Another French Overture

Hi all!

I was planning on finishing up a piece for the Fugue Challenge, but I was distracted in finishing this one first. I would love any feedback! - BE

It's the first one on the list: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=430217

That file wasn't completely uploaded - let me try again!

Ok we're good to go - check it out! -BE

Oh, this is splendid! I'm getting chills up my spine listening to the slow introduction! Such wonderful suspensions and harmonic structure. Now the fugue...great, great subject! I'm not as overwhelmed with the answer, but now that the third and fourth voices have entered, this is shaping up nicely. The episode after the second statement is just great. You're developing that 8-5-4-5-8-5 motive beautifully.

Oh darn! I was so hoping you'd make a return to the slow introduction material! That would be the only thing I'd change if I were you...do you think you might consider it? Then repeat the fugue and add a slow coda...you know, the whole big French ouverture thang!

BE, this is so wonderfully exciting! You were already a damn good composer before, but you've grown so much in the last year. Welcome back! :D

PS: It's now about 5 minutes after the last note sounded in my ears, and I still have chills running up and down my spine. I'm getting emotional...yep, here come the tears.

Geez...I'm really very much impressed... :sadtears:

Well, let me just say this: one minute into the piece, the progress slider was already halfway over because it wasn't done loading, but I thought this thing was only going to be 2 minutes long, and I thought to myself, "WHY? But it's so good, I want to hear a full five minutes at least..."

And I'm not someone especially interested in Baroque-style music, proof positive that this is a phenomenal work. Well done. Write more Baroque stuff, you've certainly got the knack for it!

To JLG:

I'm so glad to hear that the piece elicited such a strong emotional response! Thanks for enjoying it!

Oh darn! I was so hoping you'd make a return to the slow introduction material! That would be the only thing I'd change if I were you...do you think you might consider it? Then repeat the fugue and add a slow coda...you know, the whole big French ouverture thang!

I was thinking of doing that, but I eventually decided against for two reasons: 1) I love the end of the fugue, and 2) I don't want the piece to be too long. Also, I'm pretty sure there are a few Handel organ concerti with overtures that don't feature a repeated fugue or a slow coda at the end. Then again, I'm not exactly sure if Handel himself refered to these as overtures, or that was just the liner notes.

So my question is: Can I call this a "French overture", or just an "overture", or nothing at all?

To johannhowitzer:

Well, let me just say this: one minute into the piece, the progress slider was already halfway over because it wasn't done loading, but I thought this thing was only going to be 2 minutes long, and I thought to myself, "WHY? But it's so good, I want to hear a full five minutes at least..."

Check it again. The file didn't upload correctly the first time, but it's fine now. Tell me if you're still having trouble with it though.

No, I heard the whole thing. The slider was just incorrect for a while until it was fully buffered.

So my question is: Can I call this a "French overture", or just an "overture", or nothing at all?

The sources I have suggest that the extension I mentioned, used by Bach and Handel, is optional...something I didn't know until today. When Lully pioneered the form, he only made use of the slow introduction followed by the quick, imitative section. The reprise of the slow introductory mood (though not all of its material) and the repetition evolved later. So yes, this is a French Ouverture at its most basic.

I am at present composing a Trio Sonata - don't ask me where that came from, but there it is - and I'm listening to your piece to learn more from you about your masterful treatment of dissonance within a consonant environment - suspensions, passing dissonances, and persistent dissonances that don't resolve as one would expect, but melt into a new tonality (I don't even know what that technique is called). The use of these is one of the hallmarks of what are, to my mind, the very best baroque composers...the likes of Bach and Purcell, and Handel to a lesser degree. Dissonance was a far more significant feature in the Baroque than it was in the Classical period (with the notable exception of C.P.E. Bach), so I'm not as skilful in the handling of it. But it's something I want to learn more about. Perhaps that's why this Baroque trio sonata has come to me. I'm enjoying it.

...suspensions, passing dissonances, and persistent dissonances that don't resolve as one would expect, but melt into a new tonality (I don't even know what that technique is called)...

I know what you mean, and I'm not even sure if theres a term for it either. Its a consequence of counterpoint more than any harmonic technique.

Check out this portion of Bach's choral prelude "In dir ist freude", BWV 615 (actually the last 8 measures), especially the 5th measure of the sample. Talk about persistent dissonances! On the page it looks hideous, but when you listen, it works remarkably well. It's funny that we don't hear the dissonance the way we think we should.

Good luck on your Trio Sonata as well. I look forward to hearing it! :)

BWV615end.mid

Ha! Fantastic! Thanks for that.

Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous! You sir a top man. :D

First, I think this is an exceptional work. It moved me similarly to how it moved Mr. Graham. How can you critisize when chills are creeping up your spine?

...treatment of dissonance within a consonant environment - suspensions, passing dissonances, and persistent dissonances that don't resolve as one would expect, but melt into a new tonality (I don't even know what that technique is called).

Well I don't either, but to my less educated ears (certainly in this idiom), suspensions and passing dissonances aside, the resolutions to new tonalities occur with such frequency that it seems all I can ever hear is the last two changes. I.e. deceptive cadences become the norm, and standard candences become deceptive - if that can possibly make any sense. I LOVE it.

Thank you very much for sharing it with us!

*Bowled-over*

I dare say you are Bach's long lost great great great great great great grandchild . You superbly master that fugue at the end (at least I think its a fugue) and since I've been listening almost exclusively to Bach's preludes and fugues lately you rival the great genius himself! I will be looking up more of your work as soon as I have the time! Bravo!

Pravin.

marvelous...you are a very baroque like composer...

very good keep the good work ..

I finally got a chance to listen to this today and I think just about everything I could say has been said by others already.

Positively splendid.