Howdy!

Hey, I saw this forum while researching John Cage for an essay.

My name is Drew Dominguez, I live in the Bay Area near San Frans and Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. I'm 17 years old and am a full time student at a local community college as a composition major.

I am a Percussionist and play anything that involves me hitting something. I play drums in a rock band and in my church's worship band. I am an aspiring composer and writer and write librettos for the ledgendary Anthony Duarte of Interlochen Academy. I am currently writing my own version of an opera based on a novel I wrote, a short minuet and my first sympnony is on the back burner. I mostly have written smaller peices, some only 2 or 3 minutes long, but I've decided to at least try bigger works for a while.

My influences include John Cage, Erik Satie, Chopin, Wagner(freaking Ring Cycle, I listened to it all in one sitting!), Beethoven, Brahms, Prokofiev (I named my Tiger after him!), Aaron Copeland, Rachmaninoff, Anthony Duarte (as well as many others but you the idea), The Bands; Yes, King Crimson, Sting, Rush and many others.

I live with my grandparents, have a loving a wonderful girlfriend, my two best friends are piano prodigies and we love jamming, and I have many other things to say so just ask me!

I like these forums! (attached is one of the first peices I ever wrote)

Second_Sonati_for_Piano__Weronicae_Amsdenae.mid

Congratulations, for having the guts to be diffrent. Although it's very John Cage like, it is original. A bit of Satie in it, specially that melody in 0:22, that you use later on in the piece, very good. I didin't like the way it cuts off the last note, it seems that the last note should be left until it goes down to nothing. I enjoyed this piece, and I have to ask if you might be able to give me the score? It was good. I liked it.

I feel like the works of satie, weiss, schoenberg, cage, cowell and many other great composers isn't being followed. People latched on to minimalism and 'post' impressionism pretty well, and the neo romantics get a lot of credit too. But it seesm to me like the music of the future is dieing. I want to bring it back.

I like Satie. I hate the rest. *shrugs* Good Luck with the majority of this forum . . . you will need it.

Yeah, I noticed theres even some anti Music of the Future guys on here haha.

Yeah, I noticed theres even some anti Music of the Future guys on here haha.

Way too many, if you ask me.

Who says it's Music of the FUTURE? As far as I know, in the future we could go back to Mozart and Haydn. And by saying that, it seems as if you're saying it's the best music.

I agree with you a lot Drew, this IS the music of the future. I don't mean to insult anyone's music here. but honestly, it seems that everything I hear here has been done already. Where's the originaly? Where's the new stuff? New thoughts, new Ideas. Don't get me wrong, I love classical music, from Baroque to the current contemporary. But if Baroque music is over...its for a reason. If classical music went down, Romantic music came up. Currently nothing major is comming up. We have all the music we can get already, I mean classical, Romantic, etc. What we need is NEW styles, new Ideas , new music. Music of the Future. Thats were people like us step in. So I am glad you posted your song, and you need to keep on composing and posting your songs here. Not so we change YC, but so we add new music. Originality. I love that piece, and so keep on composing!

Who says it's Music of the FUTURE? As far as I know, in the future we could go back to Mozart and Haydn. And by saying that, it seems as if you're saying it's the best music.

I actually agree with this statement. I hope we do have a post modern period where we go back to more structured music. I do not think that it will happen though. We could try and start it, I guess. ;)

I agree with you a lot Drew, this IS the music of the future. I don't mean to insult anyone's music here. but honestly, it seems that everything I hear here has been done already. Where's the originaly? Where's the new stuff? New thoughts, new Ideas. Don't get me wrong, I love classical music, from Baroque to the current contemporary. But if Baroque music is over...its for a reason. If classical music went down, Romantic music came up. Currently nothing major is comming up. We have all the music we can get already, I mean classical, Romantic, etc. What we need is NEW styles, new Ideas , new music. Music of the Future. Thats were people like us step in. So I am glad you posted your song, and you need to keep on composing and posting your songs here. Not so we change YC, but so we add new music. Originality. I love that piece, and so keep on composing!

Yes. I have been thinking about this for quite some time now. Everything people have been doing here is passe and already done . Modern music is about the aspects of music that hevn't explored yet as the masters of the past can surely not be outdone. It is our place to get a new sound and a new style and implement it. Hopefully I'll see some new, in teresting music shortly. I have yet to listen to this piece. Soon.

