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Getting back into composition from a long hiatus, I decided to orchestrate a piano piece by Claude Debussy. The piece is a movement from his piano suite Estampes titled La Soireé dans Granade (Evening in Granada). I'm still not too familiar with Debussy's piano music as a whole, but this suite definitely piqued my interest in that genre. I wasn't aware at the time, but several high profiled figures have orchestrated this movement (and other movements of the suite), and I did avoid listening to them so I don't copy them. Link to the original piano composition: The audio quality is a little meh...this is the last piece I wrote before I switched out of Finale/Garritan to Dorico/NotePerformer. Any feedback is appreciated!

This is the second movement of my Violin Sonata in B flat major, commissioned by and dedicated to Arjuna Clark @expert21. It's a slow movement marked "A scene by a stream", as suggested by my dedicatee Arjuna. I chase for simplcity here and I really wanna let the violin sing here, and I think I succeed. I freaking love the opening melody! The use of ARJUNA motive is more sparing as I have to give it away to the beautiful main melody! The melody was inspired when I was having a walk through the beautiful scene of Golden Trumpet Tree! The audio is again made by @Thatguy v2.0! Here is the pdf and YT video of the movement: Violin Sonata in B-flat major 2nd mov.pdf This movement is simple, only in ternary form. Here is the structure of the movement: 0:00 1st Part. The melody is quite beautiful for me, even though it sounds like the main melody in Chopin's Grande Polonaise Brillante, and in the same key, which I realized only after finishing this much later. The piano accompaniment represents the stream. In 1:02 Piano takes turn to play the main melody and violin the countermelody. 1:57 2nd part. I reached my usual contemplative mood in the middle section. Then I was awoken by the hummings of Asian Koel in 2:19. That bird is very common in HK which many people find their hummings disturbing but I actually love. 3:43 3rd Part. First begins a false recapitulation in wrong key G-flat major, then a real recap in tonic key in 4:21, with the main melody gets along with the Asian Koel motive. I personally really love the climax in 5:00! 5:13 Coda. A little coda reminds me the coda of Chopin's Nocturne in E flat major, op.9 no.2. Here is the 1st movement's post on YC: P.S. Here is the sound of Asian Koel: And here are some pictures I have taken that day: Hope you enjoy and feel free to comment! Henry

@Henry Ng Tsz Kiu and I brainstormed a little bit about what I could write next to give me a small diversion from my giant variations project. We decided that I could write another microtonal piece. I have written microtonal inventions before, so now I tried my hand at a microtonal fugue. It's a 4-voice fugue for string quartet and I tried to very scarcely use the microtones, only opting for occasional microtonal passing tones and sub-minor 3rds here and there. Nonethless, I think the piece retains a different microtonal flavor to it, but let me know what you think! I'd appreciate any observations, suggestions, critiques or comments! Thanks for listening!

Hello Here is another piece of the cycle "a la lune" according to Jules Laforgue. I didn't count. I must be at 4 or 5 on the same theme. Here is a kind of little song that looks like a waltz. Sweet bitter, of course, since it is lost love... Translation in the video in subtitles. Thank you for your criticism!

Hey Nicholas, I like your piece a lot! It sounds epic, and you take your time with each theme, which makes it sound coherent and easy to listen to. I don't have any experience writing for large ensembles, so I thought I'd only give feedback on your brass writing (I play the trumpet myself). First of all, in bar 21 consider raising the second trumpet an octave. That will make it easier for the first trumpet to hit his note: it is easier to play when being 'carried' by the rest of the section - and that two-octave gap is to large to give that effect. (As written it will sound like a solo instead of team work.) My teacher used to say: 'Trumpet players are surfers. We surf on sound.' At certain points in the score you write divisi for the trumpets, horns and first trombone - but you assigned three players to each part (in the preface)!! Which of the two voices should get two players? Either split up in three parts or make a note in their score, telling them what to do. But also consider that your brass section is humongous (A dozen players on trumpet and horn): You can change the parts to avoid all divisi. E.g. after bar 102 you could give the trumpets the root and fifth and the horns the root and third. In Musescore this will sound just the same, but when played by a real orchestra all voicings sound distinctly different. Not having divisi also is less confusing - especially if your players don't get (many) rehearsals. Btw that 1.5 octave jump in bar 106, first trumpet, looks really scary... Lastly, from that same bar 106 your trumpets and horns are playing fortissimo - which basically means 'as loud as possible'. Therefore the four (!) crescendo's you write later in the part won't have any effect... Either tell them to take back before each crescendo, or don't write them at all. That'll conclude my oddly-specific-feedback : ) . I should tell you again - I'm no pro at all, and your writing already is really good. Don't take this as harsh criticism: I'm just better at pointing out imperfections than giving elaborate compliments :)). I really enjoyed listening to your piece! Kind regards, Marius

