Trio Variations in D Minor: A submission to the 2025 Halloween Composition Competition

https://musescore.com/user/96214813/scores/28339009. This is my work. It is a theme of variations piece of music. It has a length of exactly 5 minutes. It consists of an introducion, a theme, and thirteen variations (coda in last variation). It is written for two pianos and a violin, and it also has a cadenza for  both types of instruments. 

This is easy. 10 out of 10. Simply outstanding. And a perfect five minutes? Great. 10 out of 10. Winner here.

(This is just a joke lol)

Hey Tristan

Well, I think this piece is definitely a front runner for most unique ensemble, more so than mine at least haha. Cool choice to use two pianos and only one string player, I was curious to see how you'd pull it off. 

I like the variety of variations you have, it made it interesting all the way through. My favorite was probably 5, but I also really like the subtle build of the last variations leading into the coda. It's also smart to have ones like variation 10 to help break up the monotony. 

Cool music! I hope the competition gave some inspiration to music you would otherwise have never written. It did for me 🙂 

Cheers buddy, good stuff. Keep writing and practicing!

2 hours ago, Thatguy v2.0 said:

Hey Tristan

Well, I think this piece is definitely a front runner for most unique ensemble, more so than mine at least haha. Cool choice to use two pianos and only one string player, I was curious to see how you'd pull it off. 

I like the variety of variations you have, it made it interesting all the way through. My favorite was probably 5, but I also really like the subtle build of the last variations leading into the coda. It's also smart to have ones like variation 10 to help break up the monotony. 

Cool music! I hope the competition gave some inspiration to music you would otherwise have never written. It did for me 🙂 

Cheers buddy, good stuff. Keep writing and practicing!

 

 

Thanks for your feedback!

2 hours ago, Thatguy v2.0 said:

Hey Tristan

Well, I think this piece is definitely a front runner for most unique ensemble, more so than mine at least haha. Cool choice to use two pianos and only one string player, I was curious to see how you'd pull it off. 

I like the variety of variations you have, it made it interesting all the way through. My favorite was probably 5, but I also really like the subtle build of the last variations leading into the coda. It's also smart to have ones like variation 10 to help break up the monotony. 

Cool music! I hope the competition gave some inspiration to music you would otherwise have never written. It did for me 🙂 

Cheers buddy, good stuff. Keep writing and practicing!

 

 

Also, you might be surprised at the end because of the picardy third. That is because I put a have put a quote in there. Read it, (maybe).

Hi @TristanTheTristan!

This one has a cool atmosphere in it! And I like how you vary the theme.

I am more on the playability issue here. The quadruple stops in b.31-38 are unpractical to be played on a real violin, like in b.32-36 any notes lower than the E string would be unplayable with the E string to achieve the quadruple stops. The double pizz. in b.152 variation can also be difficult to play too, as well as the seconds in b.198 for 2nd piano and the octaves for pianists in b.296.

Also, I hope there are moments when the first piano's melody isn't the same as the violin's melody!

Nonetheless, good attempt to write in a variation form!

Henry

On 10/12/2025 at 10:58 AM, TristanTheTristan said:

This is easy. 10 out of 10. Simply outstanding. And a perfect five minutes? Great. 10 out of 10. Winner here.

 

agreed

(this is not a joke lol)

23 minutes ago, Kvothe 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	8.5	9	7.5	7	9.5	9

Entry: Trio Variations in D Minor

Hi @TristanTheTristan

I am going to highlight areas the areas that believe could reworked. 

As a pianist, I think those 32nd notes could be replace by tremolos instead.  They have a similar effect.  The readable in the piano section is hard at times. I do not where the beats are. You have difficult rythmn patterns that make it hard to play. Also, those single note tremolos, are not idiomatic. You will see them more in strings. What you need to do is write them out. Trust me!  That is why you scored 7 in playabity and in 7.5 score presentation. 

You score higher in the other areas for it was original, creative, and you knew how to create variations. You carried through this competition.  And you melodic material was spot on. It just needs better notation and idiomatic writing. 

7.4/10 

 

 

Thanks! ( I would react that, I just can't react more today) I am pretty sure the average would not be 7.4, though. I am pretty sure it would be 8.5. Anyways, (again) thanks for the feedback!

1 hour ago, TristanTheTristan said:

Thanks! ( I would react that, I just can't react more today) I am pretty sure the average would not be 7.4, though. I am pretty sure it would be 8.5. Anyways, (again) thanks for the feedback!

 

 

Oh you are correct. It would be 8.5. My math was wrong.  

7 minutes ago, Kvothe said:

Oh you are correct. It would be 8.5. My math was wrong.  

 

thanks!