Leaderboard

Hello fellow composers! I am very excited to present my newest work, a short little March for orchestra. I wanted to take a break from large scale works and write something short and sweet. Also, I realize the piece isn't a march in the traditional sense, but the name seemed fitting so I went with it. I had a few goals in mind as I composed this, feel free to evaluate how well I achieved them: Focus on simple, memorable themes and motives Write a short fun piece for a standard orchestra, while still keeping the orchestration interesting and diverse. Make use of chromaticism in the baseline. Harmonize each climax slightly differently. The movement is structured as one simple theme that repeats three times, with each iteration having unique orchestration and harmony. First, the melody is presented by woodwind choir, with the Cello joining later and presenting a countermelody Second, the Violins have the melody, with the Horn eventually joining with a new countermelody and reaching a louder climax Finally, the Cello and Bassoons take the melody, with an answer by the Horns, Clarinets, and Oboes. The piece climaxes with the full orchestra, then winds down to a peaceful close, with pizzicato strings playing out the opening rhythmic motive As usual, I have several questions for feedback, feel free to answer as many or as few as you wish: What effect does the music have on you? Does in conjure up an image? Or an emotional feeling? Does it tell you a story? This can be the piece as a whole, or a specific part or parts. What was your favorite part? What was your least favorite part? How well do you think the motives are developed? Do you have any comments or critiques on technique, e.g. harmony, melody writing, counterpoint, orchestration, voice-leading, etc.? How do you feel about the overall form? Is it effective? Do you have any comments of the quality of the performance in the audio file? I really want this to be a decent representation of how the piece would sound if it were performed live, since it is unlikely it ever will be. Feel free to put your "conductor hat" on and critique the "orchestra". I have included a score and welcome any constructive feedback on its presentation. And if you're like me it's a lot more fun to follow along with the score. Are there any composers this reminds you of, that I might enjoy listening to? Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy! If you liked something I did and want me to explain how I did it, feel free to ask. -gmm Score link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HMmg0kJ8Iw_k85-79XjFleoBHdmIU6NG/view?usp=drive_link

Hi there, I've had so much frustration with orchestral stuff recently that I gave in to write a couple of solo pieces, this being one. It's simple, fairly tonal and explores a less familiar instrument. Alas, though, the samples available were quite limited so it isn't as adventurous as I'd have liked. Even so, I'm hopeless at writing and developing melody so any criticism good or bad or ideas for improvement in future would be gratefully received. And if you can give it a listen, many thanks.

Here is a short piece for cello and piano, which I recently composed. It is an Élegie ( i.e. a sad piece), which could be associated with a funeral or other sad moments. The (virtual) playback could be better, especially the dynamics, but I don´t have better tools for it. Maybe I can get it performed with real instruments in the future (it is not very difficult). I would be interested to know what you think of it. Also, I am sure that there are some speling and other errors in the score, and I would be very grateful if you could advice me about this.

Hello everyone, After a few months of absence, I come back to see you for a new piece for voice and orchestra. I reconnect here with the poetry of Jules Laforgue, which is very dear to me. Very squeaky and pathetic poetry, with in French popular accents, elisions, a little familiar words, like a childish language. I subtitled with an English translation a little google, which probably does not do justice to the beauty of this poignant text. As usual, I record my voice in my home studio, and the instruments are from Spitfire Audio. The score at the base is written for piano, but directly designed for the orchestra, (and very little pianistic, which is why I did not wish to make a piano/singing version of it). Sorry not to present you the edited score, it's always in a project with my compositions, but it takes a lot of time that I unfortunately don't have... Thank you for your advice and comments! Krisp. https://youtu.be/WMvtnort3Fk?si=VnKCpOjeRvcWZczq

Here it is! The submission for the Valentine's Day Event! To say that composing this piece was a hectic process is an understatement. Heck, I'm submitting this piece on the day (or night) of the deadline! I think I was going with the joyfulness aspect of romance, with of course a little bit of dark theme (just the minor version of the main theme really lol) mixed in there. This piece also contains a theme from a sketch that I have always wanted to explore. But yeah, dunno what else to say other than to enjoy the piece!!

Hi all, I don't come on here as much these days admittedly. I have been very busy with various things and definitely need to engage more with the great community here. Since I last posted, I have jumped on board with Musescore4 - which is absolutely superb in my opinion. I would just like to share my ongoing project for this interested in my music. I have lately been quite taken by the chamber music of George Onslow and August Klughardt, who while adherents of the romantic style drew still on classical norms that I am most familiar with. My intention with this work is to create a sense of character for each instrument and evoke some kind of story being told. The form is standard sonata form for the first and second movements. The third will follow this in a similar fashion. This work will be submitted for a local music competition next year, so it would be great to hear anyone's thoughts should there be an area for improvement - doesn't need to be complex... In return I will look at providing some feedback to other users on here. I hope it is enjoyable at least... PS - Second movement starts at 6:20 minutes https://musescore.com/user/69480886/scores/11637901