I like your "Holy Spirit" but I think the explanatory note at the beginning is a bit too much. You ask about professional looking scores? To look professional, assume professionalism on the part of your musicians. You might write easy parts that can be put together without a lot of rehearsal time, but any choir should understand a simple "stagger breaths throughout" without further explanation on your part. The conductor/director can explain what that means if any choir members are very new to singing. I'm not sure about the direction to take this piece out of time like Gregorian chant. The accompaniment is very metrical, except for the first few bars, and as such will impose a strict rhythm on the singers. Did you just mean for that instruction to apply to the first few bars? If so, then indicate where strict tempo resumes. If you meant for the whole piece to be a bit loose-y goose-y then a direction for "rubato" here and there may better achieve what you are looking for while keeping accompanist, conductor, and choir together. Cheers! Sounds nice!

This is my 200th work, and i find incredible that i managed to come this far in sucha small time. For my 200th work i decided to make my bread and butter, Galliards! This is for Crumhorn consort, Recorder consort, Rackett, Bassoon, Percussion and Harpsichord. Enjoy! ❤️

I've concocted yet another short microtonal experiment, this time inspired by @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu's Violin Sonata he wrote recently for his friend @expert21. I wanted to continue this with a B section in another key/meter before returning to the A material, but it ended up sounding pretty conclusive to me at the end. But let me know what you think! Maybe I'll make another movement? I would appreciate any comments, suggestions, critiques or just observations you may have! This is entirely in 24 tet. Thanks for listening!

This is the fourth and final movement of my Violin Sonata in B flat major, commissioned by and dedicated to Arjuna Clark (lately Archie) @expert21. This movement is in Variation form which is my first attempt on the form in a movement, though I already use quite some variations techniques in my old pieces. I choose the form because rather than another narrative sonata form movement, a variation movement exploring the possiblities of the ARJUNA motive is much more appropriate for me. Again, thx to @Thatguy v2.0 for making the audio. I try for some strict procedure in each of the variation, as I use Prime and Inversion form of the ARJUNA motive for the 1st half of a variation, then Retrograde, Retrograde-Inversion and Prime form of the ARJUNA motive for the 2nd half of a variation. Even though the motive itself is short and easy enough to achieve this kind of treatment, still I wanna use them for coherence. Because of this, this one is probably the hardest movement in this Sonata to write with. Here is the YT video and pdf scores of the movement: Violin Sonata in B-flat major 4th mov.pdf Here is the structure of the movement: 0:00 Thema: Allegretto Commodo. A rather simple and easy-going theme for later variations. 1:16 Variation I: Allegretto con moto: A funny variation. Introduces G-flat major for the 1st time in the movement. In the second half, each two bar phrase is the retrograde of the two bar phrase corresonding to the first half, e.g. b.26-27 correspond to b.17-18. 2:13 Variation II: Allegro con energico. A variation heavily inspired by the 2nd movement of Beethoven's Razumovsky Quartet no.1, which is also in the same key. End of the 1st part and begins 2nd part with variations begins in different keys. 3:03 Variation III: Andante Comtemplativo. A variation begins in D major and makes chordal usage of the ARJUNA motive. Briefly reintroduces the 2nd movement theme in 4:04. Ends with a dark transition to C sharp minor. 5:08 Variation IV: Adagio Doloroso. A variation begins in C sharp minor. I make use of the Beethoven op.135 theme again as in the 3rd movement, but this time in minor mode and all sorts of dissonances, since it reflects the dark mood I was having then. The use of ARJUNA motive is saturated here; I even use all four forms of the motive together in b.110. Ends in Picardy third and modulates to the next variation. 6:44 Variation V: Andantino con moto e tranquillo. A variation begins in G-flat major and modulates through D major before returning to tonic B-flat major. I quote a lot of pentatonics and quartals here to show the influence of my String Sextet. 8:10 Variation VI: Fugato e Coda: Allegro Vivace, con brio e energico. Even though it 's a cliche to end a variation in a fugato, I still use it here nonetheless. The fugue subject makes use of the prime and inversion form of ARJUNA motive, while the countersubject the retrograde and inversion of the motive. The episodes also make use of the motives too. I even quoted my Clarinet Quintet main theme in 8:47. Waltz rhythm gradually returns and polyphonic texture changed to a homophonic one, just like the ending of Beethoven's op.110 Sonata. More affirmations of the ARJUNA motive comes and ends the music in a high energetic way. I quite enjoy the ending not to lie. Thx for listening and hopefully you will leave some comments here! Henry P.S. Here are the previous movements posted on YC forum: 1st Mov: 2nd Mov: 3rd Mov:

Thanks for your reply! Here's what measure 29 should look like if the beats were aligned properly according to the correct placement of strong and weak beats in your piece: It makes a very small and barely noticeable difference in the recording. But, especially if you ever gave this to real performers, it would bother a performer to read the music feeling like the strong and weak beats are in the wrong places in relation to the bar lines. In 4/4 beats 1 and 3 are strong beats and beats 2 and 4 are weak, but here you in measure 29 you had them switched. But sometimes composers do do this deliberately as in Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 Pizzicato Ostinato or Stravinsky's Last Piano Etude (in F#) from his 4 Etudes for Piano. I hope this clears up any confusion! Thanks for asking.

