With Open Wings. (glad to be back)

Hey Guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!:w00t:

I haven't been on here for a while and I just can't wait to post something new.:toothygrin:

This piece that I am about to post is entitled "With Open Wings" its from the stand point of a lover who dreams of flying in the sky with his love to experience new things.

This piece was just accepted for the Baltimore Choral Arts Society Young Composers Project and it will be recorded, performed, and conducted by Tom Hall.

There are some visual issues on the page that i need to fix. But please bear with me. I'll post a PDF file and a Finale file

Thanks a lot. PLease Comment

With Open Wings.MUS

With Open Wings.pdf

Tariq -

My first reaction just from the score is this has much going for it - the repeated doom accompaniment and compound and close intervals are great. Also the key change is a good idea.

Yet I have some reservations -

You have some very close spacings - 3rds and 2nds in the lower voices. I think you want a dark sound but do you really want a muddy sound? Granted the uppervoices support the tenor or bass tone to open up the spacing but you may get unwanted results.

The repetition of doom throughout may become tiring even if you have it travel through the voices. have you considered having it broken up in smaller fragments? I see you do stop it for some pivotal points but it MAY seem too obvious (I am thinking of the key change on the word change. This also seems too obvious unless you want it that way. The chord and rhythms are fine for the most part I just wonder if you could have more preparation for that key change or even use the doom rhythm for the word change?)

Otherwise looks like a good piece with some cool textures going on. Hope you post a live performance.

PS. I cannot access mus files.

I'm agreeing with CO on a few points. The 3rds and 2nds in the lower voices, that close together, will sound muddy. They have overlapping overtone series and that leads to thinner harmonies overall. You do a good job of support, as he said, but if you build a slightly stronger bass (open 5ths, I know, blasphemy) your upper voices will ring. I enjoy the key change, it really comes in at an appropriate time to help shift things. The dooms begin to get a little repetitive after awhile, because they are highlighting the same notes over and over...if you change it up a few times all of a sudden the listener will be drawn into the little things you're doing, making the piece that much more interesting. The sopranos doing the dooms, on the high e's and f's (and the altos doing the same) will probably drown out the other things you have going on. E's and F's for sopranos are killer because that's usually right over their breaks. I have been admonished from many many sopranos that repeated notes along those lines will end with a painful death for the composer.

I really like the last few pages, when you bring everything together. Good Job!

You really sit on the upper soprano range for way, way too long. Sure, there's nothing wrong with a high A or even a high Bb, as many soprano 1's will be able to hit those notes - but you need to use them sparingly. I don't know what voice type you are, but imagine the second highest note you can sing - you can hit that no problem once, right? but try singing it and notes just above and below it for three minutes - it's quite a strain yes? Same for the sopranos. Just let them chill mid staff for awhile.

Take for example the low B you give the tenors - should be just fine since you do it twice and no more.

Eh. I think the top range on the sopranos will be fine as long as they put this piece at the end of the program and the rest of the music isn't too horrible. The thing is, those notes work well for the climax and ending of the piece. And you always lead up to them; you never have them just coming in really high, so the voice has an opportunity to "reset" somewhat.

Work on the text accents. You've got a bunch of places where the natural metric emphasis will fall on the wrong syllables. Correct these either with tenuti/accents, or by shifting the meter so the accent falls correctly.

Thank you guys very much for the comments. I will take heed to every thing you all say Thanks a lot. I'll be sure to put the live recording up when it comes.

And about the accents. I know they sound weird but it was intentional. Yeah it was just in my head that way.

I just got the recording and i will post it very soon. But for now any more comments???? i love comments.lol

And we love to hear pieces of music, so how about the MP3 version? :)