Fumage – Trio for Flute, Oboe, and Bassoon (Halloween Competition Submission)

Hello everyone,

I’d like to share my piece Fumage for flute, oboe, and bassoon as my submission for the Fall 2025 Halloween Competition.

🎃 About the Piece
Fumage is inspired by the surrealist art technique of the same name, where smoke from a candle or lamp leaves ghostly, shifting impressions on paper. This piece takes that imagery into sound, with wisps of timbre, sudden bursts, and eerie colorations from the woodwinds. It mirrors candlelight, smoke, and the blurred line between reality and apparition—an atmosphere that fits the surreal and haunting spirit of Halloween.

Instrumentation: Flute, Oboe, Bassoon
Duration: ~7 minutes

Score (PDF)
Audio (MIDI)

Thanks for listening and I welcome any feedback!

–– Justin Gruber

Hello @Justin Gruber and welcome to the forum!

Thank you for your submission!  I have taken the liberty of editing this post to include the mp3 you uploaded to the other post and I'll delete that other duplicate post since we want you to submit your music as its own dedicated topic so that the members at large can have a space to review it properly.  Thanks again for your participation!

Hello @Justin Gruber!

Welcome to the forum and thx for joining the Halloween Competition!

I really like this light hearted piece which for sure match the Halloween theme. Changing meters, naughty interactions between the instruments, as well as some funny dissonance and oblique harmonic motions.

I like in the structure that after reaching Section K the tonality is more affirmed in C major even with some later more dissonant passages, and then more reflective passages before the ending, and then section P brings back the opening. This really gives a narrative to the whole piece.

Thx for sharing!

Henry

I enjoy the chromatism and dissonance. I have found a wide amount of dynamics used, it is neither so simple. I really enjoyed listening to this piece of music! 

Just now, TristanTheTristan said:

Melodies Themes Motives	Harmony Chords Textures	Form Development Structure Time	Originality Creativity	Score Presentation	Instrumentation Orchestration Playability	Execution of Given Challenge	Taste
9.5	8	6.5	9.5	10	7.5	8	7

 

I gave a high level of originality because it has very original thoughts, like a beautiful mess.

YOU EVEN WROTE A SHORT PARAGRAPH ABOUT THE MUSIC?! Definitely 10 out of 10.

Beautiful melodies.

ABA is Boring...

Average: 8.25 Above Average

Hey there Justin

Wow, this is fantastic! There's so much color throughout, and I love how you really explore some of the possibilities the instruments are capable of. Long trills, variation in expressions, all wonderful. 

It was interesting to hear how you developed your melodic cells, since there was a purposeful lack of melody. I love your jaunty changes in rhythm, and your approach to sequence-style movement in your chords (sorry don't know how to properly say that). The A sections were so free and fleeting, kind of reminded me of Debussy or how jazz musicians move chords. Very cool stuff. 

I don't know how "halloween" sounding this is, but it's an outstanding work nonetheless, one that you should be very proud of. Feel free to offer advice or say hi to others, you sound like you have a lot of knowledge we'd be happy if you shared. Thanks for posting, and be sure to vote for me for your favorite halloween piece 😄