Hi all! These are the three inner movements of my new piano partita. There is also an introductory movement and a final, stylized gigue. I had some difficulties in exporting a MIDI rendering for those two movements, so they are not included here. There are strong thematic and sectional connections across each movement, so they do make a little less sense this way than they would in full context. Just bear that in mind while listening. I'd love any thoughts on the music, the piece is for a good friend of mine and I'd like to give it to them in tip-top shape! PARTITA 2-4.pdf

Hey Mooravioli, I like your piece. The harmony is weird and complex. I think for this kind of music the danger is making the harmony too unconventional, which makes the piece hard to listen to. A lot of people that experiment, do it too much. You don't: you keep the listener hooked and curious, and know how to tell a story through chords. Another thing that helps is your use of melodic motives. Really nice! I especially like the resolution and ending from bar 195 onwards. Consider using a tenor saxophone instead of alto, it better suits the melodies you've written. Low notes on sax are often harsh and unpredictable, writing a little higher in the instruments range can give a nicer sound/more freedom to the player to choose the right sound. You can also definitely explore the vibraphone's abilities more. Remember that professionals can play four notes at once! Listen to some bebop vibe players for reference. Also, five sharps (or four for tenor)? why would you do that to anyone? If you raise everything a semitone (Eb major, concert pitch), your players will thank you. As for the genre - this isn't jazz. I would probably call it contemporary classical. If you want to write jazz, listen to the music. If you'd like to write in any style, you need to be familiar with that music. Of course that shouldn't discourage you from writing this music at all! It sounds cool, and that is what matters. I just wanted to say, if you call this jazz and show it to a jazz musician, they will look at you like "🙂 that is really ~interesting~ jazz 🙂". For improvisation, your best bet is to write chord symbols and let one player completely free, like in traditional jazz songs, because that is what players are used to. Saying 'feel free to improvise' and 'improvise less' is very vague, and may not give the effect you want. What you could say is 'feel free to embellish' or something, if that's what you had in mind. In general: if you don't want someone to play the written notes, don't write the notes...

I am a violinist and a former orchestra player, so my advise should be realistic. I think most of the slurs you marked on this score is appropriate and practical, given most of the lines are in pianissimo or pianississimo. One useful thing to know is that, 1) if the part you are writing is not the main melody that do not need to be that is not that pronounced, and; 2) if there happens to be a decrescendo leading to a p or pp, then the string player is able to play the passage as slow as possible on the same stroke and the bow is treated as infinitely long. That may seem ridiculous, but that's the case. You play the "feeling" there. Tl;dr, 4-5 bar is totally possible with above prerequisite. One reason behind this playing style is that, it requires good technique to make the bow change unnoticeable. Due to the structure of bow, there is more tension at the bottom than at the bow tip. That will mean a natural decrescendo playing down bow (from bottom to tip) assuming a constant pressure applied. The reverse happens too, where a natural crescendo will occur playing upbow. So if there are any bow changes, the shift from cresc. to descrec. might be audible. While experienced players may control the pressure to mitigate the effect, they avoid changing bow unless the same phase really require 2 bows to project with expressiveness. Therefore, most of the cases, we keep it done in one single stroke for the above situations.

Okay making this post is a pretty impulsive decision and I hope I'm not intruding, I discovered this place today. In summary: I'm 15 years old, and I've been trying my hand at composing for around a year and a half now. I've written a handful of pieces I'm proud of, mostly for string orchestra. I'm a former violin player turned french horn, but I would consider myself having a much better understanding of strings than wind instruments (when it comes to composing). In my free time I'm also writing a book that is currently in the revision stages, and the plot of that inspired my newest piece. This is my first time truly writing for a full(er) symphony ensemble (there are missing parts right now, like tuba, that may never get added because I tend to write for sound, not playability, though if anyone has tips for that please please send them my way!!) and I'm trying to really develop my style and just improve my composing overall. Right now I am struggling with not exactly how to end this piece, but more of how to get there. It starts with mostly percussion to set the vibe, followed by an explosive entrance of the rest of the ensemble (0:57), then a softer melody (1:49) (there's more but I'm listing this for context). To end the piece, I intend to write just cellos playing that softer melody introduced earlier (in a different key I believe) with the recurring chimes over the top and probably other various percussion sprinkled in there (with attention on just the cellos). The melody will end and the piece will conclude like it started, with just percussion and a final chime hit. However, I have no clue what to do to get there. The attached recording ends with a callback to that earlier melody, but from there I've tried probably five different versions, none of which I like. My goal was to write one final "heroic" melody with a minor twinge to achieve the proper mood effect, but I ended up adding brass over the last string part at 4:39, so maybe that could be the height of the piece instead? I do really like that part. If anyone has any thoughts, any comments on anything in the piece, tips for compositional work, structural work, anything at all really, please let me know! It can be as long or as short as you like, I just would like help. I've never posted my music online before, know barebones music theory at best, and have a horrible ear for this kind of thing. Thank you in advance!! trial 2 incomplete.mp3

