Young Composers' Fugue Challenge

Yes!

Hello everyone. I used to frequent this board a while back and when I return - wow - has it grown and changed!

This fuge challenge is just what I needed - I'm (once again) studying Western Tonal music with an emphasis on writing 4 part. That means I'm still learning - not yet proficient! :P

Some of the fuges in this thread are awesome! And after (too many) hours for writing less than 2 minutes of music - I'm amazed that some of you can crack one out in a day or so.

Anyway - here it is. Fuge based on the Gm theme. I don't like this theme - and I didn't like that it started and ended on the 2nd beat in Common Time - it seemed - wrong. So after a cadence ending on strong 1, I did the restatement on a strong beat (mid to 3/4 through to the end)

This is the first real fuge I've written. If you review - be gentle :P

If I've made any harmonic mistakes - feel free to point them out - this is what I'm focusing on at the moment.

Hi Paul, welcome!

Good work on your first fugue. You are already demonstrating a good understanding of tonality here. There was a particular sequence that you hit around 0:48, that was particularly outstanding.

........But what a difficult subject!!!! :D It does seem unbalanced, and there's no changing it. Syncopated subjects can present difficulties like those you say experieneced while working through this one. I find that contrasting syncopated subjects with rhythmically grounded countersubjects often helps: it's easier to make sense out of a subject like this, if you have something solid to hold it against.

Keep at it, though. I'd try the Cmin subject next; it has a nice balance to it. There's plenty to work with there.

Good luck! - BE

:) Thanks BE. I keep getting the itch to tinker with it though, I'm not fully satisfied.

And thanks for the advice too. Cm will be next, but not until I finish #8 in Gmaj - of which I've torn up 3 attempts so far.

Well, I'm so geeked! I wrote a fugue using the a minor subject for 2 oboes, and 1 bassoon. I am so pleased with it that I posted it in the chamber music section. Please go scheck it out.

http://www.youngcomposers.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=4396

I enjoyed your fuge, cmajorchord. I think for a "formless" (after the exposition) type of music, you've structured it quite well. Better than my first attempt in this respect. There are some harmonies that I find disagreeable - such as those in bars 10-12, and perhaps its just because you posted a thread on it, but the key change to G (leading to it and from it) sounds just like you described - a moment of "oh crap...I'm pretty far from the key and need to get back there soon". In doing my first fuge, I didn't work out the full harmonic and spacial structure beforehand (although parts of it) and suffered some placement difficulties - so I understand.

Overall, however, you've done a good job - The counterpoint, restatements of the theme and their placement, sequences derived from the theme, inversions.

Just my thoughts - I feel by no means qualified to critique, since I am new at this as well - but thought you would appreciate some feedback.

Just a note on the harmony - if you can try to keep most of the upper voices within an octive of each other throughout (bass to first of the upper voices less important) it will sound better.

Fuga a 3 voce

in d minor

Brandon Homayouni

Op.26, Duet for Two Bassoons, 4th Mov..pdf

Fuga a 3 voci (Updated)

in d Minor

Brandon Homayouni

I used the "Bowed Glass" MIDI sound, which sounds great on my Mac, but I am not sure how it will sound on PC. Let me know.

Hey, aren't these fugue subjects yours?

Also I like your recently posted fugue. The bowed glass sound is nice. There are a couple of odd notes though, I'll open it up on finale and take a look. Like at :37

Um exactly which notes are odd? I'll find the ones in your fugue that I think are odd too.

Please please don't start this again.

Brandon post a disclaimer with your pieces or something.

E.g.

"Please do not criticize" or "Please do not review"

As you can see, otherwise, people do review, and criticize. They aren't beating down on you, it's just a habit they've got into, because they do it elsewhere on the sight.

Please no more fighting.

Um exactly which notes are odd? I'll find the ones in your fugue that I think are odd too.

Please do so. I have fugue on the cminor subject and one on the aminor subject posted. I'm always ready to improve.

I haven't opened yours on finale yet, so I'm not quite sure yet.

*edit* got it. Measure 16, highest voice. The G on the & of 1 and the C on beat 2 sound a little odd to me. They are not wrong, I guess, just sounds slightly odd in context. To me...

It goes with the harmony.

Now, look from your earlier post, you sounded a bit defensive. I was not attacking you in any way. As a matter of fact, my post in response to your piece stated that I liked your fugue. In addition, my very first posts, when I put up my first attempt (c minor) praise your subject construction. So, that being said...

I will only further analyze this because I want to show that I'm not just putting a "sounds good" or "sounds bad" or "capable of better" post. Those notes do work with the harmonic progression and they are fine, yet when I listened to the midi, they seemed to me to jump out of the texture. Looking at it closely, I guess it's because of the alteration of nonharmonic tones. On the & of 1, there is a G D F structure which is dissonant, and on the next sixteenth note there is a G & E. Now in my mind that didn't make immediate sense. This is probably WAY over analyzing, but I was just sharing how I experienced the piece when I listened to it.

