December 13, 20196 yr Finally, I finished my 4th étude. The piece has two basic melodic sections. After the intro, the first one starts at bar 12, and the second one starts at bar 37, while a roundup (the “finale”) starts at bar 69. It took me a while to produce a decent (I hope ) score. There may still be some errors in it, but I am fairly satisfied for the moment. The only doubtful issue is the actual title. I am not sure whether this piece can be called an étude. Perhaps a simple title like “Piece in F-sharp minor for piano” would be more adequate. I would be grateful for your comments about this (and of course also what you think about this piece in general).
December 13, 20196 yr If I didn't know any better, I'd say this was a lost étude of Chopin. So masterfully done! (Also, great job on getting the MIDI rendering to sound lifelike!) There is so much nuance here. It's as if your mind is one step ahead of the music, rather than the other way around (which seems to be the case for typical composers—myself included.) Overall, great job! I enjoyed this very much... now if we could only hear a live recording.
December 13, 20196 yr It's absolutely beautiful. The harmonies are so rich and colourful. To me, it doesn't sound so much like Chopin but I can see what @Tónskáld means. It has the depth but clarity of harmony that he could produce. I think the title Étude is fine. It does seem technically challenging, but a bit more like a Liszt or Schumann etude which cover many different areas of challenge. The section beginning at Bar 23 is beautiful, as is Bar 49. The finale rounds off very well. The last note being piano rather that forte is unexpected, and is a nice touch. Thank you for sharing your music!
December 16, 20196 yr Author On 12/13/2019 at 4:02 PM, Tónskáld said: If I didn't know any better, I'd say this was a lost étude of Chopin. So masterfully done! (Also, great job on getting the MIDI rendering to sound lifelike!) There is so much nuance here. It's as if your mind is one step ahead of the music, rather than the other way around (which seems to be the case for typical composers—myself included.) Overall, great job! I enjoyed this very much... now if we could only hear a live recording. Thank you very much Tónskáld for those nice words. It would be really exhilarating if I could persuade a good pianist to play the piece! Although I tried to adjust the MIDI playback as much as I could, it can never compete with a live performance. Sadly enough, it is not realistic for me to try playing this myself (after a hand injury and a loss of agility for about 10 years ago). Your remark about the mind being ahead of the music made me very curious about the actual process of composition. What is the actual way of working of different composers? This could perhaps be an interesting discussion topic for the YC members. One more.. thanks a lot for your stimulating feedback! Quote On 12/13/2019 at 4:11 PM, aMusicComposer said: It's absolutely beautiful. The harmonies are so rich and colourful. To me, it doesn't sound so much like Chopin but I can see what @Tónskáld means. It has the depth but clarity of harmony that he could produce. I think the title Étude is fine. It does seem technically challenging, but a bit more like a Liszt or Schumann etude which cover many different areas of challenge. The section beginning at Bar 23 is beautiful, as is Bar 49. The finale rounds off very well. The last note being piano rather that forte is unexpected, and is a nice touch. Thank you for sharing your music! Thank you aMusicComposer, for your reply! I was very glad after reading your opinion about this piece. It seems that the time, I spent to write this piece was well worth the effort. I agree with you that the piece it not very Chopin-esque, at least I did not have Chopin in mind, when I worked with it. I will leave the title “ Étude “. As you said, many other études include various types of challenges , for example Schumann´s Études Symphoniques ( incredibly beautiful, but really tough!)
December 30, 20196 yr You demonstrate a lot of dexterity in your harmonic writing. At times it sounds very romantic, in others it feels a lot more personal. About engraving, I believe it would be good to add 16th note rests from M.37 on, in the accompaniment right bellow the melody as it might make sight reading easier. While this is not my favourite style, I really apreciate what you did and it does sound very pleasing to my ears. Congratulations on your job! 🙂
December 31, 20196 yr Author 18 hours ago, Jean Szulc said: You demonstrate a lot of dexterity in your harmonic writing. At times it sounds very romantic, in others it feels a lot more personal. About engraving, I believe it would be good to add 16th note rests from M.37 on, in the accompaniment right bellow the melody as it might make sight reading easier. While this is not my favourite style, I really apreciate what you did and it does sound very pleasing to my ears. Congratulations on your job! 🙂 Hello Jean, Thank you very much for your comments! You are right about the engraving. Adding these rests separates the melody from the accompaniment in a more obvious way. I will add them in the score. (Usually, I am afraid to mess up my scores with too many rests). I am glad that you like the piece. Personally, I like a lot of styles, but my preference for a particular one comes and goes periodically. Thanks again for your feedback ! (And I wish you a prosperous 2020)
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