So a few things: Firstly, this isn't really very similar to the style of John Williams at all. But of course, John Williams is an absolute master; he'd already been composing 40 years before his first film score. Writing a piece in his style is no small feat. As for your mix issues, I'm not really hearing a problem with the overall levels on my end atm, but there are definite balance issues. Some of these are due to musescore/musesounds which right now are notoriously unbalanced and have limited ways of fixing that, but some can't be. What you could do is put the tracks in logic and automate volume to help them out and send them in to a new reverb. However, some of the other issues are related to orchestration and sample limitations. For example, you have, as a lot of modern composers do, all these big block chords with a melody over them. Bar 20 is a good example. Firstly, you have the trombones and celesta eating up a ton of the frequency spectrum by playing these huge chords, but then you ALSO have the trumpets coming in three-part harmony AND a String Melody in three octaves with the cellos taking the lowest octave. And everything there is playing mezzo piano. That's a recipe for mud, even in a live context I'm afraid. Then, in bar 22 onward, you still have trombone footballs, but now they are accompanied by absolutely massive harp chords. While that is happening, you have different things happening between bassoons + horns, violins, etc. Another issue is that the bass is entirely footballs in the piece, which does not give it any breathing room and becomes rather exhausting to the ear. "Melody + Chords" style Chord pads that have become popular in film music are actually generally considered bad practice not only because they're boring to play, but because the strings, low brass, and choir are basically the only ones good at playing them and these are large ensembles that take up tons of room in the frequency spectrum and stereo field. So you see beginners give this big, five-voice string harmony with a lonely oboe melody on top and then wonder why it's so hard to make the melody stand out even if the strings are at Piano. It's because the oboe is totally surrounded and your ear will focus on whatever line is thickest (the chords). If try to thicken the woodwind line, you're now competing for space with the strings. However, unlike samples, live orchestras have almost infinite dynamic range, and not only that, but they can stay at one dynamic range and still have a lot of modulation in the sound, which is something samples can't do. So chord pads with samples tend to just sound bad. With these pads mocked up with samples, you're always going to fighting the fact that your chords seem like they just can't play quietly enough, and if they can, the timbre is bad because you can't modulate the sound without screwing up the dynamics. TL;DR: You can fix some issues by loading it into a DAW, but the main problem is the writing/orchestration and samples suck at chord pads.

I guess the point is not that there shouldn't be repeats, but that they should still serve to move the narrative forward. Da capo aria? The first time the performer introduces the material, the second time they are encouraged to make it their own with ornaments or other small changes. But for this exercise, the structure of what you were doing with tritones and scales is firm enough that there isn't much room for experimentation or nuance when it's played through again. Welcome to the forums! And I disagree! If you're alive, you are getting exposed to new musical ideas and influences which are sure to keep you growing. Cheers.

Well, I meant I like YOUR compositions, but I like OP too! Anything Classical and minimalistic. with craft that is not so obvious!

