Rhapsody for Symphony Orchestra

Hi everyone! This is my first piece for full symphony orchestra, first post, (and my first "completed" composition: a lot of firsts), and I'm definitely still learning how to orchestrate better, create nicer textures, and pace my compositions/develop melodies (all for fun, I just like listening to music and playing a little bit haha, so I don't have any formal composition background). This piece was inspired by various Romantic composers (with quotes from my 3 favorite symphonies--one is really obvious but I'm interested to see if others will recognize the snippets I tried to include) and includes two central themes. I'm open to all the advice I can get!

Thanks for your time!

PS. my score is really chaotic and I still need to clean up all the accidentals and stuff.

Hi! I'm new as well. I really like your piece - it has wonderful harmonic turns, it feels very well thought out. I especially like the really smooth key changes, and the part after b.24. The melodies are less recognisable, but I think it kinda suits the style. I think the playability is something you could work on (if you ever want a real orchestra to play it). 

First of all I'd try to change the key: probably to Eb and D instead of Db and C. You'll run into range issues doing that, but no-one likes playing with 5 flats. Whereas 3 flats is really nice for the winds and two sharps are nice for strings. 

Furthermore you might want to keep in mind that ppl need to breathe.. I'm mostly talking about the last note in the horns - I think it's possible, but it is a veeeery long note and also playing that pianissimo will only make it worse - you risk the sound getting quite shakey bc they'll be out of breath, and that will be very audible because no-one else is playing. 

Also the accel. from b.30 onward will be difficult to keep consistent. When performed it won't be as gradual as when done by a computer. Idem for other long gradual tempo changes.

But for a professional orchestra these things would be entirely possible. And musically it's really good. 

I should say I don't have much experience reading scores or conducting so I don't know if this would be balanced at all - although I think so. 

My favourite moment is b.55 - really nice melody there!

Kind regards

Marius

P.S.: Gershwin was really obvious. I think I heard some Sibelius 2 (mvt. 4) with that syncopated background and rising melody, but I'm not really sure. I didn't catch the third quote. 

Hello @A Ko and welcome to the forum!

It's so fun that you snuck in some themes from other composers' works!  At around 4:10 it sounds like you're quoting Mahler - Symphony 4 or 5 perhaps?  It's amazing that your first finished composition is this long and for orchestra - congrats!  Incorporating other composers' melodies in your own works smoothly and seamlessly is quite a difficult endeavor and it gives the listeners a fun little Easter egg hunt to go on - very clever idea to involve the listener in the listening process in yet another additional way!  Thanks for sharing!

This is a work in the post-romantic tradition ... yes, I hear the excerpts from other works.  It reminds of the lush romantic scores of Erik Korngold.  However, I have a question, what motivated you to compose this work in this style?  

Mark

1 hour ago, MJFOBOE said:

This is a work in the post-romantic tradition ... yes, I hear the excerpts from other works.  It reminds of the lush romantic scores of Erik Korngold.  However, I have a question, what motivated you to compose this work in this style?  

Mark

 

Hi @MJFOBOE, thank you for listening and your question! I like listening to a lot of late-romantic symphonies (Mahler, Sibelius), and I wanted to compose something that sounded natural to me. This piece tries to incorporate elements of symphonic works that I like (harmonies, chord progressions, etc.). 

This is quite good for a first attempt at orchestral writing! I definitely hear allusions to other composers' works (Mahler, Dvorak, and Sibelius come to mind...with a hint of Bruckner). 

I do take issue with the title of the piece. When I think "Rhapsody", I expect something a little more virtuosic...doesn't have to be "fast", but needs more ornamentation and something show-off-y. I would call this maybe an "Orchestral Fantasy" due to its episodic form. 

Orchestration is a little odd for winds. You can probably reduce the flute section to just 2 + piccolo. You can also probably reduce to 4 horns. Strange there are no trumpets or additional trombones. The scoring is a bit haphazard and confusing as you can't tell which wind part is suppose to play when (unless they are constantly doubled?) Also, I've never seen a horn part using the tenor clef (and for some reason its only in Horns 5/6). 

5 hours ago, danishali903 said:

Orchestration is a little odd for winds. You can probably reduce the flute section to just 2 + piccolo. You can also probably reduce to 4 horns. Strange there are no trumpets or additional trombones. The scoring is a bit haphazard and confusing as you can't tell which wind part is suppose to play when (unless they are constantly doubled?) Also, I've never seen a horn part using the tenor clef (and for some reason its only in Horns 5/6). 

 

Hi @danishali903, thank you for all of your suggestions + for your support! I'm a string player, so I definitely have a lot to learn about writing for winds and have my editing work cut out for me (I'm going to put the 1.s and the 2.s for clarity, and will definitely make edits to the weird clef stuff haha). I also agree with you that Rhapsody may not fit very well, so I'll be thinking of more creative names in the meantime.

How would you recommend adding trumpet or additional trombones? Should I try converting one of the horn parts into a trumpet part? Would you recommend adding a second trombone? 

Thanks! 😄

Hello @A Ko.

Welcome to the forum!

This is of course an excellent first completed compostition, congrats for that! For orchestration I can't give you any tips because I'm a novice in orchestral writing myself.

The beginning sounds very much like the Urlicht movement, I like it. I love that Eb major climax in b.22 very much, but in terms of the structure of the whole work I will place in much later in the piece, given how grand it is! For this intensity I think it should be put at least in the middle of the piece, or even before the ending! Love the woodwind passage in b.30. That strings chromatic figure and muted horns in f sounds VERY Mahlerian. The climax in b.43 sounds very great, but I think the time between two grand climaxes in b.30-42 as the bridge is a bit too short. I would probably extend that quiter passage with more developments on the themes before going into another climax.

I love the quieter passages after the climax. I love the E major climax too! Though beware of the accidentals in b.97, those Ab should be G#.

In b.144 it sounds like a Mahlerian Landler, but for me I would either develop to a longer passage or just discard it, since it sounds a bit out of place for me before the great climactic ending. I love your buildup to the ending, but I think the ending ends too quickly. Probably I would have the very nice climax stays longer, and also extend the gradual decrescendo longer for a more satisfying end.

Your orchestration is really nice and probably I should learn something from it. Thx for joining and sharing your very first piece to us!

Henry