July 20, 20205 yr Just composed this piece "Come away, come away, death" for SATB choir, a really short piece so hope you guys can have a listen through. Edited July 20, 20205 yr by Samuel Tang
July 25, 20205 yr Very nice! The "hmmm" at measure 27 felt like it was going to start a section a contrasting feel to what came before to me, and I was a bit surprised when it didn't. (That's just me. It's your piece, and I like it as it stands). The phrase markings you have over the lines are unnecessary for vocal writing and make it look like you don't do a lot of choral composing. I would take them out. In choral works, such a mark indicates a slur with the same syllable spread across multiple pitches. For example, in measure 28, the soprano line, a slur SHOULD be used to reinforce how the text is broken up between the syllables of "flower." Yes, you can get that information from the way the lyrics are placed under the notes, but sometimes the number of notes in a bar can make the lyrics cramped, so that it's hard to tell which syllables go under which pitches. Slurs help singers confirm that information while sight reading at speed. To indicate the phrasing you were originally looking for with your markings, the placement of punctuation or a rest usually indicates a new phrase. Marking the whole piece, or individual sections legato, staccato, etc. can also help clarify your intent. You can also individual breaths with breath marks above the staff ( ' ). Nice work!
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