Italian Concerto (with German counterpoint)

This is as of yet unfinished, but here it is, my first foray into a conventional chamber work; already approved by a member of Vox Saeculorum (so spare the plebian remarks). As the title describes it is an allegro movement in the Italian style, arranged for keyboard (alternating solo and tutti accordingly). Needs some corrections in areas, but here it is. It is presented as a video rendition of the keyboard emulator used to play it. Enjoy.

YouTube - Allegro nach Italianisches Art

im not a baroque expert or counterpoint expert - but im just going to say one thing: Loved it, loved it, loved it!..ok that was 6 things...well 6 words, but...ok im babbling now.

Excellent.

hi,

i tried, but couldn't hear something fresh and stylishly-specific in this piece. it sounds to me as pure baroque.

for a baroque piece, it is great, really. keep up the good work.

also, if you feel honored about any kind of approvement (like the one you mention), i think you slightly lessen it's value with your comment on leaving "plebian remarks". i wouldn't like that if i was the one having approved it.

I agree to a limited extent with Mr Rybak. It sounds perfectly pleasant, but doesn't have me humming along. In short, it appears largely harmonically correct, but it's not nearly as catchy, as harmonically adventurous or texturally exciting as Bach's Italian Concerto (after which I assume this is modelled). In terms of upsides and downsides, I loved the minor sequence with the underlying circle of fifths pedal. Please bring that back! On the downside, I really didn't like the chords being thumped every other bar, particularly when in the lower register. This was just taste - there's nothing stylistically inappropriate, other than in the idiom such crashes would usually be introduced, then hidden until the climax of a very obvious return to the tonic (or perhaps related minor). Use the crashes sparingly is my advice.

Admittedly, 'catchiness' may not be something to which you aspire in a concerto, but I assure you that it is of great importance to have a subject or motif onto which the listener quickly grabs. There's not much you can about this now, but I felt that generally in your composition I wasn't being provided many memorable snippets of music or signposts. In Bach's Italian Concerto, 'signposts' are provided by; the memorable themes, predictable sequences and a clear harmonic framework into which these are set.

This advice is all ephemeral though; the fact I can be so analytical is definitely a good sign. Congratulations on the Vox Saeculorum go-ahead. I've heard nothing but praise of them!

I am perfectly aware of the weaknesses in the work and it's overall weaknesses. However, like I said, you lot should really spare your plebian opinions. You lot are the kind of people who could have a lesser known Bach or Haendel work posted in front of you, and still throw the same kind of peon remarks at it. Zetetic's ramblings are legendary.

if we are so bad in our opinions, and you are so perfectly aware of everything, why post anything and ask for any opinions (and you *do* ask for opinions, that's what a forum for)?

sorry, but till now, the only person sounding plebian in this thread is you.

no matter if Zetetic's opinion is correct, he was politely pointing it out, nothing more.

PraeludiumUndFuge, I don't understand what you meant by "Plebeian remarks". Are you trying to flaunt your musical superiority in this forum? Humbleness will serve you well, even if you hear something you don't like.

If you really think that we who do you a favour by reviewing your work and evaluating it are being Plebeian, why do you post it there in the first place?

I find your choice of words demeaning. I think we would be more appreciative if you would want us not to comment on some parts, like stylistic choices, afterall, its your work.

You are no patrician yourself.

Are Bach and Handel infallible? :D

P&F - the animation looks pretty cool.

1. Structurally I feel that the opening ritornello is interrupted by the ripieno before a full exposition is complete. My 2 cents: the entry of ripieno could be delayed until after the sequences in the ritornello (new material)

2. The E D E C# repeats don't sound convincing to me.

3. Are the sporadic 'pings' limitation of the demo software?

Keep up the good work!

Just to reiterate, the piece is perfectly pleasant-sounding, the piece is boring, and you are an donkey.

I thank previous posters for having defended me.

I am perfectly aware of the weaknesses in the work and it's overall weaknesses. However, like I said, you lot should really spare your plebian opinions. You lot are the kind of people who could have a lesser known Bach or Haendel work posted in front of you, and still throw the same kind of peon remarks at it. Zetetic's ramblings are legendary.

I'm utterly dumbfounded. Isn't diversity of opinion what musical discussion is about? Were you honestly expecting, having posting a relatively unremarkable, unfinished composition on a children's website, to receive universally positive, university-level criticism? It would perhaps be easier to defend your position with better music than a wall of insults. Feel free to disregard my advice and that of other reviewers, but to discard it as unworthy is sophomoric and pompous. It will also deter people reviewing your works, though I question whether this is actually something you desire, or with which you can cope.

If you are perfectly aware of this work's numerous flaws, there's no need to ask for our input. The works of yours I have heard have been largely pleasant, but certainly nothing to be quite so toplofty and orgulous about. None is mistakeable for Bach or H

Were you honestly expecting, having posting a relatively unremarkable, unfinished composition on a children's website, to receive universally positive, university-level criticism?

I'd like to see some adult websites.

:toothygrin:

I'd like to see some adult websites.

:toothygrin:

I think you better take that desire of yours to the search engines. HAHAHA.

I wonder what sort of responses this music would return if posted as a video on an adult website. . . . . I'm sure there are countless innuendi relating to harpsichords!

Maybe not.

I wonder what sort of responses this music would return if posted as a video on an adult website. . . . . I'm sure there are countless innuendi relating to harpsichords!

Maybe not.