Hi! This Violin Sonata is commissioned by and dedicated to my friend Arjuna Clark @expert21. He had asked me long ago to write a Violin Sonata for him, but I only managed to start the work after finishing my own String Sextet and 3rd Piano Sonata. Luckily this one is completed before his birthday this year for a timely birthday present. As always, thank to @Thatguy v2.0 for making the audio. The whole work's tonic key B flat major, key scheme and styles of the movements are chosen by Arjuna himself. The work also featured the "ARJUNA" motive in all the movements, suggested by Arjuna himself: A=A, R=Re=C, J=G, U=Une=Bb, N=rest, A=A. The style here in this movement is a waltz style which I have never tried before but I know Arjuna loves it. I have toned down the playing difficulty for both the violinists and pianists, as I wish I can play with Arjuna with a live recording later. What I want to achieve in this Violin Sonata is simplicity and beautiful violin singing, since I didn't give much chance for the strings to sing in the String Sextet I just completed then, and my music is usually too complex. I hope I can write something simpler and lovely. The thumbnail is an ugly self-made birthday card I made to Arjuna LoL! Forgive my bad artwork haha. Here is the score and YT link for the music: Violin Sonata in B-flat major 1st mov.pdf Here is the timestamp for the video: 0:00 Dedication 0:06 Exposition, First Subject. Introduces the ARJUNA motive. 0:24 starts the transition with inversion of ARJUNA motive in piano, sounds a lot like Beethoven's op.110 Sonata. Modulate unexpectedly to D major in 2nd subject. 0:56 Exposition, Second Subject. Uses mainly the inversion of ARJUNA motive in D major. Ends with some pentatonicism as inspired by my own Sextet, just finish days ago before writing this one. 1:58 Exposition Repeat. A rare thing for me to repeat expositions but I find it adequate doing so here. 3:47 Development. Prime and Retrograde of ARJUNA motive in G minor first, then develop on the 2nd subject through G minor, B flat minor and to E major. Force a beautiful C sharp minor climax in 4:32, since it's my favourite key. Return to tonic key through major 3rd relationship. 4:58 Recapitulation, First Subject. Have the recap sneaks in in a Brahmsian fashion (again!). 5:16 starts the transition, this time includes a quotation from my own String Sextet in 5:33 in G flat major to fit the key scheme. 5:43 Recapitulation, Second Subject. Normal recap in tonic key, nothing changed. 6:37 Coda. Restatement of ARJUNA motive in its prime form, nothing complex here. Here's the 2nd movement of the same Sonata: Hope you enjoy! Henry

Hello @NicholasG! I think @Marius_ already got many good points and I'm not going to repeat what s/he said. You should be proud of it. Your orchestration and mood portrayal is very mature as a 16 year old and I like many of them. Your motivic usage is lovely too. I really like the ending starting from b.93, good preparation to it and nice rhythmic variety. Maybe for me you can also add more varieties in the harmony as well, since most of the passages are more diatonic and less modulatory and dissonance. Thx for sharing! Henry

Hi @Chemathmusician0510, I agree with @danishali903, the piano shouldn’t just repeat what the strings are playing, but instead have its own part. I wouldn’t go as far as calling the music basic since I think it does display some good chamber music part writing and counterpoint, but I may add more interaction between the instruments and allow other instruments to play the melodic role as well. The piece sounds quite Baroque for me even with those dissonance, because of the drive of the outer sections and the Trio sonata slow movement like middle section. Thx for sharing! Henry

Firstly, I think the audio rendering doesn't do this piece justice. Everything sounds too muddy, and I can barely hear the 2nd violin and viola parts coming through. As to the String Quartet vs Piano Quintet, I don't see the value of having a piano added since it seems to be doubling what's going on in the strings. Leaving this as a string quartet piece would be more logical. Your string writing isn't bad...but it's very "basic". Each instrument/part seems to have a pre-defined range, and the music rarely goes in and out of that range. Maybe throw the melody to the cellist in its higher ranges, or have the viola play something other than this accompaniment role: I also think the transition to the trio section (somewhere around bars 80-82) can be a little more developed, as the trio (bar 83) is VERY different from what came before....just a bit jarring. It might work better, and be a little more interesting, to have that section in a major key. Otherwise, a bit more counterpoint material can help as well. It just sounds very homophonic at the moment. Last comment: The outer sections could use dynamic and phrasing marks.

I am also working on a set of variations and mash-ups on themes not written by me (from a famous videogame). I am using so many themes at once that I am also feeling unmotivated lately to work on it. It seems like one of those never-ending snowballing out of control projects. I hope that I'll finish at least one part of it. I think because of my ginormous orchestral project, the next thing I'll want to write is a piece for 1 monophonic solo instrument accompanied by 1 polyphonic instrument (like the Dreamscapes contest rules). It would be a nice change of pace. And if I manage to write something "dreamy" then it will be all the more interesting. Besides that I was thinking of writing my own variations of more of the themes from the "Bits to Bangers" competition, since I already did the "Harvest Moon" Piano Quintet. I think I majorly prefer working on previously written video game themes, and if not that, then I prefer for my own music to retain a VGM style or media purpose to it somehow.

Am working on an Orchestral Variation on @PeterthePapercomPoser's themes. That's going to be my first orchestral piece and also first variation piece. One third of it has been finished but recently just sort oflosing the motivation a bit. I wanna write 2 serial piano pieces, and my life time goal would be to write a Choral Symphony using Chinese Poet's Du Fu's poems. Maybe I feel too tired working on many music these few months. Finishing a Piano Sonata, my dream the String Sextet which I feel so grateful to have finished, a Violin Sonata and a few piano pieces, maybe it's time for me to slow my pace down and absorb more music again. Henry

