A very short quartet

Any feedback is welcome!

https://musescore.com/user/43866272/scores/13734436

Hello @piajo!

I'm wondering why you use the key signature you do when you start and end the piece in Eb major?  Some of the time you borrow from the minor mode but I think it would still have been easier to view in Eb major with occasional accidentals.  Plus your key signature of C# major/A# minor is modal in this case (since the actual key center is Eb) and C# major is usually better displayed as Db major (fewer accidentals) - same with Bb minor.  Then there's also the issue of the harp not being able to play double #'s or double b's.  For this reason as well, the harp part should be displayed in Eb major (or if you prefer, Db major - using flats instead of sharps in the key signature which solves this problem).  I think the harp part is mostly playable if the key signature is changed and proper enharmonic spellings are used (the harp has pedals that need to be changed if one of the strings needs to change to a different chromatic).  Another thing about the score - why did you not label any of the instruments?

As for the music, I find this piece to be somewhat playful and happy-go-lucky.  Is this in celebration of the new year?  Thanks for sharing!

@PeterthePapercomPoser Thank you so much for the information! I was unsure of the key - I wanted to write the piece in C# major but mostly wrote the piece in a flow, I guess, and after that I forgot to check the key. Also, I labelled the instruments in musescore and used the "Send to YouTube" feature. I did not know that they would remove the instruments. I'll edit the piece and do it again, so I'll look at the instruments thing then.

Yes, this is (sort of) for new year!

My main objection is that harp writing is not idiomatic. That is, you can tell that you've written the harp part as if it were a piano or something. 

Otherwise the music is fine.

14 hours ago, Luis Hernández said:

My main objection is that harp writing is not idiomatic. That is, you can tell that you've written the harp part as if it were a piano or something. 

Otherwise the music is fine.

 

I see, how should it be written for the harp? Is it because this manner implies that one hand should play all the notes in a bar while it should actually alternate between both hands?

The harp has its own characteristics that require certain types of writing.
On the one hand, it is not possible to change accidentals with total freedom, because it implies a change of pedals. On the other hand, on the harp each hand uses 4 fingers (not five) so the rapid successions are usually divided between both hands. Anyway, there is a lot of information and the best thing to do is to watch videos on the subject. 
And even better to see scores for harp.

Hi @piajo,

I find this piece delightful! Apart from what @PeterthePapercomPoser and @Luis Hernández said, I think you should consider b.9, 11's enharmonic spelling! If you wanna write in C# major, then there you should write instead in G# major instead of Ab major! Also the octave doublings of the cello in b.14 may not be playable.

For harp writing, you should notate which pedals the harpist should use for each strings and mark each change of pedals!

Thx for sharing!

Henry

29 minutes ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

I think you should consider b.9, 11's enharmonic spelling! If you wanna write in C# major, then there you should write instead in G# major instead of Ab major! Also the octave doublings of the cello in b.14 may not be playable.

For those bars I've changed the key to Eb major in the musescore sheet (I could not change the YouTube version yet). I will take a look at those octaves for the cello!

31 minutes ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

I find this piece delightful!

Thank you!