Imprintations for Solo Viola

This work was requested by HecklephoneNYC.

My structure this piece is an abridged sonata form. The chief material in this is the interval of a minor second (i.e. C - Db). Graham may record this for me, so if he does.. I will post a copy!

Imprintations for Solo Viola

hm... I would record this, if I had any decent recording gear. :P I have... a webcam? XD

No problems, MF. Graham is going to be recording this as well, I think. You can play it to if you like!

This wasn't to my taste. For being a solo work, it didn't use artificial voices as much as it could have, especially with it being a string instrument perfectly capable of such voices. Perhaps a more solid harmonic purpose could be laid out? I also thought the development wasn't very "develop-y". It certainly grew to something (to what, I'm not sure), but it didn't really use the original material as much as it could have.

The material is only the interval of a minor second, which is used throughout and developed intensely. I like harmonics BUT I didn't feel they really would've added anything to my piece. I thought about it, had a part in there, but then removed it cause I didn't care for it. As for harmonic plan laid out, my goal with this piece was sort of to embellish or fantasize on the interval of a minor second NOT to have a full progression, etc., upon which the evolution of the piece would be laid out - this is NOT a tonal work by any stretch, nor is it intended to be that. That said, I'm sorry the piece wasn't to your liking.

I's have to say I feel rather... "lukewarm" about this piece. I couldn't say it's "bad" (my own experience writing for solo strings is nonexistent); in fact it is well-written and is very playable. What bothers me is the sequential nature of the melody. mss. 56-78 get boring quite rapidly, given the fact that same or similar rhythmic patterns are being repeated for so long, without much to provide interest except the minor second :santa: . Actually, I think it would be much more interesting if you used more dissimilar rhythmic values throughout. That was what didn't too it for me.

I's have to say I feel rather... "lukewarm" about this piece. I couldn't say it's "bad" (my own experience writing for solo strings is nonexistent); in fact it is well-written and is very playable. What bothers me is the sequential nature of the melody. mss. 56-78 get boring quite rapidly, given the fact that same or similar rhythmic patterns are being repeated for so long, without much to provide interest except the minor second :santa: . Actually, I think it would be much more interesting if you used more dissimilar rhythmic values throughout. That was what didn't too it for me.

Well, one thing I hid in the score (mainly cause the crappy Finale midi wouldn't play it) is that section speeds up and slows down. I'm going to work with Graham on it to make sure he gets it how I want it. I don't want to use a lot of dissimilar rhythms and such because i'm not exactly sure of his ability. This is pretty moderate in terms of playability. I'm tailoring the piece to him, so it's going to be based on what he can do.

Though not to my immediate taste either, I found this piece compelling, even in an electronic rendering - and not merely because it's for viola.

I wish I knew better how to express it, but I found myself drawn in by it within a few measures, without even really understanding what it was saying because it wasn't speaking a music language in which I am fluent. It ended up being a calming, meditative experience for me.

Perfect length I think, and even though I don't understand it, I have to commend you for the way you presented and developed the material because it spoke to me anyway. I found it consistently mesmerising. I don't know if that's the kind of reaction you were looking for, but that's the effect it had on me.

Very nice work. I find myself wanting to play it, too!

Well, one thing I hid in the score (mainly cause the crappy Finale midi wouldn't play it) is that section speeds up and slows down. I'm going to work with Graham on it to make sure he gets it how I want it. I don't want to use a lot of dissimilar rhythms and such because i'm not exactly sure of his ability. This is pretty moderate in terms of playability. I'm tailoring the piece to him, so it's going to be based on what he can do.

In any case, I think the live performance will be much better than the MIDI :toothygrin:

Very much agree. I've received several personal messages on this - a few with recordings. I'll be adding and changing different things to this when I get home from school today! Thanks everyone!!

This is your song has never been so appropriate for me, because I'm composing a piece for solo viola hips ...

The piece is interesting, because it varied, and enhances the sounds of the viola, which is a dark sound but feminine ...

Well the pedals ... and the alternation between slow and fast episodes

Thanks Andrea. Glad you like the piece even though it has never been 'so appropriate to you'.

Thanks Andrea. Glad you like the piece even though it has never been 'so appropriate to you'.

I express myself wrong: I wanted to say it was very appropriate for me

I think this has been hinted at in previous replies, but I will say it again: as the melodic content of the music is intentionally limited to just one interval, you need to expand the other parameters in order to generate the necessary sense of development. Particularly so with rhythm: I think a more innovative palate of rhythmic devices would bring this from being a promising piece to being a good piece. The lack of contrast in m. 7-14 is one example of a place where the music becomes static due to circling round the same pitches with no rhythmic development. Also, the near-verbatim copy+paste of the opening section seemed to me rather lazy and was something of an anti-climax. It needs a more intense way to finish.

Technically little of concern. The open D at 79-84 could mask the upper register notes, but a good player will be able to control this.

Just to update everyone on this, I got several recordings of this. Performed on a real viola, the work sounds very little like the rendering you hear here (which really makes me now start to question the authenticity of renderings in representing works). I have dropped the tempo, renotated a few passages, and added fingerings - which I will be giving to Graham once I have everything cleaned up. The work sounds amazing live! I've been greatly shocked at how the comments here make this seem poorer than it actually is. I've shown it to several performers and composers around me, and they LOVE the piece - so I'm not going to make any more major changes than the one's already stated. I think I have a good piece here - and that is what matters.

