A piece in 7/8

Hi people, i tried to write a Requiem in 7/8 in the begining but after a few bars i was sure it is no requiem, anyway i finished that piece not long ago and i would appreciate some feedback,

Requiem.mid

Thanks,

Tom

uhhh...pdf? Do you have a score at all? ..Scores really help in the process of replying to a piece y'know.

Ok... heres the score, but i dont work with Finale because I dont have it, I work with Guitar Pro so the score is a bit messed up...

Requiem.pdf

Thank you very much

Okay. There are things here that I really like, and things that I'm not so crazy about.

--I Like--

7/8 lends itself to syncopation very well, and you've taken advantage of this in several spots.

You definitely have some ideas for form - you introduce the theme, you leave it, and eventually come back to it.

I like the idea of a harpsichord quartet. Alec Wilder used harpsichord in his pop/jazz/classical fusion pieces, and I always loved that.

It's very original. I can see that you have a ton of musical ideas that you want to express.

-- the not so good --

Unless you ask for non-standard tuning, the cello doesn't go beyond low c (2nd line beneath the staff in bass cleff).

Compared to the rest of the instruments, the viola is unfeasibly difficult. Though viola music can be written in treble clef, you're writing far outside of the ideal range for chamber music, especially considering you don't take your cello or violin to their extremes of range like you do for the viola. The instrument is better suited for long, expressive melodies utilizing the "outer" strings (C and A string). Though technical wizardry is just as possible on viola, the instrument is much larger (unless you cop out and get a little one), and many of the high, dazzling passages you've written will end up being either nasal and pinched or shrill and pinched. Make better use of the low range of the instrument, or just write it for another violin.

Dynamics would be nice.

I love the harpsichord, but you can't play softly in the range you've written the viola (and parts of the violin) in. Since you can't play dynamics on a harpsichord, it may be problematic to have a fixed-dynamic instrument.

Instead of having a flurry of different ideas, why not focus on one or two central ideas and just develop those? I get the feeling that you want to use a repeating harmony, or close to repeating harmony, like a chaconne. The music around it, though, I'm just not as crazy about. Other than that semi-repeating harmony, I have nothing gluing everything together. What are the main motives for the piece? What is your key, or key areas (this is definitely tonal, so you should have established key areas)?

I think doing a quartet like this, in the large scale you've written, may be overly ambitious. Everyone wants to go out and write a symphony on their first at bat; what most people forget is that almost all the great composers spend A LOT of time writing smaller pieces and developing their craft before they really put it to work. Whether you want to write concert music, film music, or even hybrid/fusion music (electronic classical and pop-minimalist come to mind), you need to develop your craft. I think the ideas, and the motivation are there.

I talked to one of my teachers and he said it can be that way.. anyway i realy like this peice, and will be very happy for any suggestions

Requiem.mid

Requiem.pdf

Your teacher said "what" can be that way? I presented you a ton of different thoughts and comments, and your answer leaves more questions than answers.

Also, if you only want positive comments or fawning, (as can be surmised from your ignoring my constructive criticism), I'm not sure you've found the right community. In fact, I gave you several very specific suggestions, all of which were ignored.