Gardenza for Flute and Piano

Hi there!

This piece was born out of critique and depression. Commentators always complain that I am too old-fashioned. Well, here is something modern for you!

I started with Gardenza. The name was by accident when my friend and I was walking. Reading the street name "Gardenia", he read fastly "Gardenza". We had a laugh! 4 months later I started with the piece as a marriage present to Paul and Rachel Carasco.

USE A LOT OF PEDAL! The sotto voce part should be VERY smooth - loads of peddaling there!

The midi is not trustworthy, but it someone could make me a recording I would be very happy!

I hope you enjoy listening to this piece as much as I enjoyed composing it!

PS :thumbsup:

Gardenza.pdf

Gardenza.mid

I like it! It reminds me just a little of Widor's suite for flute and piano, the second movement. You have the smooth legato going, but also a sprightly scherzo feel. Overall, it's a nice little piece, but I have a couple of critiques for you.

Make the piano part a little more interesting. Throughout the piece, there's no real dialogue between the flute and piano, since the piano is mostly doing ostinato patterns and accompanying, as opposed to having any real conversation with the flute. This is of course not essential, and is totally up to you.

Sorry about saying this...but, really, aside from the time signature, it does sound old-fashioned. -.-'' It's...well, not Beethovenian or anything, but it doesn't have any particularly modern harmonies or structural techniques. Just saying.

Nice job, nevertheless. :)

I'm aware of the "traditional" harmony. I'm a traditionalist!

BUT... if you take a look at my other works, this piece is revolutionary!

Thanx!

Well Pieter I like this effort and the piece has good material. Overall a pretty good piece.

Some questions -

You rely mostly on a 3+2 pattern for 5/8 in the piano. The flute gets a little more adventuresome. Why?

Your eighth note ostinato usually repeats the same tonic note for many bars. Is this an intentional drone? If a drone do you think it is needed as much?

Also, your recap repeats the ostinato exactly. Do you think a little alteration would help? Maybe the harmony inflected by the prior key change or some cross relations between the flute and piano (eg C# -piano and C natural in flute occur in the same measure once in awhile?

I like the 16th note figure and i see you explore it a little in the flute part. Also the slower legato 2nd theme is pretty good. Just wondering why not have the piano take the 16th note opening figure as a ostinato and displace it a beat or two - eg - start it on beat 4 or another aside from beat 2 after a little while? Also, why not have the piano offer a grander more chordal and harmonically complex restatement of the 2nd theme?

Finally your little coda at the end - you indicate brillante but I wonder if what you have is enough. I would consider piano playing short fragments downward form the upper registers as the flute line moves upward with a more variable contour and a leap or two to make the ending much more brilliant.

I will think about it. Great ideas!

DRONE KING!

PS :-)

What a pretty piece! I really like it :D

It is very catchy.

My compositions are always catchy! (save for the "elf Help Therapy" and "F*** you!" pieces).

Melody is master!

Ok, I will take a listen. (with the elf help therapy pieces)

I like it, very positive and childish in a way but generaly a nice experience. You repeat the piano drone "motif" alot in m. 59 - 122, and it is not interesting for that long. In these part the flute seems to get repetitive too. It may cause listener may feel bored in these parts. My advice must be that you should try to give your piece a little more time, and try to make this part more exciting.

I generaly like your move to Ab in the main theme, but you return immediately to the tonic, why not explore the key more by maybe "musically" suggesting that a modulation has taken place? I know you claim the title of traditionalist, but this should'nt affect the creative process, just write and forget about a specific style or tradition it gives more freedom in the writing process. If your use of simple harmony is because of lack of skill, then I suggest that you explore that area.

I like your composition, but it needs some work to keep me from getting a bit bored sometimes.

I will work on it! Thanx for all the great comments!

This is piece is very fun. :P

And as a flautist, It would be fun to play this piece I think, even though it does sound traditional, it doesn't sound nearly as traditional (to me) as any composers I know from the "classic" era, or anything...:)

This piece speaks to me of hope for the future, and a general zest for life. Great present for a wedding couple eh? :)

good job! ^.^

Hi pieter. for your idiom this is an revolutionary piece indeed. Brave to cross some borders and try something new (for you). Don't listen to people for whom it isn't going to fast. People should look at progression of others, and less to themselves :)

Born out of depression it's quite a happy piece... I like sad music better :D

i'll be honest, I didn't like it, it was nice at first but kind of annoying after a while. sorry

cool stuff..sounds a little like Heaths "Shiraz" for flute and piano. spirited and lively which i like a lot,, i agree that the piano part could be a bit more interesting... maybe try some block chords on occasion as opposed to broken chords all the time. also some dialogue between flt and pno would be nice. small critiques, overall a very enjoyable listen. go you! :)

Mr. Smal,

Good job. Keep going!