Initiation (Brass Quartet)

Well I've "finished" my first real composition for something other than guitar and bass. I've always loved the timbre of low brass, (who doesn't?) so I chose 2 euphoniums, a tuba and a trombone.The title comes from it being my first piece in of this sort, and because the music to me sounds like an "entrance" piece, and the spectators and mulling around postive and negative thoughts about this new arrival.The score is sloppy, so you are welcome to comment on that but just know if its small, I've probably noticed it, im just too lazy to change it.I basically want to hear how it sounds to you. some parts are harmonically dense, others are hollow roots and fifths because I like the sound where they are used.the end is supposed to slow down gradually but I can't figured out how to do that in sibelius which im also new to. I also can't figure out how to do slurs. Hopefully I can get this performed next semester as I can't seem to find a library with euphonium samples...

Initiation (Brass Quartet)

Hello! Welcome to YC! I really like the way your piece progresses. My only concern is that with the small range you have between voices, the instruments might sound a bit muddy together. I'd watch this. Also, I see no dynamic markings whatsoever....and I think your piece could really use this well. Add some contrasts, cresc/decresc...etc, and I think this will be a lovely piece! Nice job!

Hello! Welcome to YC! I really like the way your piece progresses. My only concern is that with the small range you have between voices, the instruments might sound a bit muddy together. I'd watch this. Also, I see no dynamic markings whatsoever....and I think your piece could really use this well. Add some contrasts, cresc/decresc...etc, and I think this will be a lovely piece! Nice job!

thanks! and ah yes, I'm working on the dynamics and stuff, I haven't yet spent the time with those. And yea, I'm gonna show the score to a few students and hopefully they can play it and I can figure out if it will sound good in real life. The way i'm hearing it i think it will come into its own with real instruments even with relatively close intervals.

You've got some really nice chords in there, almost jazzy.

One big thing I'd worry about is breathing -- these are big instruments, and need a lot of air, especially on those higher notes... You might want to stagger some voices more.

The area with hits is a nice break from the constant stream of notes.

The ending could be so much stronger with a better use of space -- spread it out more, use silence!

Welcome to YC!

Before I forget and while I'm looking at it. The criticisms:

-m.24 onward: Euphonium 1 is gonna be angry. I'd suggest bouncing that line around a bit to give them ample breathing time.

-fix your beaming. There are quite a few instances in here where the beaming can't be justified in any meter. Quite confusing.

-If you are going to do shifting asymmetric meter, you should probably notate the piece in 8/8, not 4/4. Otherwise, notate it in 4/4 all the time. E.G. you aren't allowed to do stuff like m.21.

-make sure you can sing every line. If you run out of breath, they probably will too. Most of your lines seem to forget the fact that phrasing is usually determined by the amount of breath that is natural for a human being to be able to sing.

-dynamics. Quite important.

-m.86: how on earth did that happen without you knowing about it?

-In general, you have a lot of similar motion. I could use more contrary.

What I liked:

the harmonies very much "brass ensemble"-y. A little tired at times if you were at a brass festival, but pretty appropriate here. It's very ethereal. Unfortunately I didn't hear much in the way of melodies. But I don't think you were particularly looking to write a memorable melody line.

As for Elizabeth's concern about muddiness, that's unfortunately the nature of the beast (tuba/euph quartet). I think you've spaced the voices out pretty well, considering. Except the tuba: the tuba could be much lower. And higher. In the future, I'd recommend keeping in mind that tubas can play pretty high and that you may want to thin the texture at times. If everyone is playing the absolute whole time, it sounds like a pile of mud. With low voices especially, if you voice it right, two voices can sonically fill the ear with the sound of full tetrachords. Give variety in textures, you have three very different instruments at your command here. :) Take advantage of it.

Thanks for sharing! :phones:

Welcome to YC!

Before I forget and while I'm looking at it. The criticisms:

-m.24 onward: Euphonium 1 is gonna be angry. I'd suggest bouncing that line around a bit to give them ample breathing time.

-fix your beaming. There are quite a few instances in here where the beaming can't be justified in any meter. Quite confusing.

-If you are going to do shifting asymmetric meter, you should probably notate the piece in 8/8, not 4/4. Otherwise, notate it in 4/4 all the time. E.G. you aren't allowed to do stuff like m.21.

-make sure you can sing every line. If you run out of breath, they probably will too. Most of your lines seem to forget the fact that phrasing is usually determined by the amount of breath that is natural for a human being to be able to sing.

-dynamics. Quite important.

-m.86: how on earth did that happen without you knowing about it?

-In general, you have a lot of similar motion. I could use more contrary.

What I liked:

the harmonies very much "brass ensemble"-y. A little tired at times if you were at a brass festival, but pretty appropriate here. It's very ethereal. Unfortunately I didn't hear much in the way of melodies. But I don't think you were particularly looking to write a memorable melody line.

