Conceptual Music Competition 18: Ancient Temple

CMC: Conceptual Music Competition

This competition is based on the rules of the classic TOMC (Thematic Original Music Competition).

The CMC (Conceptual Music Competition) is designed so that each participant enters a piece of music based on a set theme. The participants take the theme and interpret it as they will to come up with something that fits. Any style can work, as long as it portrays a sense of what the theme is.

Feel free to be imaginative!

Each successive theme will be chosen by the winner of the previous competition. For example, say the theme of the last competition, CMC 19, was "Mudslide" and the winner, Doug, submitted a piece that knocked the socks off of everyone, so he won. Doug then gets to decide the theme for CMC 20.

This competition is open to registered members of the forums of

OverClocked ReMix, VGMix, Ormgas, VGMusic, Gaming World, and Young Composers.

CMC 18: Ancient Temple

"A small team of explorers and scientists cut through the final patch of dense jungle and stumble into a wide opening in the trees. They all stare in awe at the monstrous thing that rises up before them: a massive temple built by an ancient civilization. They have finally reached their destination and prepare to explore into its interior. But little do they know that this is only the beginning..." -Gimgak

Results!:

• Text results and critiques

There are 7 entries for this round...

Bold Little Airwave - "Rise into Moonlight"

• "(song starts) The explorers work their way through the thick brush, hoping to find a clearing to make camp for the night. With the sunlight fading, they are about to give up hope when suddenly they reach a wide open clearing. (music builds) They are amazed to see a beautifully well preserved temple, outlined by the setting sun behind it. That night, with tents pitched and a roaring fire dancing across the stone columns, they dream of the temple. They dream of the past, of ancient drums and singing in forgotten languages. Then as quickly as it started, the dreams begin to fade as morning comes. (music begins to drop out) However, a passage is found leading underground. What could await them there? (song ends)."

• "Instead of viewing this from the viewpoint of the Scientists, why can't we see what the Temple sees as well?
  0:01-0:22
  There is a signal from the Ancient Forest around the Temple, warning of the impending danger of the scientists as they approach.
  0:23-1:06
  A soft sign of the uncertain future about to befall both the Scientists and the Temple is heard. The animals and plants are worried about their home.
  1:07-1:33
  The scientists are growing closer by the minute. They can be heard slashing their way through the forest towards the Temple.
  1:34-3:01
  The scientists gaze in awe of the Temple. But little do they now, that as they are staring at the Temple, so is it staring back at them.
  3:02-3:45
  Another soft warning to the scientists to leave is given. There is no hint as to what the danger is.
  3:46-4:39
  The scientists have stumbled through the Temple, to arrive in the Coronation room. This room was where the highest authority of the ancient civilization lived and work. Notes are etched into the wall, and the Coronation Emblem sits atop a pedestal. One of the scientists takes it, and they begin to leave.
  4:40-5:07
  The lifeforce fo the Emblem cries out to the Temple to save it. Its cries fall on deaf ears, until...
  5:08-5:50
  The Temple responds, crying out in pain as the life it has held for so long is taken away from it. The Temple cries out with such energy and feeling that the Temple itself starts to shake. The scientist, realizing what he has done, returns the Emblem to its pedestal. The Emblem and the Temple cry out their feelings of joy, as they are reunited once more.
  5:51-6:34
  The joy of the Temple and the Emblem fill the scientists with an overbundance of joy and hapiness. They turn and go to leave, but the Temple gives them a knowledge lost to time: the knowledge of existence. It is but a small price to pay in return for not taking away a piece of the Temple. A small goodbye is said in the hearts of everyone present as the scientists leave.
  6:35-7:22
  All is well...or is it? Perhaps one day, again, the Temple will meet our existence..."

ziniz - "Phantom Sanctuary"

• "So this is a song that interprets the Ancient Temple as a sort of 'ghost house.' Hopefully, a unique take on the theme, though doubtless somebody probably beat me to it, hahaha. Anyways, enjoy."

• "A small team of explorers and scientists explore an ancient temple."

Ross Birdsall - "Ruins of Maya"

• "This music is for a concert percussion ensemble, what seems to me to be a great choice for the prompt!
  As the song begins, a small team of explorers hacks through the dense jungle, and the excitement grows as they near their destination. Finally, the team arrives at the location of the rumored ruins, and find a massive temple awaiting them. The explorers begin their descent into the unknown depths of the temple, in a nervous yet somewhat Indiana Jones-esque attitude. The team splits up, each member hoping to find riches that will make him famous, but one of them descends too far, and awakens the ancient evil that guards this temple. The last section of music is a desperate flight to the surface, ending with the retreat of the survivors into the jungle again."

