Leaderboard

I've entered 3 competitions so far and I've had no luck in any of them. I don't regret entering them though. For a start, they were all free to enter so there was nothing to lose. Also, I wrote the pieces specifically for the competitions and wouldn't have wrote them otherwise so there are 3 good pieces that I can add to my portfolio that wouldn't have existed had I not entered the competitions. I also felt that the fact that I knew they were being judged forced me to make an effort to improve the presentation of my scores. I disagree with Eric Whitacre about fees though. Putting together a competition costs money and the money has to come from somewhere. I imagine that the only way some ensembles are able to put out a call for scores is if they are charging a fee. As long as it isn't an astronomical fee, I think that is completely fair and people should stop expecting to get something for nothing (though if something is being offered for nothing, of course you should take advantage!). I also don't think the competition organisers are lucky to be getting applications; if anything, the composers are lucky to have professional performers actually willing to take time to look at their scores, 90% of which will surely be terrible, and have a chance (albeit a very slim chance) of a performance.

Actually, a period is a higher level of organization than a phrase, not a special kind of phrase. Levels are: Section, period, phrase, semi-phrase, motif. In some pieces, section and period might merge, or phrases can't be divided clearly into semi-phrases... Types of phrase: Mostly two, defined by the cadences (inconclusive phrases, acting as questions, and conclusive ones, or answers). Cadences are what you need in order to write phrases in a tonality. Balance is a matter of the particular style. A classical period would be made up of two phrases, highly symmetrical (say, four bars). First phrase, inconclusive, with slow or static harmonic motion (few chord changes), and second phrase conclusive with active harmonic rhythm (lots of chord changes). Baroque and Romantic phrases and periods can have their own particularities. Of course, phrases do not need to be 4 bars long, and periods do not need to have two equal lenght, symmetrical phrases; also they can have more phrases than just two. As per rhythm, question and answer might share similar motives (both rhythmic and melodic); the most extreme case would be when they are identical except for the ending, or they can be contrasting. A link with some explanations examples. Very basic stuff, but it might help: http://www.teoria.com/tutorials/forms/phrases-periods.php

If it works for that specific piece of music then do it. The people criticising Rachmaninov are likely to be criticising the fact that the metric/tempo change is inappropriate for that specific piece rather than criticising metric/tempo changes in general. It's actually quite a common practice anyway. If you listen to any of Alban Berg's pieces that are in sonata form, each subject has its own tempo. For example, if you listen to his piano sonata: at 1:16 when the second subject enters you'll notice the score says "Langsamer als Tempo I" (Slower than Tempo I). This tempo then returns in the development when the second subject material is developed and the original tempo returns when the first subject material is being developed.As for whether a tempo or metric change is appropriate for your piece, I cannot say without hearing it as each individual piece is a different case. All I can say is that there is nothing wrong with doing this if it fits the situation. I hope that helps.

I remember having used ideas from other composers deliberately. Also, unintentional borrowings. I could not care less, really. Composition is not about the source of the material, but how you organize and develop it. Originality is underrated, anyway. (Originality as in harking back to origins, prototypes... ;-)

There are no limits considering time signature shifts and changes. You should study Olivier Messiaen, Igor Stravinski and Eliot Carter.

You can transition to whatever you like.