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Hello my friends! I’m happy to present my Binary Sonata No. 26 to you as well. I hope you enjoy it!

In a sense Chopin's Ballade no.2 does the same thing, although Chopin goes even one step forward by destroying the false repose of F major all along with the cruel but real tragic A minor ending.

I agree the key of the song should be C# minor modulates to E minor with heavy reliance on deceptive cadence. Maybe the songwriter wants to signify the peace represented by the VI chord is full of undercurrent of i. Henry

Viola and Piano Heres this duo I wrote for the international contemporary ensemble, during my first year at UCR. Its not 12 tone i just kinda let my ear guide me. I liked the piece tho hated the process of composing it.

My bad I fixed it. The link is to the youtube recording

After some thought, I think I'll scrap the piece, just keeping my A section and seeing what I can do with that.

"Nature's Way" by Christopher Cross: The song starts out on A major.. the chords are as follows: (Verse) (Chorus) ||: A maj | G#7sus4 G#7 :||: C#m A maj B maj :|| E maj B maj | A maj || (repeat) then in the middle there's a modulation in the chorus: (Verse and guitar solo) (Chorus) ||: A maj | G#7sus4 G#7 :||: Em C maj D maj :|| G maj D maj | C maj || ||: C maj | B7sus4 B7 :||: Em C maj D maj :||: G maj D maj | C maj :|| The song ends on a D major chord. I posted this song because of it's ambiguous tonality. The song starts on an A major chord which sounds temporarily as if it could be the tonic chord. But soon enough it turns out to be a bVI chord in a bVI, V7sus4, V7, i progression (C# minor being the key here). But then that is immediately contradicted by E maj, B maj and A maj which in isolation sound like they could be the I, V and IV chords in E major. Finally, there's a modulation after the guitar solo to E minor, emphasizing the i, bVI and bVII (a common trope in rock music and in VGM often referred to as the "Mario Cadence") . The whole pattern of chords is now transposed up a minor 3rd. So the temporary modulation into the relative major is now targeting G major. The song ends on a D major chord, leaving many unanswered questions about its tonality. First off, most of the chords in the progression are major chords. But if you follow the roman numeral analysis, the tonic could be considered to be minor (either C# minor or E minor after the modulation in the middle of the guitar solo). This all just serves to underline the songs harmonic ambiguity. What key do you think it's in?

I started this few years ago and posted a couple pieces of this suite before. I had intended to finish it but set it aside and hadn't worked on it in a while. I finally cam back to it a few weeks ago and decided to finish it. It's based on the Hans Christian Anderson story of the Steadfast Tin Soldier. My goal was to write each piece in 3/4 timing, as I don't often use that timing and to keep each piece to less than 4 minutes (thought the finale is just over 5 minutes). I included a description for each piece to describe the action. I. The Tin Soldiers Play War There were once twenty-five tin soldiers, born of the same old spoon. The little boy lined them up together, all splendid in their uniforms of red and blue. They all looked the same, except one. He looked a little different as he had been cast last of all. The tin was short and, in turn, so was he. But there he stood, as steady as his brethren. The little boy marched them around the table, clashing them together and making booms like cannons and musket fire. II. The Paper Ballerina’s Dance He lined them up to protect the model castle and the other small toy figures inside. One of those was a little paper ballerina, with a fluffy gauze skirt and a glistening jewel around her neck. The little tin soldier thought to himself, “I would so love for her to be my wife, but maybe she’s too grand for me. She lives in a castle, and I have only a little box that I share with twenty-four other soldiers.” He hid behind a little box, steadfastly watching her as the other soldiers continued to play. III. The Soldier and the Ballerina’s Pas de Deux When night came and the children went to bed, the toys came to life and began to play on their own. The little tin soldier moved toward the ballerina and offered his hand. To his surprise, she did not reject it; she clasped his hand, and the two began to dance. As they whirled around the table, they looked into each other’s eyes and knew they had found their true love. IV. The Jealous Goblin But in the shadows lurked the goblin who lived in the jack-in-a-box, and he was not pleased with what he saw. For he thought the ballerina belonged to him and did not appreciate this newcomer taking his place. He approached the soldier and said, “Keep your eyes and hands to yourself.” He pushed at him, but the tin soldier stood stiffly in his spot. As the goblin stalked away, he said, “Just what till tomorrow!” V. The Soldier Falls from the Window The next day, maybe by chance or maybe because of the goblin, the little soldier ended up on the open window ledge. Whether it was a gust of wind or a goblin spell, the little soldier fell three stories to the ground, landing between the paving stones. VI. The Journey on the Paper Boat He lay there all night till two boys found him and placed him on a little boat and sent him sailing down the river. The little soldier thought about his dear ballerina and if he would ever see her again. The stream began to move faster and faster, carrying him toward the drain to the sewer. VII. The Escape from the Sewer Rats The tin soldier found himself floating through the sewer. Suddenly, a group of rats came toward the water, demanding that the little soldier pay a toll for passing through their land. They scurried around to find debris to throw at the boat. The little soldier tried to steer the boat around them, but it led him into a fast-moving tunnel and through a drain that led out to sea. The boat turned over and the soldier fell into the water. VIII. The Fish and the Surprise Inside Before he could sink to the bottom, a passing fish swallowed him and the little soldier found himself in the fish’s belly. He moved back and forth as the fish swam. All of a sudden, the fish began to move wildly and then fell still. He then heard loud noises coming from outside before turning quiet. A knife suddenly cut through the fish’s belly and before the little soldier stood his former master’s cook. He had miraculously found his way home. IX. The Reunion and the Fireplace The little soldier stood on the table, his paint worn off, but he still stood as stiff as ever. Across the table, he saw his ballerina, his love that he thought he would never see again. His heart was filled with so much regret for the time together they had missed. But lurking in the shadow was the wicked little goblin. He would not let the little tin soldier take his girl away. Maybe by chance or maybe it was the goblin, but one of the children picked up the soldier and threw him into the fire. The goblin danced in delight of his victory, but suddenly a gust of wind blew the paper ballerina into the fire with the soldier. The next morning, when the fire had died out. The maid saw in the ashes a tiny tin heart, and at the center was the jewel that the ballerina wore. Joined together, as one. 14 The Tin Soldier's Play War.mp3 15 The Paper Ballerina's Dance.mp3 16 The Soldier and the Ballerina's Pas de Deux.mp3 17 The Jealous Goblin.mp3 18 The Soldier Falls From the Window.mp3 19 The Journey on the Paper Boat.mp3 20 The Escape from the Sewer Rats.mp3 21 The Fish and the Surprising Dinner.mp3 22 The Reunion and the Fireplace.mp3