Blue.Nocturne - "Courtyard of the Ancients"

• "No story this time, use your imagination and the title of this piece. Sorry for the short length of the piece, but I was running short on time."

• "After weeks of walking through a forest miles away from civilization, our team of explorers stumbles upon this ancient temple. They walk from room to room, looking through the ancient wisdoms of this long forsaken place. What hidden glories does this place posses? What long awaited answers will be found here? And what new mysteries will arise from within?"

Voting Rules!:

• Voters will be allowed to pick a first place (3 points) and any number of honorary mentions (1 point). Only one set of votes from any one voter will be accepted and a person cannot vote for any one piece more than once. Corrections to votes, from the original voter only, will be accepted, but corrections will void the previous votes. Basically, a voter can vote and correct the vote, but only the final form of that vote will be counted. Send all votes to

• The voting period will last from the moment the entries are posted in the thread to the Saturday of that week. The voting period for this round ends April 12, so be sure to spend some time really listening to the pieces.

• Any participant in the competition can vote, but not for their own pieces. However, in an effort to encourage voting among participants, any participant who votes will have 2 points added to their voting score.

Official Rules!:

1. Each piece must be originally composed for this competition. Arrangements and remixes will not be accepted. (Pieces composed by the participant prior to the competition will not be accepted.)
   
2. Each piece must be 2:00 or longer and match the competition theme.
   
3. Only one entry per person. Collaborations will be allowed, but each collaborator may not submit any other pieces. (This also means that a person cannot collaborate on two or more different pieces at the same time.)
   
4. A link to the entry piece must be e-mailed or PMed to Abadoss prior to the deadline set for each competition. DO NOT POST THE LINK IN THE THREAD!
   
5. Important: Each file must be labelled accordingly: Composer_Name_-_Composition_Title_CMC#.mp3
   (For example, if Pauline Faust submits a piece called "Raking the Leaves of Sorrow" to CMC 23, then her filename would be: Pauline_Faust_-_Raking_the_Leaves_of_Sorrow_CMC23.mp3)
   
6. MP3 file format is required. Know that even OGG will need to be converted into MP3. (If someone is unable to do so themselves, Abadoss would be willing and able to do it for them.)
   
7. Entries should be accompanied by a description and/or story to help listeners understand what the piece is about. (Not required, though.)
   
8. All entries must be submitted by Saturday, April 5, 2008 at 11:59 PM - PST, GMT-8.

You can find the competition threads for each forum listed below:

• OverClocked ReMix: Conceptual Music Competition 18: Ancient Temple - OverClocked ReMix Forums
  
• VGMix: VGMix Forums • View topic - Conceptual Music Competition 18: Ancient Temple
  
• Ormgas: ocremix at ormgas.com - Streaming videogame music remixes: Forums / General / Conceptual Music Competition 18: Ancient Temple
  
• VGMusic: VGMusic • View topic - Conceptual Music Competition 18: Ancient Temple
  
• Gaming World: Gaming World Forums - Conceptual Music Competition 18: Ancient Temple
  
• Young Composers: http://www.youngcomposers.com/forum/conceptual-music-competition-18-ancient-temple-13842.html

Good luck and have fun! :D

Previous CMCs: Conceptual Music Competition (1-9)

ooh sounds fun!!!!!

I might cook something up

Alright, this IS my third time trying one of these, so I'll do my best! I've already got ideas, so I plan to enter this one. :D

I haven't done a CMC in a while (well, this would be my second, :D), so I'd love to give this one a try, :D

Good, now let's seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee~

I'm up.....this one sounds way fun actually

I'm working on it now...!

Hey, if Gimgak thought of this CMC's topic, did he end up winning #17?

No, Blue.Nocturne won. Blue.Nocturne felt like he was out of ideas, so Gimgak, who came in second, chose.

All entries are in! Time to vote!

The results are in!

Stay tuned for the next round!

...these are not advertised very well... especially since it still said the last one last time I looked at the main page. lol.

Hmm... that's rather interesting...

I updated the homepage :ninja:

I updated the homepage :ninja:

As soon as I get the theme idea from Ross, CMC 19 will be coming up pretty soon, in which case, the homepage will need to be updated again...

If you PM me when you start each new comp I can update it as soon as it's up - this might be a better system than me updating it when I notice it - which could be a while after it starts, as was the case here ;)

Sounds good. I'll do that.

The next round has been posted! Here's the link:

http://www.youngcomposers.com/forum/conceptual-music-competition-19-haunted-house-14326.html