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BEGINNER PIANO COMPETITION 2


jawoodruff

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  • 2 weeks later...

My judges have been extremely diligent in getting this adjudicated. Here are the final results!!!!

To get the winner, I added all of the judges scores for each entrant and then divided by the number of judges (an average).

Silva: 73.875

Piano on Wheels: 66.75

Composition86: 72.5

The winner is Silva!!!! Congratulations!

Thanks everyone who decided to enter this time around.

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I have a question: is it just my impression, or we were the only 3 entrants in this competition?

Sadly, yes -- I was really expecting more :( But it was really nice, listening to all 3 (or 4, counting Silva's 2-movement piece) pieces.

Here's a post of my critical thoughts of each piece --

Silva: Sonatina

Creativity -- The Allegro has some nice moments, like the 8va on a second repeat, and the switching between the hands' roles in the measures near the end. I like how improvisational it feels, in a way. It adds a certain charm to it.

But the Moderato is, I think, more creative in terms of harmony and direction. It's really hypnotic and enthralling, to me.

Overall, my score: 15 out of 25. (Would have been 20 if the Moderato was the only piece being considered.)

Technicality -- I think the allegro is kind of intimidating for a beginning pianist -- the hand switching is only for scale-climbing in C Major, but it is kind of stretching it, I think. (Also, the measure towards the end where a high G suddenly leaps down two octaves in the right hand, then immediately up one, is a bit awkward. I suppose one could rubato through, but the stiffness of the piece doesn't seem to lend itself to rubato.) [What concerns me the most is how difficult it is to remember -- you'd want a beginner's piano piece to be much easier to grasp so one could play it naturally, without the sheet music. This is a little much to take in, honestly. However, I will assume that the beginner will play it only with the sheet music, and won't count this against Silva.]

The Moderato is much easier to swallow -- the difficulty here is just dealing with the numerous accidentals and learning the piece inside and out, not anything really performance wise.

So, overall: 40 out of 50. (Would have been a perfect 50 if the Allegro hadn't been included.)

Quality -- The Allegro is charming, but also features some awkward musical language at parts (measures 13-14 at the first "la seconda volda" section kind of irks me, for example). Not bad.

The Moderato is my favorite, musically -- it really captivates me, and I found myself listening to it many times.

Overall: 17 out of 25. (Would have been about 20ish without the Allegro -- I think the Moderato is a fine stand-alone piece that would be better off without the chirpy Allegro.)

Total: 82 out of 100.

Piano On Wheels: Petite Mazurka

Creativity -- Hmm...well, the language used is sort of a contemporary twist on typical classical language. But I don't think it's really terribly creative.

I give it 13 out of 25, about average in that department.

Technicality -- Technically, everything is nicely playable and manageable, with clear articulations that still leave room for interpretation.

Gets a perfect 50 out of 50 from me.

Quality -- Well, I like the cutesy personality of it, since it's done well -- it sounds rather like a colorful bird's chirping to me, right from the 2nd measure. But it is rather too short and 1-D to me.

I'll give it a 15 out of 25.

Total: 78 out of 100.

Composition86: How I Imagine Our Meeting

Creativity -- As far as the J-RPG solo piano piece sound goes, there's actually some very nice choices, ironically, in how the melody refuses to be led in the "normal" way. From the very first few measures, 1-9, the piece refuses to allow it's melody where it wants to go. But you'll notice that when you skip every other measure, it actually does, in the half-notes, so it manages to both keep cohesion and have a certain charming awkwardness to it. Maybe I'm reading too much into things here, but I just thought that was a very nice touch. I wonder if the person who wrote it knew if he did that?

So, I say 20 out of 25 (Would have been average if it had had a weaker beginning.)

Technicality -- Nothing seems out of reach for a beginning pianist, as far as I can see. The score is neat (although the 8vb seemed unnecessary) to my eyes, so that's another plus.

I say perfect 50 out of 50.

Quality -- It's a beautiful and evocative piece, and it's deceptively simple. It really is too short though, because it left me wanting much more. But I suppose anything more would have made it artificially longer, instead of really improved...

Also, the piece manages to elude some seriously cliched chord progressions in this style, so that's another serious plus, in my eyes.

I say perfect 25 out of 25.

Total: 95 out of 100.

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Yeah, I had a lot of people enter but only three were able to meet the deadline (which I extended twice due to the holidays!) After I get these three works recorded from the last competition and this one, I'll host another probably around March or so - which hopefully more will enter. I'm going to make these regular competitions cause they serve two purposes: 1) They give me pieces for my growing piano repertoire and 2) they help promote the music of young composers! Two good reasons to continue these!

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Jason, thanks for all! The posibility of my music being promoted in another parts of the world is ultery more valious than any prize!

Serge, you criticism are valious for me. I will try clarify many things you say in your critique (I'm thinking writing a preface and some little excercises too)

Thanks!

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Yeah, I had a lot of people enter but only three were able to meet the deadline (which I extended twice due to the holidays!) After I get these three works recorded from the last competition and this one, I'll host another probably around March or so - which hopefully more will enter. I'm going to make these regular competitions cause they serve two purposes: 1) They give me pieces for my growing piano repertoire and 2) they help promote the music of young composers! Two good reasons to continue these!

Sadly, yes -- I was really expecting more :( But it was really nice, listening to all 3 (or 4, counting Silva's 2-movement piece) pieces.

Ok, a strange competition. :P

Here's a post of my critical thoughts of each piece --

I have read the whole part: first, thanks for your appreciation. I have to say that I wrote that piece some time ago: my conception of music was different, I didn't know nothing about harmony (it' pretty easy to hear) and it was written by ear.

Also for these reasons there are some weird choices, but it sounded good to me and I like when music is "unpredictable".

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