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@MK_Piano has provided some very creative ideas for the possible badges for the "From Nothing, to Something" Summer 2026 Competition! Check them out: "L'alchimiste Award"- for the most imaginative transformation of the text into music. "Dans l’Esprit de Verlaine Award" - for the piece that best captured the spirit of Verlaines poem. "The Poème d'Amour Award" - reserved for the piece voted to have best captured the sensation of love. "The Évocation Award" - reserved for the piece voted to have best captured the sensation of summer. Of course, don't forget that there will be 1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards as well. And all the participants will receive a participant award while all the reviewers will receive an ardent reviewer badge in one of three tiers. Don't forget that the competition ends September 24th! We only have a month left! Of course - let us know what other badges we could award to the winners of this competition! We're going for French names of the badges/awards to accord with the French poem that the competition is based on.

Lovely melody and textures. Particularly the vocal line. I’m not entirely convinced by the final section; the high notes sound too loud. My main comment is about the harp – oh, the harp! There’s no indication whatsoever of initial pedal positions or changes. This isn’t mandatory, though personally, one should have it checked. There are things you simply can’t do, such as this: On the other hand, the harp part is notated by placing each note on the nearest of the two staves. But the correct way to do it, I believe, is to write on the upper stave what the upper hand plays and on the lower stave what the lower hand plays, bearing in mind that the groups (in passages that aren’t slow) consist of four notes per hand. Huge arpeggiated chords are also impossible to play if they’re fast. If it’s an effect where each note of the arpeggio follows the next slowly, then yes. But at that speed, it’s impossible. Each hand can cover a maximum of a tenth and four notes per hand. The chords must be simplified to that (or use two harps?). There are also some very questionable chords: The harp is a complicated instrument and you can’t think of it as if it were a piano. Saludos.

My dear fellow composers, (exactly) a half year ago I presented my Fugue XIII in G flat/F sharp major. Today is the right moment to post the corresponding prelude: The prelude againPraeludium-XIII-F-sharp-major-with-coversheet.pdf has the Ukrainian national anthem as its central thematic background (as it also appears in the fugue as additional „subject“, and – as a reference to the date - today is the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence). Here in the prelude, however, the anthem appears in the lightest key of F sharp major with an optimistic character, light and playful in 3/8 time. Some words about the structure or form of the piece: 00:00 (mm. 1-22) Exposition of the „summer“ theme: A joyful, exuberant and perhaps dance-like theme, with accentuated rhythms and chords, although being composed as five-part voice leading. 01:01 (mm. 23-50) The texture and rhythm of the „summer“ theme is continued, but somewhat more restrained in terms of dynamics. The second verse of the anthem is played in the upper voice. 01:43 (mm. 51-75) The key signature changes to G-flat major, initially creating a peaceful atmosphere, much like that of a playground. However, this tranquility is suddenly disrupted by dissonances and tritone steps in the bass, symbolizing the horrors of war. 02:23 (mm. 76-94) The fugue subject (“dona nobis pacem”) appears four times (tenor, mm. 76-79; bass, mm. 81-84; soprano, mm. 86-89 and alto, mm. 91-94), symbolizing hope and leading back to the key signature with sharps. 02:52 (mm. 95-114) Recapitulation of the „summer“ theme, now in pianissimo and in the key of D sharp minor. 03:31 (mm. 115-140) The repetition finally leads to the triumphant finale in the coda: The third verse of the anthem is sung, ending with a bright F sharp major chord after a minor plagal cadence, expressing confidence. I hope, you'll enjoy it. Wieland Praeludium-XIII-F-sharp-major-piano-steinway-b.mp3

Hey everyone! Happy to share my finished piece - Metamorphosis! I'd love to hear any and all feedback 😁 -Metamorphosis-.mp3 Metamorphosis - (Score).pdf

I’ve just finished my Serenade for String Orchestra, a piece that ended up having a rather unusual composition history. Some of the material goes back to 2021, while the first two movements were written mostly in 2024, and I finally completed the work this August with the Elegie and Finale. It wasn’t originally conceived as a single continuous project, but over time the different ideas seemed to belong together and eventually became this five-movement serenade: Präludium, Scherzo, Intermezzo, Elegie and Finale. Despite the different periods in which it was written, I think it ended up having a fairly consistent character—mostly light and calm, with the Elegie providing its more introspective moment. I. Präludium — A calm, pastoral opening that establishes the overall character of the work. II. Scherzo — A very fast and light movement, providing the most energetic and playful music of the serenade. III. Intermezzo — Relaxed and flowing, almost like a leisurely walk, without becoming overly reflective. IV. Elegie — The most introspective and melancholic movement, gradually building towards a more intense emotional climax. V. Finale — Begins with a tonally unsettled, march-like introduction before breaking into a bright and joyful A major conclusion, with brief returns of material from earlier movements. Hope you enjoy it, and I’d be very happy to hear any thoughts or feedback! Serenade.pdf