When I was like 17, I wrote this piece called the Puppet March. This reminds me of that. 😄 The orchestration is ridiculous... gahdamboy. I'm trying to orchestrate something, and I've been peeking over at your score the past few days for tips and questions. So, thanks for that! I just love how the different layers of music are so clear. Nothing seems blurry, and you show a vast knowledge of orchestral color in this. Although simple in theme (as was your goal), you twist and turn the music at the ends of phrases so well, keeping us all on our toes for those moments. The coloring was always interesting and kept me engaged throughout. Only one small piece of criticism. The theme is very catchy, very much an earworm. But I was begging for some sort of change. A counter melody, even if short, imo could serve aid really well. I think an A A A type of form can work, but maybe more variation and deviation from the original character of the theme would work better? Or like I said, just having that 4 bar break of something complimentary might be useful. That's all subjective, of course. This seemed like a practice piece/change of pace from the monumental music I've heard from you; it must have been nice to let loose and have fun! That obviously doesn't detract from your skills as an orchestrator. It's once again top notch! Thanks for sharing this, I always look forward to the music you post 🙂 - #1 gmm fanboi

Hey @gmm, I had actually listened the piece right after your release but I had yet reviewed it since I had zero motivation to do so this week until now. Your orchestration is always masterful and I have no doubt for that even with this simpler piece from you. The melody is really catchy and you vary it with rich orchestral colours full of contrast. Your piece will be one of my references for orchestral writing once I start doing so. I really love that cello countermelody, and the balancing of the voices are just so right throughout the piece. I am sure of that too LoL! I think Ravel does the same thing in your favourite Bolero right?!😜 For me I sometimes avoid varieties if they are too minimal haha! You mean the fluidity in their music? I agree they do that sooooo well, but we don’t always have to write like Ravel and Debussy right? I just enjoy the strophic form being employed here and actually the less fluid transition here serve the purpose well for me! The last movement of Mahler’s fourth Symphony work likes this too to my understanding. Thx for sharing your works here gmm! Always enjoy them. Henry

Hey Jean, As I have already commented on YouTube, I think this one is an incredible farce on death. Moments like in 1:32 provides real great contrast with simpler harmony and lighter texture. Every one of your piece is so colourful with imaginative orchestral and harmonic colour, and your singing is always very attractive and adequately present the lyrics. Yeah all those squeaky and childish languages are carefully maintained with those weird rests, vowels, and naivety like the opening march of the Nutcracker. I always enjoy your imagination and ability to portray colours. Wonderful piece! Henry

Hey @Quinn, The use of the motives like that of the fifth and it’s inversion and the rhythms is very apparent throughout the soliloquy which really gives the piece coherence if listened attentively. These motives are very tonal despite without functional harmony, and the music is very logical, and without the functional harmony makes it cool and fitting the world now. I think everyone can write good melodies according to their own gene traits and personalities. Like I think myself am a too emotional person so I can never write a 12 tone melody or atonal melody at all since it’s too logical for me like machine. Many my melody is overly melodramatic too, but that’s why we are unique, since being unique means you have both unique advantage and disadvantage. It’s always stupid to learn to write with just one ideology, especially serialism. They tell you how to write serial music but never why. If you don’t feel the desolation Schoenberg feel you shouldn’t write like him. Or maybe I am the one who is rebellious by deliberately writing in an anti-“creative” way by using all sorts of traditional approach. I hate writing “music” just with the intention of discovering new sounds and timbres since music is never just sounds. Really? I am trying to get away from those formal structure since otherwise Peter will blame me as bastard who never explores new things LoL!! Just kidding! I think I work quite opposite as I always weight coherence with both formal structure and motives, and I freakingly love sonata form haha. It’s just paradigms and you will have to fit the form to every of your narratives by nuancing the form. Thx for sharing your works and working procedure! I really enjoy it. Henry

Just like this "famous" guy?

More recovery from the damage than rebellion. Expectations at college seemed anti-creative - for example, expected to write 12-tone and other serial music; learn a lot of technical stuff and demonstrate how to apply it. Avoid tonality. People wrote stuff and I witnessed some embarrassing moments when fellow students were expected to comment on their scores when rehearsed - and it was pretty obvious they didn't know what they'd written. (Which taught ma a big lesson: know your score like the back of your hand in case you have to prepare it. Not all conductors/performers are kindly!) It put me off. My stuff was said unadventurous because I had to be able to mock it up on a piano or organ so my playing was a limiting factor. I'd been involved with (tonal) theory (3 and 4 part harmony, Species counterpoint) before college and began writing. We had an ensemble of quite good players at school. I was much into Berg's earlier music and Lulu - the sound of it rather than his amazing serial capabilities - I thought of it as "surreal", the music equivalent of dream with its fragmentary coherence if that makes sense. Berg and Debussy. I should have seen I was doomed to fail. So I gave up, decided on another profession and it was a few years later the urge was rekindled, curiously by a single, through-composed work by Villa-Lobos. A series of episodes. And that's the base of how I work now. Motifs, episodes, that have to fit together with a degree of comfort without relying on formal structure. I envy those able to work with formal structures, 8 or 16 bar melodies. (I seem fine with simple structures in light music but not deeper, symphonic stuff.) I've waffled on a bit - sorry! I don't question how I work now. I'm happy to engage with procedures and works like your own and often wish I could utilise similar. Thanks for bearing with me.

I really enjoyed this, and least expected to hear an electric guitar on this forum! I can imagine parts of this in a film, following a protagonist bumbling along (maybe a kid at school walking home to his family) - You know, a feel good time of film? I’m a guitarist myself, and I found the comments regarding finger nails especially relatable!!