"Lion Heart," was written to describe the 12 Day War that is happening. I came up with my own system of modulating serialism: Home | Music Set Modulator The modulations work very well, giving the atonal music a sense of perspective and direction. The twelve day war opens with a trumpet fanfare, in response the upper woodwinds copy what the trumpets had said. After the initial statement, the music modulates to another tonal center. While the set modulates, it is not a direct transposition. Modulation is dynamic. The whole song is very percussive, like a machine gun bursts in some areas, bombs dropping in other areas, intermittent with lyrical rational between the instruments. Just when you think the twelve day war is over, a final percussive drive is offered. The form is closer to rondo, though the piece is sectioned symmetrically with an adagio section in the middle, according to the piano score. Much changes were made in the wind ensemble arrangement, which I will have a score soon. LionHeart.mid

Hi @luderart, The texture in these 3 Sententiae reminds me very much of the parallel organum, and I like the serious mood in it. For me the time signature of the 1st one may be marked in a compound meter so that the triplets signs can be replaced? Thx for sharing! Henry

As stated in the title, this perpetual canon follows all diatonic intervals of the key of B-flat major, as every entry begins on a different degree of the major scale as a tonal transposition of the canon's theme. Since every voice enters while alternating between strong and weak beats as displaced accents, this canon could also be described as "per arsin et thesin", so to speak. Enjoy! YouTube video link:

Hi @EnriqueMZ! Nice March! Maybe for me I would vary the rhythm a bit at the latter half, or change the accompaniment for bars after b.17 to dotted rhythm as well for a more exciting mood. Thx for sharing! Henry

Precisely because of the issues presented by the MuseScore 4 soundbanks I had to remove the cello's initial staccato. It made that single quarter note sound way too strong and became unwieldy when trying to get the playback functionalities to work properly. In any case, thank you kindly for all your feedback, including that which you gave for my other relatively recent compositions.

Hi to everyone. This week I've been working on an exercise to orchestrate Debussy's Prelude No.6 from Book 1. I came up with two versions, one with a very restricted instrumentation, and the other with a larger ensemble. Interested to know which you think works best? The final bass dyad was very problematic, due to its extreme low pitch. It sounded too intrusive and twangy in the harp, and seemed off-pitch in the double-bass, with a horrible grating timbre. Eventually I decided to remove the lowest note altogether in the version with restricted instrumentation, and have the upper note pizz. instead of arco.

A Piece of Me, for You.pdf A Piece of Me.mp3 Despite the simplicity, I think this one turned out absolutely awesome. it was inspired by some... for lack of better words... interestingly put together scoring done by a novice user on the Musescore platform. The only thing that is anywhere near the same is the feel I thought he was goin for, and the key of Ab Major being used, with emphasis on the Major 7ths. (Which I love so so so much. Me and Major 7th chords talk with one another often... hehe) Hope you all enjoy. Let me know what you think! IF anybody wanted to pick up the piece to play it, please please please feel free to do so, I just want a recording of it 😅 😅 😅

Hey Peter my boy! Since you have listed out your really detailed review in point form, I should reply by point form too! 1. That is called RUBATO man!!😜 2. That's what I love in Beethoven's music too haha! I think the muddy texture is what caused the next passage to be "confused" when your mind goes muddy! 3. I love it too! That same falling fourth motive is from the beginning of the whole sonata! I think I learn this kind of German sixth progressions from Brahms. 4. I love that too, I think I am inspired by b.108 in the 1st movement when I did the same there! 5. Well not only here, but also in point 11 I only have a 1-bar transition to another passage. I would say I want these two abrupt transitions to show how confused I was at that time, but maybe they did sound too abrupt. Though I liked the effect, as if I didn't I won't retain them haha! 6. It IS difficult to play, the fingerings there are very weird to play with, but for my beloved C# minor I HAVE NO CHOICE haha. 7. Yeah that Locrian inflection here and also in the blues section comes exactly from the opening of the second movement! 8. I like that too, as I find it a bit difficult to transit reasonably with the change of style! 9. Haha yeah that melody is from the falling fourth motive of the 1st movement. This passage is hard to play with in order to emphasize that falling fourth motive in between the crazy dotted rhythms. 10. Yup the juxtaposition shows how conflicted I was then. That question like phrase is more questioning myself as I always do in my whole life lol. 11. That sweet melody comes from nowhere lol, though it's combined with the first theme of the 2nd movement at the very coda in counterpoint. That theme was born when I was having a walk. Initially I doubted whether I should introduce a new theme in the development of a final movement of a Sonata, but I just couldn't discard it given how beautiful that was, so I just retained it. 12. Yeah I don't like having the right hand playing the melody all the time haha, especially after my chamber music training. 13. Haha yeah I understand, because that passage sounds unrelated to any existing material of the whole Sonata. Though that is the passage which gave me confidence back in composing and by composing that I knew I could write good music again. It's devilish hard to play as well! 14. Yup I was more conflicted there too so I introduced the juxtaposition of material AND tempo too. Just like the ending of the 1st mov of Bee's op.130. 15. It's not from the Sextet, but rather from the second movement of this Sonata with the pentatonicism. I even quote that theme here too! 16. Yup I was conflicted whether to end the piece in a more peaceful way or tragic way, but this is my answer as I couldn't lie to myself and forced a fake Picardy 3rd ending as in many Romantic Sonatas. Thx for your review! Henry

