Hornet12

Thanks again for listening. About the cello sixteenth-note-triplet thing--the piece was actually premiered last week, and the cellist played that figure as sort of a hammer-on, pull-off pizz type of thing, which is basically what I was going for. The third note of the triplet is pretty much inaudible (and the second is really quiet), but it's just the general feeling I was going for. And definitely something to consider about the high cello parts being in tenor clef.... I'm not a cellist, so thanks for the input.

Thanks for listening! Not sure why the prelude mp3 isn't found... it seems to be working fine for me... maybe I'll try re-uploading it...

Prelude and Fugue is scored for a sextet ensemble consisting of flute, violin, two violas, and two cellos. The piece is basically a modern interpretation of a traditional form. The Prelude of this piece is in a modified sonata form. Acting as a recurring element in the movement, the chord sequence presented at the beginning of the movement in the strings returns three more times during the Prelude, in various tonal areas. The Fugue is classically organized with respect to form, but with a modern, modal harmonic language. The movement progresses through tonal areas in a manner that parallels the harmonic progression of the Prelude’s development section: G, G-flat, E-flat, D, and ending on G. For a majority of the movement, each instrument is treated as an independent line, creating constant sixteenth-note motion and rhythmic excitement between the parts. At two points, though—one-third of the way through the movement, and the piece’s coda—the violin carries the fugue subject material while the other five instruments join together in a homophonic rhythm. These two sections provide a brief respite from the frantic rhythmic activity that characterizes most of the Fugue.Thanks so much for listening! (The complete score is found in the "Prelude" section.) Prelude and Fugue (for flute and five strings)

Thanks for listening again. As far as the high C goes, I've been working with the tenor who's going to be singing in the recital, and he doesn't seem to have much trouble with it... (Granted, he is a pretty outstanding singer though...I'm lucky to have such great singers) Definitely something to consider though for the future. Thanks again!

"Five Night Songs" is a set of five songs for soprano, tenor and piano--two songs are for soprano, two are for tenor, and the last is a duet. The first song, “This Is Thy Hour, O Soul,” contains only the pitches found in the octatonic collection containing C-sharp and D. C-sharp is treated as a central note in the piece. Several times throughout this song, as well as the other four songs, the piano part includes include double-octave figures; this sonority represents the “star” imagery that is found in most of these poems. The second song, “Prairie Waters by Night” is in a ternary form; the initial A section is from mm. 1-34, the B section is from mm. 39-62, and the A’ section is from mm. 70-98 (with transitions between the three sections). The harmonic and melodic material of the outer A sections is taken from the A Lydian mode, with a few “chromatic” notes. The B section is less firmly planted in any specific key or mode, as it begins in F Lydian but quickly moves to other pitch areas. “The Night is Calm and Cloudless,” the third song, is in a double binary form (ABAB). As in “This Is Thy Hour, O Soul,” the opening soprano motive forms a basis for the rest of the piece. The first interval of this motive, the fifth, is also an important element; in fact, the chords of the A section (mm. 1-35) are based entirely on quintal harmonies. The B section (mm. 36-62) takes its pitch material from the B Lydian mode. At measure 42, the B section is briefly interrupted by a restatement of the A section material, to accompany the text “And sadly and unceasing, the mournful voice sings on,” only to return to B section material once again at measure 54. The fourth song, “Silence and Whirling Worlds,” is in a ternary form, and the entire piece is based on the A-flat Lydian mode. The outer A sections (mm. 1-19 and 33-43) incorporate “whirling” sextuplets in the right hand, along with material in the left hand that imitates the tenor line. The B section (mm. 22-32) replaces the sextuplets with rolled chords in the right hand and longer, sustained chords in the left hand. The tenor line “And wing’d, we leave the sod” ushers in the return of the A section for the song’s closing. The final song, “Watchman, Tell Us of the Night,” is set as a conversation between the Watchman (tenor) and the Traveller (soprano). The harmonic material of the song is fundamentally triadic, although most of the chords contain added notes. The song begins in an F minor tonality; however, the harmonic material quickly moves away from F minor and through various distantly related keys. The tenor and soprano voices are kept separate, until the climax of the song, measure 48, where they sing together. The two voices conclude the song as it began, in an F minor tonicity. These songs haven't been performed yet (a performance is scheduled for April 11), so I've uploaded Finale MIDI playbacks. Five Night Songs

Thanks for listening/commenting. Yeah, I'm hoping that with live performers I'll be more able to hear certain things that the Finale playback just doesn't do very well.

Well, I really am glad that people are taking the time to listen to my pieces and comment on them... I don't know, it just seems meaningful when others are interested in what I (or any composer) have created, and what they think about it, whether it's praise or criticism. Both are valuable. OK, enough with the sappy stuff. :D Sure, I'll take a look at your music sometime soon.

Christopher, Thanks a lot for the comments. I see what you mean about the sudden shift in registers; I'll have to ask my singer to sing through that part for me so I can see exactly what the effect will be. (Last time I heard him sing it, I wasn't finished with the song.) Not being a singer myself, it's something I never would have thought of on my own, so I'm grateful you pointed that out. Thanks again!

Thanks so much for listening. About the piano writing -- I tried to make the piano and the singer EACH soloists, rather than having just the singer as a soloist. Of course, the piano also serves the role of accompanist, but I tried to avoid mere "accompaniment" figures in the piano writing. I really appreciate all the comments!

Maybe a local college or university choir? I don't know. Where I go to school, the choirs are usually more than willing to perform new music, even from non-students. Just a thought.

Great start! The piece was kind of entrancing in a way... One thing I would say about the piece is that the constant eighth-note accompaniment seems rather repetitive; however, I noticed that you are planning on adding a B section to the piece. That would give you a good chance to mix up the accompaniment a little. I do question the use of B-flat (first happens in measure 12, I believe). I would spell that as A-sharp, since you're using it as a secondary leading tone for the B. Just a small detail. Overall, though, really nice piece! I'm excited to see it when you've added a B section.

Thanks for the comments. I do appreciate seeing professional-looking scores, and I try to produce scores of good quality myself, and so I will definitely give your comments consideration. You're definitely right about collisions involving ties, accidentals, and beams; after looking at a score for so long, I suppose my eyes just miss things like that! Thanks again for listening!

Thanks, Heckel, for listening to my piece! I appreciate your comments.

Morivou- What a great set of pieces! You should be proud. You were right, the Whitman setting is a different interpretation than my setting for tenor; however, I think it is extremely effective. Lots of crunchy diatonic harmonies, which I am a fan of. For me, the standout piece was "Innsfree." What I liked about it was that it felt slow and reflective, yet it still had forward motion. It didn't feel stagnant, which is sometimes a difficult thing to avoid in a slow piece. One specific element I liked was your use of the dotted eighth note pattern (4 in a row). It provided a different kind of motion that I felt was a good touch. I am a sucker for chorales, and enjoyed the "nationalistic" section. It actually gave me chills! Yes, this MIDI recording gave me chills... haha. The third movement works well also. It expresses a thought, and doesn't ramble on for a long time. Nice job. I would love to hear this performed live! Excellent work. Hornet

Will do! :)