War Of The Galaxies

Just wanted to share this composition. I'm heavily into Gustav Holst at the moment, which you probably can tell from this one.

www.thomas.bryla.dk/war_of_the_galaxies.mp3

Any comments on the composition are greatly appreciated

Best wishes

Thomas Bryla

Hmmm

to be honest I'd say it sounds TOO much like Mars. Might wanna rework some stuff to distance yourself from that comparison.

Also, I can't tell if this is live or generated - which is it?

Also, it's standard 'round here to include a score of some kind

You guessed it.

The exercise was to write something derived from sounds and/or techniques that gives you goosebumps. So after listening and studying Mars this is what I came up with in the end.

Personally I think there is only a small part of it that is taken from Mars, the other stuff has just similar orchestration - which is what I study from the score.

I don't have a computerized score, and I won't tell you - yet - if it is live or not. Others can guess. Even though I know it is standard to include score, I still want comments based on what you hear played, and not what is on paper.

Best

Thomas

Very Holst.

In fact, a bit too Holst - at 45 sec, you have just taken the Mars theme. likewise at 1:20.

It's nice having the change at 1:05. It has a big build up to 1:42, but I don't feel that the orchestration (just the strings and timp) is enough afterwards, it sort of looses momentum - maybe add in some more instruments (percussion?). The ending is a bit too random and out of place for me (2:10)

Other things:

The bassoon (?) at the start is too loud for it's tone - it sounds like a solo bassoon, yet it is too easily heard over the rest of the orchestra - it doesn't sound as if it is playing loudly.

What is playing the bass at 26sec? is it in the range of the instrument, or are my ears deceiving me? (it's hard to tell without a score!)

What has the lead at 1:50? it sounds kind of like a horn, but I think it is too mellow for it's volume and the area of the piece that it is playing in.

Still, it's a nice piece - possibly too nice, I feel it could do with some more juice and dischords in it. However, it is a WIP, so nice work!

George

This is computer generated, not live.

I think Holst would be pretty angry to see you had sampled so much of his stuff. There are various points where the melodies from Mars and clearly stated in your piece, which isn't a good thing. Sampling, or "quoting" composers is okay, but it's usually done in a much more subtle way so that only others who really knew the piece well would make the connection. Yours, however, blatantly reinstates the main themes from Mars, and not in any original way.

It's not to say that the writing is bad, but this certainly couldn't be a piece that stood on its own. There would be an indefinite copyright issue :p.

anyway, the piece that you chose....Mars....did its sounds/techniques really give you goosebumps? I love the suite, no doubt, especially Mars, but I think there are many other pieces that could give you goosebumps more effectively. The cool thing about an exercise like that, I suppose, is that you can interpret goosebumps however you want....creepy things give you goosebumps, but also unexpected, uplifting, triumphant things can as well.

I don't know where I'm going with this...

I'd say to restart it and take even less from Holst. Using his techniques is okay, but too much is stolen from the original.