I don't like much of today's pop. Very cheap. A perfect example is "My Humps." Okay... the point of the song? Then there's Shakira's "these hips don't lie." Great. Now what?

But every once in a while I come upon a modern pop song that is just as good as one from the 70s or 80s. Therefore, I don't really think style has all that much to do with it. You just need a good, relatable song. A melody is a melody no matter what instrument plays it.

So, what is music of the future? Who knows? I personally like the sweet orchestral/pop mixture of ELO. That would be a good direction to head, in my opinion.

BTW, I haven't been able to listen to the song yet. Is there a program I need to hear it with? I just get a white screen with a little red box in the top-left corner of the screen. I refresh, nothing happens.

/\ that's what we call close-minded.

I like the dissonance. And Canzano, atonal music is far older than WWII; it's more of Beethoven and a tad bit later. Lots of good Russian composeres. It's a style of music that is not as rythemetic and formulaic as a waltz or older kind of song, and I enjoy that variation. Then you get to Jazz. Dissonance? Frik yeah.

My only complaint to this song is not the dissonance, but the number of strange pauses it takes when it seems the melody should flow a little longer. It seems that some of the notes that end early when a more dramatic accent would sound better. And some of the transitions between sections are kind of weird in terms of key change, even for atonal.

But I know writing in a primitive program like Finale or midi is different than an actual at-a-piano performance. I'd love to hear a live .mp3 of this one. Plus, as you said, this was one of your first pieces--and it's a damn good one!

You want an example of dissonant romantic music? Listen to Vaughan Williams' 4th Symphony in F minor. I happen to think it is one of his most passionate symphonies. There is a place in well written classical music for dissonance, but just like everything else, it needs to be used in moderation. An abundance of dissonance can take away from the desired effect of the dissonance in the first place. It's a tool to be used just as any other.

Sean Christopher Stork

Nightengale Incorporated

Here is what I believe concerning music. Any sound that can be made can be used in such a way as to make beautiful music... it only has to be used correctly. Tonal music has been built up by the great composers of the past. We shouldn't abandon it, we should build on it. Music doesn't have to be new. I agree with people who say todays music is pretty bad... but I would also like to add that by having so many people out there doing it, slowly but eventually people will find the good stuff. When I imagine songs, I often imagine orchestra songs but with other sounds like the wind or the chirping of birds in such a way that it goes with the music beautifully. A childs laughter is a beautiful sound but it is not a tonal sound, however I think it can be used in music in a very beautiful way. Leaves rustling, things in nature especially.

Things like snare drums could easily be compared to dropping a stick, or stomping a foot, or any other sound that doesn't have a musical tone. Many types of drums have been used with orchestras and have sounded great! And this is all because we've found out how to use them so that they sound good with the music!!! In fact it was probably that we figured out how to use music with those sounds rather than those sounds with music.

Where's the originality? In terms of this "original music" of yours and others: Where's the enjoyablility? Why must there be DISSONANCE ever loving measure? Where is the GOOD music?

The music of today is terrible, and different, or not...we stop at Schoenberg.

Pretty soon, someone dropping a stick will be music...wait, it ALREADY IS. How PATHETIC is that? You can't complain about originality and NEW ideas, when the music that us "oldies" write is 40x BETTER??!! I am developing an original style that I can call my own, but it is not this dissonant crap..it's romantic! And yet nobody has written quite like it before. Harmony is universal, not limited to time periods.

Music is stepping back from the radicality of the post-WWII music. let's keep going. New music for the sake of new is pointless, disgusting, mindless, stupid, and a retarded idea. If it's new accidentally...THAT'S where it's good.

Now stop complaining.

I totally agree with the general idea of this post. *burp* Oh, damn, that was beautiful. Let me notate that so the Chicago Symphony can play my burp during next seasons line up. Maybe they can get a real good burper like Bryn Terfel to burp out my piece called burp. :P

BURP!!!

whoa, hey we could form a group or something

Modern music isn't just dissonance. It is exploring the unexplored. Looking where we haven't looked before. Examining harmonies and musical ideas which were once thought unruly. This is modern music. And if you want to succeed in the music world writing serious music (not movie music) you're probably going to have to write in this style.

