Piano Concerto no. 1

This is a project I have been working on for a very long time. I started it back in 2006 as a new composer in dedication to my best friend who was dealing with cancer. I finished the first two movements in 2006 and never got around to writing the last movement. My friend passed away this April. I decided to finish this work with this last movement being a final farewell. The first two movements had A LOT of errors. I did my best to correct them without destroying the emotions that I wanted to show. I am aware that the first movement have structural issues.

I had posted the first two movements here on YC back then, click here if you wish to see old commentary. I had to do a lot of work on the first movement including writing out the chimes part which most people seemed to not be fond of and "thickening up" the orchestra part.

If you only have time/energy to review one movement, please make it the third as it is my most recent composition and is what I need feedback on.

Thanks in advance for your time. Here are my MP3s and scores:

1st Movement

2nd Movement

3rd Movement

Finale 2006 - [pianoconcertono1revised]PDF.pdf

Finale 2006 - [pianoconcertono1mvmt2b]PDF.pdf

Finale 2006 - [pianoconcertono1 mvmt3]PDF.pdf

Very very good. I listened to the 1st and 3rd movements and I liked them both. Sounds much like Rachmaninoff (which is only a good thing).

I'm sorry to hear about your friend, I believe you have certainly dedicated a beautiful piece to their memory.

Are there an arrangement for two piano's? I would love to perform it in public - if I get your permission.

PS

Very very good. I listened to the 1st and 3rd movements and I liked them both. Sounds much like Rachmaninoff (which is only a good thing).

I'm sorry to hear about your friend, I believe you have certainly dedicated a beautiful piece to their memory.

Thank you :) Rach was one of my many influences in this piece

Are there an arrangement for two piano's? I would love to perform it in public - if I get your permission.

PS

I wrote it for one piano, but I don't think it would be difficult to arrange for two. The first two movements may be very difficult for a performer to decipher, I had only been a composer for a few months when I wrote them, but if you think they are playable, by all means go for it :)

This is a very beautiful piece, it was nice of you to dedicate this to your friend, I'm sure it made them much happier :]

Third movement:

I like the part at the beggining, very soothing, but the piano could be louder. The fast part was well written and than it goes into the light part, which is very beautiful with the woodwinds in the background. As more instruments were added, it started getting more and more stunning, my only complaint would be to make the piano louder again.

The next part is nice, I like how both the piano and the orchestra have contrasting melodies. The fast piano part really adds something to the piece behind the soft melody.

I like near the ending, how everything slowed and came together, highlighting the piano, but I think the drum at the end took away from the piano. A bit picky, but I didn't like it.

Great movement overall I thought, very flowing and nice.

I suggest you make the score easier to read before I start practising. I hope so.

I saw very quickly your old thread so I may repeat something said there ...

The Instrumentation Jen !!! the Instrumentation !!!

Perhaps you care more about the music itself than the instrumentation, and that is correct because the musical content is more important BUT, instrumentation is important too because is what converts your ideas to sound.

First the woodwinds above the strings mmm.... well you know that don't you .... ok, we continue ...

You have to add the Violas and Contrabasses to the strings in Mov.1 no matter if the contrabass doubles the cello all the time and viola plays just about the same than violins. Violas and Contrabasses must be there ...

The Bass Flute is not very powerful .... why don't you use a Clarinet.

Bar 31 the Db and D natural gets spliced and doesn't sound very good...

Mov.2 ... you need at least 6 timpani to play that part in the beginning. Now you use Clarinet and Oboe, (I also heard a bassoon is that right ?) ... is more colorful than 3 flutes... and Contrabass appears ... you only need the Violas (can you set the contrabass to transpose and 8va below ? )

Mov.3 There's no names ... I suposse is the same .... what is that percussion staff in the bottom ? sound like toms ?

Jen, bar 26-27 are almost impossible at that speed (I say "almost" just to avoid the "impossible" word because you never know when something is "impossible)

I would have to print the score and play it in the piano to make an exact review of the piano part.

Ok, aside the score layout and instrumentation ... the music itself:

Some people are experts in instruments and orchestrations, harmony, counterpoint etc ... but they create meaningless music, like created by a machine. (someones like that).

You instead, create beauty, affection, and other true feelings within that simple and lacking score. ... that's means you already have the important part and you only have to learn some "complementary" things.

Your concert is really nice and warm, and I did feel your friend event, ....

If someday I have to teach composition, I would love to have a student like you, someone that I'd have only to tell a few things (like the ones above) and not try to raise something the person simply does not have.

The structure is unclear in some parts but not severe, I think the only thing you need to do is to compose more, ... not patch that concert over and over ... just learn from your own works ...

... finally I know your work, .... I have posted in Electronic only but I'll try to post some orchestral stuff soon.

Very good Jen, nice music.

I enjoyed listening to this - some really nice musical ideas; no doubt the reason for its composition was an aid in this.

