Mass Gloria in C major (original composition)

This is a Gloria movement from a mass I am working on at the moment. It is not finished yet but I would really like some feedback in regards to orchestration and my contrapuntal writing. 

Hello @lox

Your piece is very nice and you have done a good job with it. I feel like the drop between tutti and solos can be a bit jarring, but that is my personal taste.

I think you could practice orchestrating chords to get better at them and apply them to this piece.

I'm not an expert at contrapuntal writing so I can't help with that, but it seems to be ok. I think you could avoid some of the doubling that you have (measure 18 for example, you could take out either the strings or woodwind, but you could also leave it as it is.)

I had a little look at your YouTube channel. In one of the videos, the description said you went to a course at the Purcell School. What was it like, writing in the more Classical style that you do, rather than the contemporary "original" style of the professor's? I prefer your style!

Thanks for sharing your piece.

Are you looking for like "rules" feedback on contrapuntal writing, or dramatic feedback? So far, I'm just not sure why you drop the rhythmic intensity and go to a section of just whole notes near the end of the excerpt... 

2 hours ago, aMusicComposer said:

Hello @lox

Your piece is very nice and you have done a good job with it. I feel like the drop between tutti and solos can be a bit jarring, but that is my personal taste.

I think you could practice orchestrating chords to get better at them and apply them to this piece.

I'm not an expert at contrapuntal writing so I can't help with that, but it seems to be ok. I think you could avoid some of the doubling that you have (measure 18 for example, you could take out either the strings or woodwind, but you could also leave it as it is.)

I had a little look at your YouTube channel. In one of the videos, the description said you went to a course at the Purcell School. What was it like, writing in the more Classical style that you do, rather than the contemporary "original" style of the professor's? I prefer your style!

Thanks for sharing your piece.

Thank you so much for the feedback! Yes, I did go to the Purcell school music and completed a week long composing summer course. It was a real struggle to compose classical style music there. My teacher constantly told me that "we live in the 21st century and therefore must compose 21st century music", which I believed to be absolutely absurd. I don't care what era I live in, I want to be known for composing beautiful music, not atonal and "intellectual" pieces. I did incorporate some modern elements into the fugue I wrote to compromise between me and him. He constantly criticised my style while praising other's who's compositions could only cause disgust to the ear, purely on the basis that they are "experimental." I don't see it as any different to telling a writer that they must only compose non-fiction because fiction has already been done. It's stupid. If I compose music I don't like purely for the sake of satisfying this experimental trend, I'm staying true to my heart.

2 hours ago, Monarcheon said:

Are you looking for like "rules" feedback on contrapuntal writing, or dramatic feedback? So far, I'm just not sure why you drop the rhythmic intensity and go to a section of just whole notes near the end of the excerpt... 

 

Thanks for taking a look. I'm looking for feedback in general (eg. the emotional impact and fluidity of my contrapuntal writing). I feel like it flows when I drop the rhythmic intensity. I'm not sure what you mean.

I think overall is dramatic enough. Perhaps this kind of masses with big orchestra are related more with the classic period, although they used lot of counterpoint too.