Fughetta in D minor.

Given that I'm (not that unfortunately) no longer able to export my pieces from MuseScore to audio formats, I've felt incentivized to search for other methods to share my works instead. After countless hours of scrutiny, I've finally managed to find some ways out of oblivion: as such, thanks to screen recorders and smooth panning/scrolling, I've been able to piece up this YouTube video of my latest fugue, or rather, given its limited length, a little fugue: a fughetta, which I have dedicated to my one currently best friend on the web (as is noted in the title and the video itself).

Even if this piece was initially intended to be a gift to that person, they have magnanimously allowed me to receive some joy out of it by sharing it with others as well. So, here it is: my harpsichord fughetta in D minor for my best friend, Emerald.

EDIT: here's the new, Pianola Roll scrolling version: 

Here's the link to the old video:

Please enjoy!

Edited December 27, 20205 yr by Nhloki

I am not sure if you're aware of this or not but the harpsichord doesn't really have the capability of playing things piano or forte or crescendo or decrescendo - all the notes are plucked at the same dynamic level.  If this were performed on a piano or an organ (although I'm not sure about the hairpins) then it would be able to play the dynamics that you have added in here (which are rare for a contrapuntal work such as this).

As for the fugue - it is quite chromatic!  Although I feel like you never really modulate and restate the subject in new keys.  Maybe that's part of the reason why you decided to call this a fughetta.  Usually fugues will develop by using their contrapuntal episodes to modulate to closely related keys and have middle entries of the subject stated in those keys for novelty.  Instead you seem to cycle through some awkward chromaticism to color your counterpoint without really modulating and establishing a new key for any considerable length of time.  It would have been nice to hear that and it would give the music something to do.  It was still enjoyable to listen to however.  Thanks for sharing.

16 hours ago, PaperComposer said:

I am not sure if you're aware of this or not but the harpsichord doesn't really have the capability of playing things piano or forte or crescendo or decrescendo - all the notes are plucked at the same dynamic level.  If this were performed on a piano or an organ (although I'm not sure about the hairpins) then it would be able to play the dynamics that you have added in here (which are rare for a contrapuntal work such as this).

I am aware that the harpsichord doesn't really have the dynamic faculties required for this piece in actual performance, which may sound contradictory given that I still haven't justified my choices on such regard (I forgot to, barely could keep myself awake yesterday, my apologies). No matter how heterodox it may seem, overall my decision to add dynamic notation was purely motivated not by the capabilities of the real instrument, but by those of a digital player not constrained by the qualities of an actual harpsichord, hence the reason why I have taken the liberty to add dynamic markings: just because my computer can accurately reproduce them. In actual harpsichord performance these dynamic markings may just be ignored.

That being said, please let me know if this reasoning seems wrong or too lax to you and I may reconsider my decisions on such regards.

16 hours ago, PaperComposer said:

As for the fugue - it is quite chromatic!  Although I feel like you never really modulate and restate the subject in new keys.  Maybe that's part of the reason why you decided to call this a fughetta.  Usually fugues will develop by using their contrapuntal episodes to modulate to closely related keys and have middle entries of the subject stated in those keys for novelty.

I initially thought of it as some eldricht form mixture between a prelude and a fugue, but as development went on I gave it some more thought and given its length, decided to call it so: a fughetta. I would also like to remind that my purpose with this kind of compositions isn't to emulate a certain style to the letter (since there are already some people doing that, for example, for J.S. Bach (namely The Bach Emulation Project - YouTube)), but, essentially, to enjoy it as a hobby. As I recall having nuanced in my profile, in Compositional styles I noted "Baroque-ish fugal writing", by which I intend to transmit my not-so-strictly-Baroque aims and objectives in regards to my composing.

16 hours ago, PaperComposer said:

Instead you seem to cycle through some awkward chromaticism to color your counterpoint without really modulating and establishing a new key for any considerable length of time.  It would have been nice to hear that and it would give the music something to do.  It was still enjoyable to listen to however.  Thanks for sharing.

That is indeed an absolutely valid perception of the harmonic quirks I employed in this piece, and I'm sorry that it may seem awkward at first. Regardless, countless thanks for reviewing my work; have a merry New Year's Eve and may 2021 fare well for you. Thank you.

Edited December 27, 20205 yr by Nhloki