March from Spanish Concerto for Oboe and Small Orchestra

EDIT: NEW MP3 AND SCORE FURTHER DOWN

This is "March"; the first movement of an oboe concerto I have been working on since last year. In total it will be a three movement work (medium-slow-fast); the other two are "Dream"- a sarabande, and "Dance"- a rondo, and i have started on both of these. This movement is in loose sonata-form, and goes for around 9 mins. I have used a spanish feel; most likely influenced by the fact I play classical guitar, and the chord progression naturally suited the style.

My instrumentation (same for each movement):

Oboe

3 x Flutes

Bass Clarinet

Violins I

Violins II

Violas

Cellos

Classical Guitar (amplified):D

Piano

Percussion (1 player) – Snare Drum

Any feedback on the work would be very much appreciated, and apologies in advance for my rather uninspired cadenza writing...! I am quite attached to the piece now, and am extremely biased; which is why some outside opinions would be great. Thanks!

Might be a good idea to post a MIDI. Most of us don't own Sibby.

Thats why I posted an MP3... or do you actually want midi??

One of the main reasons I gave up on Sibelius for rendering pieces is highlighted in this piece. You show that most of the flute work in this should be Legato, yet little of it sounds that way. Sibelius just doesn't do legato very well in any of its instruments. Granted, its main job is to be a notation program, but many people cannot afford to purchase a second program to render a piece as it should be rendered and none of us want to take all of the time it takes to get it to sound right from a Sib Midi.

Overall, I think you have some very nice material in this and would love to hear it "Performed" better.

Well done

Ron

Thanks Rolifer. I agree, the sound is quite shocking. I am now putting it onto Finale with GPO; but it will take a while. Once its done, i will put it up.

I would really like some more feedback please...I'm trying to comment on everyone else's works, so i hope you can help me out too!

Despite the key changes, it sounds very repetitive and I had to stop listening to it after about three or four minutes because it felt like the same thing over and over and over, something like "variations on a chord progression." I understood the ideas you were getting at, but it felt like you were beating them down with a stick. Maybe something happened after the four minute mark, but I didn't make it that far.

I did appreciate the "Teasingly" and "Pleadingly" markings, though. I thought those terms fit the feel of the music quite well, as well as the other descriptive terms in the score. I give you a huge bravo for use of terminology in that regard.

Thanks. It is a little repetitive, I'll give you that (sonata-form's influence, or my inexperience with it), but I think it has enough interest to sustain attention. Also, I am in a process of going through it again, and revising. Any changes that people think i should make, i will take into consideration!

Also, i'm glad you like my marking/terminology. Im kinda moving away from italian because the prompts that i want to give the conducter/performers are more specific than I can find. Also, i think that because Italian won't necessarily be playing it, English seems more logical.

Just to be clear: sonata form does not, per se, involve repetition. It involves DEVELOPMENT.

state 2 (or more) themes, in complimentary keys (if tonal music).

classical sonata form repeats this statement, it's unnecessary (ie: not a "requirement") for a modern work.

develop the two (or more) themes.

restate the themes at the end, close the movement (a "coda").

The larger part of the form, in more modern iterations of the form, is the development section. Here the composer goes "hog wild" and develops the themes. This means not "repetition" but growth.

P.S. strings at the BOTTOM of the score, percussion above the strings.

when including an orchestral piano part it goes above the strings as well (as though it were a harp).

when writing a work for solo and orchestra, the solo part goes immediately above the strings, below the percussion.

score order:

woodwinds

brass

percussion

harp/keyboard (piano, harpsichord, organ)

soloist (when applicable)

strings

Since the guitar is not really a regular part of the orchestra, it would most likely go in the general vicinity of the piano/harp parts. I would suggest above the piano (below the percussion).

Bass clarinet should be written in treble clef, transposing down a 9th.

HOWEVER, if you insist on writing your bass clarinet in bass clef, NEVER change clefs during the part (one measure before E you have it switch up to treble clef).

At letter E, the solo oboe has "dolce" (sweetly) AND fortissimo. It's a tiny bit contradictory.

again, at E, your bass clarinet is notated "mp" yet has about as extreme a note as possible. it won't happen.

why two (radically) different dynamics at that point? Why is half the orchestra playing ff, while others are playing mp? It makes no sense.

besides, you should know that the guitar will not be heard through that.

at F, the oboe can tease all it wants, since part of the orchestra is marked as playing FF, no one will really hear it tease anyone. One important reason is that the flutes and piano have considerably more "interest". they are playing both more loudly and more rhythmically than the oboe (which also is doubling the violins).

two after F, do not notate that sort of "slash" notation for repetitions of motifs in an orchestral part. that is relegated to popular music.

Just so you know, the word "divisi" is not to be used with instruments OTHER than strings. EVER.

In orchestral scores, the simple fact that there are three notes written for the flutes SAYS that they are each playing one of those notes.

A lot of your flute part is consistantly in the staff, which is too low to be effective within an orchestral context.

At letter P, you have three different dynamics written. Why?

(I notice that a lot of your dynamics appear inconsistant... it's something you will have to work on)

At letter Q, you need to learn how to indicate doublestops for strings. Write the 3-note chord, insert a bracket next to the two notes that are to be played as double stops, and write "divisi in 2" for the section. this will be read as meaning a double stop on 2 notes, for half the players. what you have at this point in the score is more confusing than anything else.

Again with the slash-repeat marks in the strings...

By the way, there IS a strict rule about using slash notation: you may NOT START a system with slash notation. If you are repeating something from a previous system, then you MUST notate in its entirety the repeated pattern on the 1st measure of any new system, and only after that complete notation may you employ slash notation.

HOWEVER, I will repeat: slash notation is a "no no" in orchestral music. It is to be avoided.

Thank you so, SO much qcCowboy! This is the kind of stuff that will really help me develop and grow as a composer. Being relatively inexperienced, i need some guidance on these issues, so i will thoroughly read through your notes and go through my entire score again. I guess my dynamics are a bit wild; probably a side-effect of trying to get different volume levels in sibelius, the stupid program! Will revise them. Btw, i was given advice that i should have the slash notation by my teacher; guess not! I don't really like the look of it anyway.

THANKS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!! from Bryan

Ok, after much much much time spent on revising this, I think it has come a LONG way. The MP3 is from Finale, so GPO! Sounds 10 times better.:toothygrin:

Also, I made use of a solo violin for some contrast, as well as completely revised the guitar part. The dotted arrow that i've used denotes that the Left hand fingering doesn't change on the guitar; just moves up/down the fretboard via the direction of the arrow.

I addressed everything that QcCowboy said (i think!), so i hope its a bit more enjoyable now!

N.B. other movements coming soon!:thumbsup:

MP3 is at this link --> MARCH

March (from Spanish Concerto for Oboe and Small Orchestra).pdf