@Siwi: Verbatim copy paste? I copied a few bars from the opening and that's it, other than that, there is no verbatim copy paste. I'm hurt you even state that. :\

@Siwi: Verbatim copy paste? I copied a few bars from the opening and that's it, other than that, there is no verbatim copy paste. I'm hurt you even state that. :\

Well, it sounds too similar to the opening to provide sufficient renewal of interest, even if there are some differences. Or perhaps the development isn't long enough and the recap sounds overly familiar because we heard the material too recently ago in the music. Either way, you see what I am objecting to.

Well, it sounds too similar to the opening to provide sufficient renewal of interest, even if there are some differences. Or perhaps the development isn't long enough and the recap sounds overly familiar because we heard the material too recently ago in the music. Either way, you see what I am objecting to.

I'm wondering if your thinking of this as a verbatim sonata-allegro form - as opposed to an abridged form. I find, as have others who have viewed the work, that there is sufficient renewal of interest in that passage. Given the motivic material is simply 1 interval and various permutations of it, I think that the development is of a sufficient length both climatically and developmentally.

In regards to interest generated, I'm not of the belief that modern music HAS to be inherently rhythmic in nature - nor does it have to be extremely angular or complex in rhythmic nature. Certainly, that may be your tastes on it - as it is others. Given this is a work written for a 13 year old viola player - I think it is difficult as is without resorting to more complex rhythmic patterns, etc. My goal is to get this piece played/recorded - and if Graham decides he doesn't want to do that, I'm very happy to say I now have 8 other violists clamoring to do just that (all of whom love every aspect of the piece)! :D

Hey Jason. I agree with CO in that I was drawn into the piece. I'd refrain from describing the form as abridged sonata, but otherwise I like your thought process. I have three concerns. One is the repeated tremolo in the same octave at 93. The repeat seemed out of place to my ears and it might feel more natural to simply jump directly to the lower octave after the rest (in 92). The second is time signatures. The middle section (starting around 56) doesn't sound to me like it fits in the time sigs you wrote. The first beat of the 2/4 measure (56) might make more sense if it began on what you currently have written as the upbeat (1 and). The third concern is fermatas. The usage makes sense, but the placement at the beginnings of measures often seems odd to me, so this issue ties in with the time sig concern.

Otherwise nice work. Maybe a live recording could change my mind. When will you post that?

Just to update everyone on this, I got several recordings of this. Performed on a real viola, the work sounds very little like the rendering you hear here (which really makes me now start to question the authenticity of renderings in representing works). I have dropped the tempo, renotated a few passages, and added fingerings - which I will be giving to Graham once I have everything cleaned up. The work sounds amazing live! I've been greatly shocked at how the comments here make this seem poorer than it actually is. I've shown it to several performers and composers around me, and they LOVE the piece - so I'm not going to make any more major changes than the one's already stated. I think I have a good piece here - and that is what matters.

@Siwi: Verbatim copy paste? I copied a few bars from the opening and that's it, other than that, there is no verbatim copy paste. I'm hurt you even state that. :\

would be interesting to listen at least a recording with real instruments

Personally I like this piece. I played through it a little bit and I think you made your intention clear... I take pride myself in trying to champion the more "taboo" intervals sometimes. The only thing I would have to say is that those octave jumps in measures 36-38 between the Bb's will be a real stretch for the hand. Also, in the first treble clef section, all the D's on the bottom would best be played as open, which means all the notes on top would have to be played in position on the A string, which towards the end could get... uncomfortable, but not impossible.

I also think as a general rule, no one should every compose a piece based off of how the midi sounds. You should know how it will sound in real performance so don't let midi every stop your intentions. Nice work.

There's something unusually creepy about this to me -- a lot of your more atonal works have that flair of it, that "spice", but this is more so than usual. This viola sounds like it really wants to be part of a powerful orchestra, but it's all alone in its musings :blink:

I am just not crazy about all-treble solo instrumentals in general, but I think that you did as well with it as one reasonably can. There is a certain poignancy in the viola's mourning motif; the fact that it is alone when it could use so much help and support seems sort of symbolic, especially the way you've brought the music out here. But it still seems like a sad limitation that the music here could be much "fuller" if orchestrated, and the material seems to lend itself to it :hmmm:

Thanks for sharing -- it's still an interesting work, even as it is :phones:

I also think regarding some of the comments here that 'personal tastes' should not be applicable to the quality of the work. I don't think it needs a different medium or an expanded medium, and again because of the MIDI representation it shouldn't be judged as something that will not come out well through the performance aspect. Do not forget that instrumentalist interpretation is another aspect that can define a piece and the quality of the musician you have to play can make or break the piece.

I have to agree that the MIDI does not really do justice to the piece at hand here. If you posted an actual recording, I believe you would receive much more accurate feedback... especially in regards to the style of solo viola. It is easier to mask the loss of real world representation with a larger ensemble, but as many users have said here it feels a little lacking - which is not the piece being a bad piece, it's just the MIDI. Unfortunately many of the approaches you are going for are lost to the listener because they will not comprehend the timbre you are trying to achieve with electronic representation alone. That being said, this is a piece that needs a recording uploaded to be recognized to its fullest. I think as a virtuoistic piece it contains a lot of character and seeing how rare viola works are nowadays, it is a very appreciate addition to the modern repertoire.