As for Elizabeth's concern about muddiness, that's unfortunately the nature of the beast (tuba/euph quartet). I think you've spaced the voices out pretty well, considering. Except the tuba: the tuba could be much lower. And higher. In the future, I'd recommend keeping in mind that tubas can play pretty high and that you may want to thin the texture at times. If everyone is playing the absolute whole time, it sounds like a pile of mud. With low voices especially, if you voice it right, two voices can sonically fill the ear with the sound of full tetrachords. Give variety in textures, you have three very different instruments at your command here. :) Take advantage of it.

Thanks for sharing! :phones:

Thanks for the comments! I'll definitely have to figure out breathing for lots of it. i seem to have forgotten about that haha. Measure 86 gave me a laugh haha. Sibelius likes to drag random things when i drag pages and I never notice it. I probably noticed that and said "i'll fix it later" and never did.

you are right about their being not much of a melody line. When it picks up I tried incorporated a more memorable melody but what I hear in the slower parts is almost like multiple melodies but neither take the cake as the "main" one, so its sort of up to the listener, for example measure 10, euph 1 or 2 could be seen as the melody there.

all good advice, i've definitely taken it to heart! thanks!

I don't want to re-upload this until its officially recorded next semester, but if anyone was interested, I set this to virtual instruments and improved (finished) the score.

My computer is super slow and it was hard for me to get the instruments working. I had to use french horn instead of euphonium. I think it sounds better, but its not quite there yet. and it seems to have a few tempo issues? I dunno how the hell that happened haha.

anyway you can listen to that here http://www.soundcloud.com/peter-mendola/ini

and the score is here http://www.scribd.com/doc/45850747/Brass-Quartet

I really like this. I agree with what Peter and Ferk said in regards to the technicalities of the instruments. My other comment, regarding construction, you have a wonderful set of ideas here - but as for full on connectivity between ideas, I just didn't see it. I would've loved to have seen some development a bit. That's not really a bad criticism though - just a wish. I like your ideas!

I really like this. I agree with what Peter and Ferk said in regards to the technicalities of the instruments. My other comment, regarding construction, you have a wonderful set of ideas here - but as for full on connectivity between ideas, I just didn't see it. I would've loved to have seen some development a bit. That's not really a bad criticism though - just a wish. I like your ideas!

I agree (is it Jason?) I definitely should have developed each idea a little more and they don't quite fit together. I think this is just me being anxious to just get some ideas out. In the future i'll be more relaxed about it haha. thanks!

This is a strange ensemble to me -- I've never seen an all bass-clef brass section before. (Maybe I'm a barbarian? :blink:) But it's a nice idea -- the piece really does have an "ethereal" feel in a way, (I agree with Peter) despite the deepness of the textures, which is a delightfully unusual feeling :nod: It's also, ironically, really depressing to me, for some reason -- especially at the end. It's like the piece is constantly searching for some melodic line to hold on to, but it never quite achieves it. This is neither a bad or good thing, it just is what it is -- but to me, it's evocative, and ... sad, the way you did it.

(Btw, if you want to slow something down in Sibelius, try clicking on the note or measure you want to slow down, and push L. It should bring up two columns of choices, and on the right should be a rit. articulation. Choose the one with dotted lines, and stretch it out as far as you want to :))

Thanks for sharing, this was a very nice listen! :D

(Btw, if you want to slow something down in Sibelius, try clicking on the note or measure you want to slow down, and push L. It should bring up two columns of choices, and on the right should be a rit. articulation. Choose the one with dotted lines, and stretch it out as far as you want to :))

Another point for Sibelius. I'm getting a little tired of Finale's idiosyncracies...

This is a strange ensemble to me -- I've never seen an all bass-clef brass section before. (Maybe I'm a barbarian? :blink:) But it's a nice idea -- the piece really does have an "ethereal" feel in a way, (I agree with Peter) despite the deepness of the textures, which is a delightfully unusual feeling :nod: It's also, ironically, really depressing to me, for some reason -- especially at the end. It's like the piece is constantly searching for some melodic line to hold on to, but it never quite achieves it. This is neither a bad or good thing, it just is what it is -- but to me, it's evocative, and ... sad, the way you did it.

(Btw, if you want to slow something down in Sibelius, try clicking on the note or measure you want to slow down, and push L. It should bring up two columns of choices, and on the right should be a rit. articulation. Choose the one with dotted lines, and stretch it out as far as you want to :))

Thanks for sharing, this was a very nice listen! :D

I like your interpretation! thanks haha. I've heard such ridiculous mixed reviews about this piece from other forums, and I agree, it doesn't really have a melody, but I still think it "sounds" interesting. people have told me it is a tonal idiom and doesn't have any harmonic pull toward anything, people have told me its just a dull mash of notes and chords, and people have told me that some of the notes just sound wrong, so i've been getting pretty bummed out haha. I know its nothing great, but hell its the first thing I've written besides guitar songs and I like that it can set a mood to some people hah :)

and thanks for that tip! I couldn't find anything about rit. or decellarando when i was trying to do that.