Prayer to the Eternal - for piano, violin and 2 voices

Hi - I've just joined the forum and set up my profile.

I started composing last summer - unexpectedly, and with no musical training or theory (I can't really even read music....).  But I've been very happy and grateful for what's come out of me since then.  I've been pretty busy in that time, and am currently working on my 16th piece in about 9 months...

For now, I'm attaching my favourite to date - a simple pared down piece, with just 2 instruments and 2 voices, Prayer to the Eternal.  It's at https://heartfulhealing.co.uk/track13.  You can hear all my pieces at https://heartfulhealing.co.uk/music

Sounds great.

The voices, their melodies, harmonies and solemnity remind me of a fantastic opera by Philip Glass (Akhenaton), but not the kind of accompaniment.
The role of the piano is very “passive”, although it serves as a support for the voices, I think it could take in specific moments a more active role.

I think that the final high note in one of the voices is a bit out of a normal tessitura for what is being developed during the piece.

What I'm not so sure about is the violin, especially when it doubles a voice.

It would be nice to see the score at the same time.

Thanks for sharing.
Regards.

Edited April 17, 2025Apr 17 by Luis Hernández

9 hours ago, Luis Hernández said:

Sounds great.

The voices, their melodies, harmonies and solemnity remind me of a fantastic opera by Philip Glass (Akhenaton), but not the kind of accompaniment.
The role of the piano is very “passive”, although it serves as a support for the voices, I think it could take in specific moments a more active role.

I think that the final high note in one of the voices is a bit out of a normal tessitura for what is being developed during the piece.

What I'm not so sure about is the violin, especially when it doubles a voice.

It would be nice to see the score at the same time.

Thanks for sharing.
Regards.

 

 

Thanks @Luis Hernández- appreciate that.  I didn't know Athenaton but am listening to it now - really nice, though I don't see so much similarity...  Glad you introduced me to it though.  (Ah, I've just come to Akhnaten and Nefertiti, and I do fort of see how you might connect them)

Yes, I think you're right about the piano having a more background role.

There is a score video - it's pretty basic though using the Cubase score.  I'm only just starting to learn to score and it's coming very slowly (I only started composing last summer and have no musical training or theory, so I don't really even read music at this point....).  It's near the bottom of this page - Track 13 - Prayer To The Eternal (February 2025) -

Edited April 17, 2025Apr 17 by guy500

Of course, it is very different...

It's the kind of vocal treatment that reminded me of that opera. 

The Window of Appearances

I have listened to the whole thing again with the score.
True, you can tell it comes out of Cubase, but enough to see a lot of things.
I really like the vocal lines and the harmonies sometimes sounding like “old”, for intervals today considered less consonant. I also saw better the role of the violin, pity that the sound is only passable. 
It is also emotional.
 

Thanks for your comments @Luis Hernández.  I really hope it can be performed by real humans and real instruments one day...

Did you mean they sounded old as in more consonant, or with a certain dissonance?

Today, harmony in fourths is considered dissonant, except perhaps in contemporary music.
But in ancient times, fourths were consonant, so they have an ancestral air.

@Luis Hernández that's cool.  I didn't know (and don't know theory so probably couldn't do much about it even if I did).  So, purely co-incidence...