Small Suite for a Small Orchestra

Hi there. This is a 4 movement suite for a reduced orchestra. I wrote it for a music group I'm in, so I tried to keep it fairly easy rhythmically and technically speaking.

Instrumentation;

1 Flute

2 Oboes

1 Clarinet (Bb)

1 Bassoon

2 Trumpets (Bb and Eb)

1 Piano

2 Violins

1 Viola

My aims for this piece were 1) Keep it short and simple. (No movement is over 2 mins in length) 2) Have a main theme which develops and matures, rather than being heard only once and then never heard again.

Note: The score is in concert pitch to make it easier to read.

Trumpet 1 uses Eb trumpet in the Nocturne but Bb in the other three movements.

Movement I: Fanfare

zSHARE - fanfare.mp3

Movement II: Nocturne

zSHARE - nocturne.mp3

Movement III: Off-beat Times

zSHARE - off-beat times.mp3

Movement IV: Finale

zSHARE - finale.mp3

The Score: (contains all the Movements)

http://www.youngcomposers.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=12904&stc=1&d=1216400029

Small Suite for a Small Orchestra.pdf

I welcome as much criticism as possible. The fourth movement I'm still playing with and trying to get right. Also the structures of all the movements are very simple and repetitive. I also have a feeling the piano parts aren't playable or would need two pianists in a couple of the movements.

Small Suite for a Small Orchestra.pdf

the piano part is entirely playable except for a chord in measure 4 which is just a bit too awkward.

out of curiosity, why did you use the "jazz" font for this piece?

I feel like I've heard the theme from the Fanfare before...

For the third movement, unless you feel that the extra specificity is necessary, I would change the time signature to 4/4. Those kinds of rhythms are most commonly written in 4/4. If you don't want to change it, at least make it 6+2/8, instead of 6/8 + 2/8.

I'm not an expert on this stuff, but I like it very much.