Your such a loving asshole Canzano. You cannot say your original WHEN YOUR USING ROMANTIC MUSIC!!!!! And you dont use it as a base! As the original idea, and build up on it. YOU TAKE EVERYTHING! EVERY STRUCTURE OF IT

THAT is not original. That is called Paraphrasing! Your music sounds just like Berlioz, BORING! Nothing new, the idea behind it GREAT! But when it comes to writting music, and expressing it, BAD!!! The romantic period Is OVER!!!! Idk if you can get that into your small 4 year old brain. And if its over, ITS FOR A loving REASON! Because there was NO FUTURE IN IT! Music is what we say i is, not what little 4 year olds call it. Music is an ART! What is art?! The way ANYONE wants to express THEMSELVES!! DOING ANYTHING!!!! IF YOU FART want to call that music, GO AHEAD!! ITS MUSIC!!! If you don't like it, SHOVE IT UP YOUR donkey!!

I totally agree with the general idea of this post. *burp* Oh, damn, that was beautiful. Let me notate that so the Chicago Symphony can play my burp during next seasons line up. Maybe they can get a real good burper like Bryn Terfel to burp out my piece called burp. :laugh:

Well, I would say that having Bryn burp on stage would be the most beautiful burp ever to be heard on stage.

Responding to Exemos, I must disagree with almost everything you said. Just because the Romantic Period is over doesn't mean it was because the themes and ideas of that period no longer work. Look at Mozart! His music is revitalized and lives on even today and will continue to do so into the future. The Classical period is over, but is it finished? No, it's not. The problem with modern composers is that they seem to think every consonant idea has been used, re-used, and must be abandoned for a different thought. Composers like Nico and myself emulate the Romantic and Late Romantic periods. The changes from one era to the next has little to do with the music and more about how the people accept it. The modern era is in constant change and struggle between what is too classical and what is too romantic. The change from one period to the next does not mark the death of the former and the birth of the latter. Learn your facts before crucifying people for their ideas.

Sean Christopher Stork

Nightengale Incorporated

Yeah for Nico. *Balloons fall and confetti flys* This is a cause for celebration. You do seem to be growing up a bit. :laugh:

What I mean by closed-minded is just when you say that music is bad. Prove it. To state that music is bad as a fact recquires a %100 ability to prove it. But to simply state "I didn't like that song" only needs one vote to make it %100. And now you aren't wrong.

I liked the song. Now you've got %99. 1 does not equal .99999999, so matter how many digits out you go. Now, the other %99 may agree and saw the song is god-awful, and it may be assumed that the song is generally disliked, but to state it as complete fact is wrong. I hope you know what I'm trying to say.

It was also your use of swearing that irritated me. People who think a cuss word resolves arguements more easily than logical dicussion generally aren't too bright. Therefore, while I agree with Exemos's general philosophy (there are many points I do disagree with, such as saying the classical period is dead and unoriginal), I am now bound to disregard anything he says because he has made a fool of himself.

Now, how was I being an idiot? I was being rude--certainly true--but not an idiot.

And about burping and dropping sticks. Yes, that CAN be considered musical (or at least percussional). But you'll only get about .0001% of the people who listen to it actually enjoy it. And I'm with the 99.9999 who do think is is not good music.

/\ and that is being very open-minded. Thank you.

Exemos - either cut out the language right now, or take it to the FFA.

If you swear, it's not 'against the rules' i.e. what Nico said, but you're taking it too far.

As for my personal opinion on the matter - I'll have to add that later.

Just try to make a plausible argument.

Well you've showed right in this thread how you've matured.

I don't get all this bickering saying "that style is dead", "you can't write like that anymore".

Excuse me while i start typing backward, because forwards has been, like, so done already..

If the various members of this board are making great new music using, and building off older styles, while working in a style that is similar, then IT IS NOT DEAD.

If it it was dead..... they would not be making great new music in it.

Great and new, in this situation, are very subjective terms, so you can of course have your opinion, and I for one cannot wait to hear your 'new' music, writing in invisible ink, so the guessing of the notes becomes part of the performance.. i mean composers have been writing in visible ink for centuries... It's bound not to work, right?!?!?!

John Rutter's Gloria is an impressive orchestral/vocal piece. Difficult to perform vocally, probably more so for the instruments. I looked back at the copyright date afterward. 1971. I might've guessed 1800s!