I'm sure my pieces have tons of much more awkward moments, and I maintain that I would be glad to have those pointed out to me.

in the spot you are mentioning, a G, F, and D make up an incomplete G7 chord (there is no B), which works as I am modulating into the Key of C. Then the F and D continue to climb step wise G, E... then A, F with the upper C makes it a sub dominant chord, then resolving back to C. Modulating from D minor to G Major (G7) to C is a fundamental way of creating an episodic passage characteristic of baroque-style pieces. I have listened to the measure you have pinpointed several times and I fail to see how it is anything less than coherently graceful.

Um exactly which notes are odd? I'll find the ones in your fugue that I think are odd too.

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It goes with the harmony.

[/b]

Brandon, I would not (and I expect the same applies for cmajchord) bother to comment on your work if I felt it had no value. We both appreciate your talent and the amount of work you have put into this piece. But your comments make it sound as if you are unappreciative of the time that cmajchord put into commenting on your work and worse, that you are planning a retribution of sorts. If you don

I am happy with this piece, and I am moving on to something else now. Thanks for the input. Look forward to hearing your creations.

*reply removed by poster*

But your comments make it sound as if you are unappreciative of the time that cmajchord put into commenting on your work[/b]

Yes, I am sorry for not regarding the two sentences he wrote with more appreciation. It surely took the same amount of energy and inspiration to construct them as I needed to write the fugue itsself. No one here has expressed any appreciation for the music I've shared, so why would I in turn respect the negative remarks?

For the record, I have never once commented negatively on anyone's specific pieces, and I am SURE if I did that my comments would not be appreciated as you expect your/his comments to be.

What some may regard as an error, I have come to regard as a solution. If, while I am swirling around with sixteenth notes, you discover a motion that does not please you, join the club. If I vocalized every miniscule instance where I heard a similarly imperfect passage within compositions on this site, I'd never have time to do anything else, and I am sure in doing so I would not be regarded as a hero (just the mere suggestion of me doing so once is obviously grounds for mediation). I'd rather have the reputation for standing firmly by my own work and my own decisions than have a reputation for attempting to poison other peoples' compositions the minute they try to share them with nonchalant brush-off comments and pedantic theoretical analyses which reach desperately. If anything I am slightly flattered that my music has invariably caused such passionate controversy and ruthless analysis. Historically, with art and music, it has been better than going unnoticed.

I am just trying to give my music a home on the web. It is never written with the intention of inspiring the problems with which you attempt to tag it. I contribute music to make the site grow not make others and myself upset. Thanks for your consideration and tolerance.

P.S. A Navajo blanket traditionally contains an imperfection.

Ok.......moving on. I suppose I should post a fugue to distract all of this? ............................. not going to happen

I don't see (or hear) anything wrong with it. The treatment of the subject, the expositions, and the contrapuntal devices he uses are totally appropriate.

This is awesome, I'm new to this forum, and basically to composition. I must try this. I hope it will help me develop my composing skills.

This is awesome, I'm new to this forum, and basically to composition. I must try this. I hope it will help me develop my composing skills.

Writing fuges is difficult composition work, I've found, and I've been writing music for some time. I have no idea where you are musically, but if your new to composition - I wouldn't start with this. This isn't meant to discourage you - but if you do undertake the task, prepare to be frustrated with your work. How you handle that frustration may lead you to hights you've never dreamed of or may put you off composing completely.

Just try one out... the only thing that's poisoning the air is other composers' negativity, as usual! =)

Writing fuges is difficult composition work, I've found, and I've been writing music for some time. I have no idea where you are musically, but if your new to composition - I wouldn't start with this. This isn't meant to discourage you - but if you do undertake the task, prepare to be frustrated with your work. How you handle that frustration may lead you to hights you've never dreamed of or may put you off composing completely.

Thanks for the tips :).

I'm not that new to composition, I have composed several guitar tunes before, what I meant is that I'm new to this kind of composition :D I guess I phrased it wrong, my bad.

Just try one out... the only thing that's poisoning the air is other composers' negativity, as usual! =)

Thanks, I will :).

-Kevin

I never knew that Gould had a humorous side to him. Amazing!

Hahaha, that's weird because when I think of Glenn Gould I think of him as a clownster. I'm pretty sure he had a comedy show at one point.

Whew okay, I've never written anything butterflyapunctal or even baroque, but I'm gonna try it. I've wanted to write a fugue for years now and have never done it, so I'm gonna try righ tnow.