result announcement for the Dreamscape Competition! Henry