Hey @Mooravioli! I never mind you taking long for replying, given that you finally do reply haha! Truly appreciate it! Thx for your repeated listenings! Yup you said all I thought in the piece. Well you are right to observe that the random pauses interrupt the flow, because that's my intention. For me the blues are just escape lands of Utopia that needed to be interrupted by the real reality particularly in the recap section when I was already more awakened than in the exposition! I realized it was futile to escape imaginarily. Haha I actually love the bluesian Fx! Thx! Yeah all the anguish and pain worths after I finish my Sextet, it's a once-in-lifetime to have completed it in this perfect (I think) way. Thank you! Henry

Hi @Alex Weidmann! Love your orchestration especially that contrabassoon. I think adding con sordino for the strings will make another timbre for the quiet sound. Thx for sharing! Henry

Sometimes between writing my more complex and difficult to write music, I write something that is easy. This is one of those pieces, and I just felt like sharing.

Hi everyone! This is my first piece for full symphony orchestra, first post, (and my first "completed" composition: a lot of firsts), and I'm definitely still learning how to orchestrate better, create nicer textures, and pace my compositions/develop melodies (all for fun, I just like listening to music and playing a little bit haha, so I don't have any formal composition background). This piece was inspired by various Romantic composers (with quotes from my 3 favorite symphonies--one is really obvious but I'm interested to see if others will recognize the snippets I tried to include) and includes two central themes. I'm open to all the advice I can get! Thanks for your time! PS. my score is really chaotic and I still need to clean up all the accidentals and stuff.

Yes, the intent was to be more static in the creation. As recently I’ve been trying to work on my form and trying to be careful with ensuring that the melodic / harmonic voices are distinct from one another, as I have been told in previous pieces that I tend to blur the line between them at times. plus, I believe that soft/heartfelt pieces express much of their beauty within their simplicity. “Less is more” is how I see it with this sort of theme. Allowing the sound of the instruments to breathe in the air for a moment, and giving the room a chance to carry sound, in my opinion, impacts an audience better than if there was fluently complex chord structures, and limited breaks between phrases. 🙂 PS id also like to point out that this sort of theme is quite different from my typical stylistic choices when it comes to composing. So was really dipping my toes in the water with this one. I’m usually writing in a more “Adagio” or “Andante” style, rather than “Grave” or “Larghetto”

Nice piece! It makes me think of the C418 minecraft soundtrack. Yes, it does feel static, but personally I don't mind that at all. Although the best moments are when you break that staticness, like in bar 30-something with the sixtuplet. I like how you - when using the same chord for two successive bars - thin out / change the texture. Well done! Kind regards, Marius

This is quite good for a first attempt at orchestral writing! I definitely hear allusions to other composers' works (Mahler, Dvorak, and Sibelius come to mind...with a hint of Bruckner). I do take issue with the title of the piece. When I think "Rhapsody", I expect something a little more virtuosic...doesn't have to be "fast", but needs more ornamentation and something show-off-y. I would call this maybe an "Orchestral Fantasy" due to its episodic form. Orchestration is a little odd for winds. You can probably reduce the flute section to just 2 + piccolo. You can also probably reduce to 4 horns. Strange there are no trumpets or additional trombones. The scoring is a bit haphazard and confusing as you can't tell which wind part is suppose to play when (unless they are constantly doubled?) Also, I've never seen a horn part using the tenor clef (and for some reason its only in Horns 5/6).

Thought I'd join in as well!

Hey @Fugax Contrapunctus! Great idea! I really like how the canon starts on the dominant, making the F minor tonality only a later emergent property of the harmony arising from the counterpoint. I think the Musesounds strings are a bit difficult to deal with to get them to sound as intended. I wonder why you changed the articulation to staccato as each new voice enters when it wasn't staccato in the Cello? It would make the entry of each voice more obvious I think if they entered on a fully held quarter note. The beginning and ending of the canon, I think are the best parts. But the middle could really have used some space/rests in the line to imo to give the ear an occasional break from the barrage of constant melodic material that demands to be digested by the ears. Thanks for sharing!

Hi @Fugax Contrapunctus! I think your hours of labor on this unusual subject really paid off! I think the subject and the counter-subject are really well matched with each other with one moving while the other rests on quarter notes. It creates a kind of question/answer dichotomy between the voices and increases their independence. I think this is one of the best fugues you've written and seems really mature and less mechanical. It's very fluid, natural and spontaneous. The only thing that bothers me is the ending on a feminine cadence. I felt like the last chord came too early and should have been reserved for the strong beat of the next (non-existent) bar. Thanks for sharing!

