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thank you so much!

Hey @Tunndy! Although I don't think that this orchestration is entirely in good taste (with some parts still sounding quite mechanical and robotic such as especially the triplet 16th note runs) I think it's a huge improvement over your other orchestrations of famous piano pieces! You didn't include the piano in the orchestration as a crutch, and you use the instruments mostly idiomatically, making good solo instrument choices and giving the different instruments a chance to imitate each other creating changes in timbre that were original and most definitely not intended in the original. I like how you let the solo flute lead with the main melody, using the strings at first only to outline the harmony. Later you include some variations on the main melody to extend it. Then you include harp arpeggios in a way that sounds appropriate to a harp rather than a piano. You also create lots of variation and contrasts between restatements of the melody that in the original were the same. I like your use of dynamics and thickening up of the texture and creation of dramatic moments with the timpani. All in all, I think this was a very successful orchestration! (despite some things I would have excluded) Great job and thanks for sharing!

umfr.pdf fur-elise-beethoven.mp3

Ah gotcha, thanks. The bII chord is throwing me off, you mean the Db one in b.9 (it has no 3rd)? Btw, I wrote this for two reasons, and one was tinkering with implied harmony. It's interesting to hear different interpretations of it. Thanks for checking this out 🙂

b2. I think. But b5 is not?

Which bars?

Morning @Thatguy v2.0 Here is mine review of the prelude: The overall structure is built is first on opening phrase. I love how you use this idea and expand on it. The anticipation of each chord of each phrase is nice resolution of the chromatic raising line. I think the implied harmonies: I-V/V-bII6-I. This now makes ask...why are we going from V/V to bII6? 🙂 The answer: this is not a typical resoultion of the seconary dom...

This is great news, I've sorta distanced myself from film music because of all the rah rah storm drum samey rhythmic drivel. I know there's more out there though, I just don't know it. Any film composers you (or anyone) are impressed with lately?

I do think the pendulum is finally swinging back. I was at a film festival last weekend and talking with the producer of a film I'm currently scoring and a director it was interesting. The producer was talking about how most all of the films at the festival would have ambient scores. We were all talking then about John Williams, Goldmsith, etc. and my work and then the guy had this pained look in his eyes, shook his head and said "...I just love orchestral scores." I think the new generation of film makers are into melodic orchestral scores, but there's not many people making them and doing it well. I'm basically the only one in my area. Film and game makers can only work with what's on offer. But I don't expect the Zimmerites of the world, especially those making a lot of money, to allow that pendulum to swing without a serious fight.

You can still write and submit for feedback. 🙂

Hey VInce, I like the simplistic style here and the smooth voice leading. I will make sure to try this on piano and record it. Henry

@PeterthePapercomPoser I acted as if I was real judge in official competition. Entries have to meet the core requirements before passing onto the next round. So that is what I did first. I check to see if they meet the core requirements of the competition. If they failed, at least, I could look over the score help them. But it would go further than. If entries pass the first round, then, I come back and do score check and playability. Once that is done, I look at different textures, harmonies, and such. I notice the entries used a modern harmony: clusters, chords built on seconds, atonality, ect. I loved it. In the 20th century, traditional forms, we all used to, is throw out the window. So we have to be more creative with time, form, and structure. I have a feeling with next one: entries will be tonal. Hahaha

Unfortunately, I can't read the Wall Street Journal article without getting a subscription. From my own experience, I think video-game music has become kind of a niche genre. I think that there is a tendency in both film music and VGM to create more atmospheric music that works in a certain context but that doesn't stand alone the way a piece of concert music does. And in the past, because of hardware limitations, these kinds of atmospheric tracks were hard to produce effectively so composers defaulted to just writing good music period. And the music had to have basic elements that could be easily reproducible with the limited hardware and appealed to the spirit of the level/game in a more basic way, using melody and harmony in a more classical approach. Also, I once watched a YT video of a World of Warcraft concert, and I really just couldn't see the appeal of the music to the music goers. And I've even played WoW myself back when it first came out. But with all the new expansion packs that have come out by now, it was no longer familiar to me and the music seemed empty and unfulfilling to me. I think that just attests to my first point, that music has become more atmospheric and less able to stand alone, the way a piece of concert music would be expected to. And so the appeal of music written for games and movies that's written in this atmospheric way is dying out, imo. Only the hardcore fans who have played the games for hours can enjoy the concerts of this kind of music. But imo the older music from the golden age of VGM (in my opinion) - the 90's, still has concert appeal and it shows - because there are lots of YouTubers making covers and re-imaginings of this old music on their YT channels. And I believe the music from that age can definitely stand on its own and capture the imaginations of listeners who have never even played the game that the music was written for. But I might be biased, since I was a kid in the 90's and experienced the music from that era very personally. But that's my 2¢. Cool topic!