No, I don't think so.... :toothygrin:

This is as of yet unfinished, but here it is, my first foray into a conventional chamber work; already approved by a member of Vox Saeculorum (so spare the plebian remarks). As the title describes it is an allegro movement in the Italian style, arranged for keyboard (alternating solo and tutti accordingly). Needs some corrections in areas, but here it is. It is presented as a video rendition of the keyboard emulator used to play it. Enjoy.

YouTube - Allegro nach Italianisches Art

Hello PraeludiumUndFuge, I had thought you had left the forum forever; it's good to see you're still making Baroque music. As you know (and I repeat this to everyone far too much), the early Baroque is more of my thing than the late, but nevertheless I liked the overall sound, the theme and the sequences. I can't really criticize; clearly you have grown much as a composer.

I see you've discovered that Czech harpsichord... unlike you I've been unwilling to endure Hauptwerk's chime thing on the unregistered version.... :D I am using the Blanchet harpsichord which works fine with MyOrgan, but it lacks the 4' stop. My own harpsichord is a 2x8' + 4', so I appreciate how much having three stops increases the possibilities.

Any chance you will be posting a score? I would love to play this myself. And by the way, J. Lee Graham on this forum is also a member of Vox Saeculorum. Are you planning on joining them? It's good to see more people on this forum interested in historical styles.

On the downside, I really didn't like the chords being thumped every other bar, particularly when in the lower register. This was just taste - there's nothing stylistically inappropriate, other than in the idiom such crashes would usually be introduced, then hidden until the climax of a very obvious return to the tonic (or perhaps related minor). Use the crashes sparingly is my advice.

From what I understand this rendition is probably made from a MIDI file or notation program linked to the sampler. I think that of all instruments, the harpsichord suffers the most from the MIDI treatment. Harpsichordists are constantly working with subtle articulations and arpeggiations; these large block chords sound very percussive in MIDI but they become varied and exciting when a real harpsichordist tackles them. And we can't let MIDI or Finale's failings affect our compositions!

But of course you might just not like the block chord approach. It was fairly common in that fringe of very late harpsichord music meant to emulate the sounds of the concerto. It isn't particularly idiomatic to the harpsichord, but like I said, perhaps it's just the MIDI performance that bothers you. You might want to try hearing a very good harpsichordist's interpretations of Scarlatti or Rameau, both very late Baroque composers who wrote the thumping chords.

Suberb! good to hear more of the old music!

I am perfectly aware of the weaknesses in the work and it's overall weaknesses. However, like I said, you lot should really spare your plebian opinions. You lot are the kind of people who could have a lesser known Bach or Haendel work posted in front of you, and still throw the same kind of peon remarks at it. Zetetic's ramblings are legendary.

You know, even the most conservative composers of their eras still sounded like contemporary in their days (Brahms and Barber two good examples.) And the thing is, if Brahms HAD written a piece in a Baroque, you can damn well be sure it would have still sounded like Brahms. Why are you writing in a 350 year old style? Honestly? Neo-Baroque music can work QUITE well (See "Prelude, Arioso, and Fugue" by Honegger) but you don't just ignore musical evolution. That is the most outright lazy and PLEBEIAN (note there are TWO E's, Smart Guy) thing that a composer could do. You are just proving that you have no originality, not a creative bone in your body, I'm glad you can copy exactly what the masters 350-400 years ago did without adding any of your own voice at all. Please get off my board you pretentious dullard.

Please get off my board you pretentious dullard.

Not to worry, he seem to already be banned.

It's a shame really. Pleasant music, obnoxious composer. Nothing new there.

I am perfectly aware of the weaknesses in the work and it's overall weaknesses. However, like I said, you lot should really spare your plebian opinions. You lot are the kind of people who could have a lesser known Bach or Haendel work posted in front of you, and still throw the same kind of peon remarks at it. Zetetic's ramblings are legendary.

I can at least say this...

Bach and Handel will go down in history as two of the greatest baroque composers.

You... not so much. You'll probably not be remembered for anything, other than being an donkey who posted imitative, boring works in an online forum, but who had no real successes in the outside world.

You have no hope for a successful career in baroque composition. Especially since you can only work through imitation... not through new theory.

Maybe you'd do well as a politician... yeah... an ignorant asshole who simply copies somebody else's ideas and writes them off as their own! Sounds perfect for you!

This may be the first member EVER on YC that I'm glad to see has been banned.

So how is a banning decided on? Since the starter of this thread is no longer with us, i feel free to ask this in his thread.

Thanks Mark, i'm curious what rules he broke though, but i can understand that's moralisticaly confidential.

I have to agree with Gijs. I searched through Praeludium's posts, and these last two posts of his are the only questionable ones, and even at that there should only be a suspension, according to the rules. No, I'm not telling you how to moderate, but I think that the ban was unnecessary.

Demonic's insults are completely unwarranted as well. It's really sad that you feel the need to insult another composer like this (even though P. und F. was insulting us), especially since he's banned and cannot even respond.

And gms, I don't believe this is "your" board. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but do you pay for and run this board? Or are you the powers-that-be in disguise?

Some of P-und-F's posts were deleted, by the way - some of the rule breaking ones.

The guy was being continually antagonistic.

Also, he was not banned just for this thread. If you look at his profile you will see a long series of infractions. He only got 1 infraction point for this thread (I think it's 3 for suspension, 6 for ban). He actually has a total of 8, which I don't think anyone else has achieved.

He deserved the ban.