Hi @Fugax Contrapunctus! This perhaps makes me think of a slow funeral march with its metronomic regularity and depth of emotion. I usually try to try to steer clear of orchestrating stuff the way you've done here where the choir is basically just doubled by the strings and woodwinds. You seem to have made it work, but I wonder if that will translate to a real performance. Perhaps with a careful balancing of the orchestra and a formidable enough choir, the orchestra won't drown the choir out. But you seem to have deliberately omitted the brass which might have been too forceful for the venue and the nature of the music, so I guess it's best to leave them tacit. Thanks for sharing!

lol I have never replied here!! Pabio you are just too nice, I already find some minor little flaws in the music 😜! But thank you so much for loving it so much!! I am sure I hope to strive for greatness in this music, though I don’t now whether it does achieve greatness or not. I just have so many things I wanna speak that hasn’t be spoken and they are all spoken here in this music. I thought of the tragedy of my friend, Ukraine, Gaza people (not the evil state) and humanity in general, the philosophical teachings my philosophy Professor and his teachers, Confucius and Kant taught, and just wanna express them out. This is the first time I truly don’t care whether the Sextet is well received or not, because I have already spoken out what I wanna speak and I know I have paid my 500% effort in composing this. I know I have no regrets writing this because I pour all my hearts and souls in it, and even if the product is not good enough, I still have no regrets because I probably won’t be able to do better. I am sure you will write your own work that you are satisfied very much with Pabio! I did keep dreaming that I would finish the Sextet one day even though it’s very, very, very difficult. I always think that you have to have new thoughts in order to have new sound and timbre, not the vice verse as the contemporary music composer claims. Thank you! I still enjoy very much what you commented on the 2nd movement of the Sextet!! Henry

A new poetry from the same Laforgue I can post the poem here, which is a beautiful black diamond (an automatic translation but quite close to the meaning) As always at Laforgue, irony, tenderness, idleness of an impossible platonic love We know that he loved a young Englishwoman with no return, and I think it was she who inspired him his most beautiful pages, here in the evening of his short life. Thank you for your reviews and comments! Ah! tonight, my heart feels sick, my heart is with the Moon! O veils of silence, spread out your still lagoons; O rooftops, terraces, basins, loosened necklaces Of pearls, tombs, lilies, grieving cats — give praise To the Moon, our Mistress to all, in her glory: She is the Host! and silence is her ciborium! Ah! how good it feels, oh! so good and sweet, in the halo Of mourning around this finest diamond’s glow! O Moon, you may find me a bit romantic, But tell me — now and then, wouldn’t it be frantic To think — just between us, and only if you please — That I could be your Columbus, on my knees? Well, let’s not speak of that; let’s chant the midnight rite, Preserved in alcohol, steeped in your delights. Slowing down towards us, O weary City, Fibrous cell with broken organs, withered pity! Remember the centaurs, the cities now erased, Palmyra, and the snub-nosed sphinxes of Thebes the chaste; And what Gomorrah, beneath your Lethe lake, Hides catacombs in honor of barren Astarte’s sake! And how mankind, with his “I love you” clichés, Is much too anthropomorphic in his ways, And knows only how to muddle through his days With hellos and goodbyes while twisting love his way. — Ah! As I was saying, and more than once or twice, That my heart is sick — my heart is with the Moon, precise.

Hello @L.S Barros, The piece does sound very English for me with all those colorful Picardy 3rds. I don't know if I mishear but I think I catch a parallel 5th in 0:31, maybe it's the organ sound. Thx for sharing. Henry

I really like how it turned out. Both the sounds you used (the organ in particular, or whatever it is) and the composition itself.

Hello @L.S Barros and welcome to the forum! Nice sonata! I assume (you can correct me if I'm wrong) that this is a sonata de camera? I love the constant exchange between major and minor mode that is so characteristic of music in this style, with all its Picardy 3rds (as I learned on your server). I do wonder how it would sound if you tried reversing the pattern - like, what if a phrase in a major mode ended on a minor chord? Or maybe you or some other Baroque-style composer already do this? I get the sense that this is a dance and is a piece that could easily be danced to in real life rather than just being a dance form that evolved out of an actual dance but is meant to be just an instrumental (which is why I'm guessing that this is a sonata de camera). Thanks for sharing and I hope you find this forum to be a good platform to share more of your works and participate by listening to other composers' works and possibly reviewing them! Kind regards,

The final piece of my four Piano pieces set and just a lame joke. Can be developed into a postmodern minimalistic masterpiece by repeating the joke forever and forever...... Joke in A flat major.pdf Hope you enjoy this one! Henry

Hi y'all, second post on this forum... Here's a piece I finished a while back. Hope you like it!