Piano Sonata in 4 movements

Alright so I have comp class and you have to have a work under 5 minutes. I definatly won't meet the 5 minute requirement but my teacher likes it, so he doesn't seem to mind. Last year we had someone with a 20 minute work of having piano strings pulled against piano strings to make a piano sound like a huge violin. It was pretty awful in my honest opinion. I think the 5 minutes was to safeguard against that. Why I mention that is that the movements seem so sort because of that (I don't really mind having them short, Ginastera is another one of my favorite composers and his movements of his piano sonatas tended to be short)

I have a pretty modern style, so if your not into that you probaly won't like this. My favorite Piano work is Berg's Piano Sonata and this sounds nothing like that, but at least they are both modern. This is kinda neo-classical, because the movements are classical forms.

First movement is a Rondo

Second is Sonata (well no, not really)

Third is Minuet and Trio

Fourth is Theme and Variations.

I'm not done with the fourth movement. There's the theme and 3 variations and the begining of the fourth. By the end I think I'll have 7, but I have enough ideas for like 20 or so. So I'm not entirely sure what each one is. The third variation is more like a tangent and has very little to do with the theme.

It looks hard to play, It sounds hard to play and it's really easy to play. I wrote it so a friend can perform it. He's 19 like I am, but I think this piece is still way under his level. There's a fairly difficult part in the imitative counterpoint section in the third movement. But it's one part in the whole thing.

I would love any sort of criticism or what not.

Mp3s

Movement 1

Movement 1 Rondo.mp3 - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

Movement 2

Movement 2 Sonata.mp3 - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

Movement 3

Movement 3 MInuet and Trio.mp3 - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

Movement 4

Theme and Variations.mp3 - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

Piano Sonata Rondo.MUS

Piano Sonata, Sonata.MUS

Piano Sonata Minuet.MUS

Piano Sonata Theme and Variations.MUS

1st Movement.pdf

Movement 2.pdf

Finale 2008 - [Piano Sonata Mvmt. 3.pdf

Theme and Variations.pdf

First thing: I'd remove any key signatures from your sonata. They are superfluous considering the language you are using.

Second: change the time signature of your minuet to 6/8 with interjection of 3/4.

Now, musically, it's very interesting (I DO hear a bit of Ginastera in the 1st movement), but there's something a bit static about it.

Be careful about making simple step-wise movement of your harmonic material. It can get very tiresome to the ear (and does, in this case, especially your 4th movement).

Have you considered transposing harmonic material onto itself to open up new "key areas"?

The piano writing is a bit simple for most of the sonata, not necessarily a bad thing, but after the rather flashy 1st movement, the rest is a bit anti-climactic. The order of your movements needs some work as well. Somehow, as it stands, it doesn't feel satisfying.

The one thing that sticks out to me, as an area that needs work on your part, is the limited use of the material, both harmonic and melodic. You need to figure out how to expand on your material.

And yes, I'd MUCH rather hear your sonata than piano strings rubbing against piano strings for 20 minutes.

I know the first movement sounds flashy, but it's actually still simple. I was planning on having the rest of the fourth movement as being "flashy" to get the whole classical fast, slow, moderate, fast classical idea, but that comment about stepwise harmonic motion hit me like a bullet. I knew there was something wrong with it but couldn't place my finger on it. Oh and about the key signatures, I will remove the C minor. In fact I meant to do that, but that whole penatonic scale part is just eaiser to write as Db Major. It isn't Db major. Infact it's mostly keyless, just easier to read for me. I'll ask the player.