I must admit I am curious about the instrumentation; what made you instrument the orchestra for this particular combination of instruments? either way it works well - i love how flutes blend with strings :), although as SYS mentioned the bass flute would be better off as a clarinet if you feel the 'single-reed sound' would fit in. An alto flute is also an alternative although it will still struggle to be heard above the other instruments (although not as much as a bass flute). As afore mentioned, i think the addition of violas and double (contra) basses is definetly a good idea.

A nice work :thumbsup:

Oscar

Well I love the mysterious sound of the bass flute, but as a solo instrument, ... nevertheless, the orchestra is not very big ... ( :D actually is not big at all ) so may not be any problem with the bass flute, BUT the incomplete string section I do consider that as wrong, ... or if not wrong, just a bad idea.

I'm so sorry your friend passed away. :( It must have been hard. This piano concerto, of the pieces I've heard of yours, is the best by far. The third movement is very nice, the second could be a little bit less the same at the end, and the first was lovely aswell :)

I too have lost someone, a cousin of mine. He was two weeks from his 21th bday. I was 7 then, and it was very sad. I don't know how you managed to write the 3rd movement after the death of a friend. After my cousin, Ryan died, I didn't compose for 5 days STRAIGHT. :P Anyways, great work Jen, KEEP IT UP!

Beautiful piece of music jen. keep up the good work!

Thank you for your comments everyone :) (sorry I took a bit of time to respond, I was out of town and neglected my own thread!! :O )

The instrumentation - I can't give a *reason* for how I did it or why I chose the instruments I did. I guess I chose them because I like writing for them. I do not know form or theory, or any "rules" really. I just write what I want. I never learned anything or studied composition/music. If someone feels up to explaining how this should have been scored, please enlighten me :P

Pieter, I will work on writing the piano part for two pianos. Were there any places in the score in particular you had difficulty reading?

The solo instrument should be in the middle of the score and the strings should be placed at the bottom underneath the soloist...brass goes immediately above and the woodwinds should be at the top. If you have percussion it should be underneath the brass...

Romanticist, I like you mouse-writing :D

Yes Jen, the instruments have their defined order in the score, that's makes easier to read it, ... imagine if everyone would place the instruments wherever they want, ... it'd take time to find an instrument passing the page.... the order Romanticist shows you is correct.

There is a rule (or an advise more than a rule) about writing only for the instruments you need, only for those you know what are you going to put them to play, but I would say this advise applies for all families except the strings, .... the strings section must be complete or it will cause other problems in sound, balance, and other issues ....

I could bombard you with technicalities, but I think what would be more helpful would be for me to cater to your obvious connection with the abstract.

What Nicola says is correct, .... I would like to see this happens in other threads instead start "bombarding" the author with things that may not be helpful for that composer in that precise moment even if that "bombarding" is full of "true musical advises"

Like I said, everything will find the way by writing more, I would only suggest you to edit your score with the correct order and if is not very difficult for you, to add the rest of the strings.... then, consider it done and continue, move on.

If you change that "almost impossible" piano part (Mov.3 bar 26-27) will be good.

That said, the above score order is correct for orchestral-type works - larger instrumental ensembles, etc. - and when working in other ensembles and chamber groups, other score orders may be appropriate. For instance, with vocal pieces with piano, the piano will almost always occupy the lowest staves on the system - since it's technically the accompaniment to the voice and other solo instruments. Also - if you're constructing, as Chaya Czernowin often does, compound instruments, you may prefer to group your instruments by their compound identities, rather than by instrument families.

It's been awhile since I heard any of your music, and I can definitely tell you've improved a lot. This is by far the best of your work I've heard. No doubt you'll continue to get better, and I look forward to hearing more of your music.

I think it's good work and a unique concerto. :thumbsup:

Quite pretty I thought, however it's more of a piano septet rather than a whole concerto, well at least for the first movement. :)

hi,

i only had enough time to listen to the first movement and look at the scorr (btw is it supposed to be just for violins 1 2, 3 fltues a cello and piano,m or was my computer playing up again?) i loved it, but i'm new here and i don't wish to be rude however i felt that it didn't really have much momentum or direction, that's my only real fault other than i felt like it was going to end all of the time. i thought that the piano part could have been a bit ,more impressive too

this is just my opinion, and i loved the emotion and the textures

I'm listening to the 1st movement. I REALLY like it from 1:00 on. But the intro, I'm not sure, something is missing in the first minute of the movement and I can't quite place my finger on it. The strings feel like they could use some more texture to them in the beginning, but that could be just me. Also, in general, what Nicola said. You have really nice themes throughout, but they are a tad bit too long, and most of them just repeat themselves before moving on. If you could snip at them a bit, I think it could make a good piece into a great piece. But most of all, if you could shape the intro some more, then it would become a brilliant piece. Great job so far! :)

Sorry to hear about your friend. :(