From Above, Now Below (Submission)

Here's my submission to the Halloween competition, written for piano quartet. I thought a lot about demons and possession, abandoned houses, what's down the cellar, all that 😄 

It was a lot of fun, and I hope you enjoy!
 

Very good! Sounds like something straight from a horror movie. I like how the intro keeps a certain harmony and then it sort of freestyles for the rest of the song. but, it feels a bit too little repetitive, because there's no "main" part of the song, but overall I give it an 8/10

@Thatguy v2.0

Entry: From  Above, not below 

Average Score:9.4

Review:

Melodies Themes Motives (10):

I truly felt you have achieved the top tier of what atonal writing should be.  Like the unsettling of high winds, the melodic materials take on whirlwind adventure. I have nothing else to say on this matter. 

Harmony, Chords, and Textures (9.5):

The tonal clusters of this piece truly blew me away.  Nice touch. 

Form(9):

Free form is excellent choice.  

Organity and creativity(9):

you truly were pushed creativity to the mast here!

Score (10):

The score was readable.  However, the only might I suggest is: the pedaling in the piano.  

instrumation (10):

As I meantion before, Pianist like to change the pedal every now and then. If you hold the pedal too long...the notes become blurry. 

Execution:

perfect!

Taste: 

I am giving this 8 because is not for everyone, but it is for some. 

Hi, I'm new so not sure if I'm supposed to comment here, but I wanted to say I'm amazed by this work. Really impressed with the natural dramaturgy of music flow as well as usage of contemporary harmony, rhythm, melodies. Glad to hear something new and exciting like this, keep it up ^^

On 10/25/2025 at 5:55 PM, Kvothe said:

@Thatguy v2.0

 

 

Entry: From  Above, not below 

 

Melodies Themes Motives	Harmony Chords Textures	Form Development Structure Time	Originality Creativity	Score Presentation	Instrumentation Orchestration Playability	Execution of Given Challenge	Taste
10	9.5	9	9	10	10	10	8

 

Average Score:8.2

Review:

Melodies Themes Motives (10):

I truly felt you have achieved the top tier of what atonal writing should be.  Like the unsettling of high winds, the melodic materials take on whirlwind adventure. I have nothing else to say on this matter. 

Harmony, Chords, and Textures (9.5):

The tonal clusters of this piece truly blew me away.  Nice touch. 

Form(9):

Free form is excellent choice.  

Organity and creativity(9):

you truly were pushed creativity to the mast here!

Score (10):

The score was readable.  However, the only might I suggest is: the pedaling in the piano.  

instrumation (10):

As I meantion before, Pianist like to change the pedal every now and then. If you hold the pedal too long...the notes become blurry. 

Execution:

perfect!

Taste: 

I am giving this 8 because is not for everyone, but it is for some. 

 

maths... again...

7 hours ago, TristanTheTristan said:

maths... again...

 

Thanks 

Welp man, this is a full horror medley. 

Very cool ending, nothing to complain about, maybe some automatic overlaps in the score here and there but these are tiny details and it's not like I spotted many.

You fully captured the feeling, that's undeniable. And the more I listen to it, the more seamless it feels and the more coherent its parts become together. Nicely used harmonics in the "B part". this ain't just "here you go, some effects" and call it a day. It's a very difficult (or so it seems) but solid scary dissonant quartet.

My favourite part is this somewhat cantabile melancholic melody you manage to do in the middle of this dissonance of a quartet (in the good way) that leads again to a B' (because of the triplets). And let me mention again, the ending is very solid, very cool.

I don't quite get the title, so it's a 4/10, sorry...

🤑 
I'll vote for you

Kind regards!!

9 hours ago, Cosmia said:

Hi, I'm new so not sure if I'm supposed to comment here

Welcome to the forums! You can comment anywhere you want as long as you follow the rules which are basically common sense (welp I didn't read them but they're probably not so strict)!

Regards!

On 10/24/2025 at 11:50 PM, therealAJGS said:

Very good! Sounds like something straight from a horror movie. I like how the intro keeps a certain harmony and then it sort of freestyles for the rest of the song. but, it feels a bit too little repetitive, because there's no "main" part of the song, but overall I give it an 8/10

Hey thanks for checking it out! I'm glad you liked it, I was definitely going for horror movie vibes 😄 

On 10/25/2025 at 10:55 AM, Kvothe said:

@Thatguy v2.0

 

 

Entry: From  Above, not below 

 

Melodies Themes Motives	Harmony Chords Textures	Form Development Structure Time	Originality Creativity	Score Presentation	Instrumentation Orchestration Playability	Execution of Given Challenge	Taste
10	9.5	9	9	10	10	10	8

 

Average Score:9.4

Review:

Melodies Themes Motives (10):

I truly felt you have achieved the top tier of what atonal writing should be.  Like the unsettling of high winds, the melodic materials take on whirlwind adventure. I have nothing else to say on this matter. 

Harmony, Chords, and Textures (9.5):

The tonal clusters of this piece truly blew me away.  Nice touch. 

Form(9):

Free form is excellent choice.  

Organity and creativity(9):

you truly were pushed creativity to the mast here!

Score (10):

The score was readable.  However, the only might I suggest is: the pedaling in the piano.  

instrumation (10):

As I meantion before, Pianist like to change the pedal every now and then. If you hold the pedal too long...the notes become blurry. 

Execution:

perfect!

Taste: 

I am giving this 8 because is not for everyone, but it is for some. 

 

Wow, thanks for taking the time to give such an extensive review! It's pretty tough coming up with numbers, especially ranking them amongst others. It's also nice to hear what you think of my work in a structured detailed way... makes it easy to figure out how I can improve by taking advice into consideration. We can thank Peter for that haha. Thanks again!

On 10/27/2025 at 12:16 PM, Cosmia said:

Hi, I'm new so not sure if I'm supposed to comment here, but I wanted to say I'm amazed by this work. Really impressed with the natural dramaturgy of music flow as well as usage of contemporary harmony, rhythm, melodies. Glad to hear something new and exciting like this, keep it up ^^

Hey thanks Cosmia, and welcome. You can always share your thoughts, it's encouraged! 😄 

Have you posted any music yet? Be sure to so we can check it out 🙂 

18 hours ago, Omicronrg9 said:

maybe some automatic overlaps in the score here and there but these are tiny details and it's not like I spotted many.

wanna see a bad one?

yeah......I forgot to put the accel. to 240...... 

To explain, my version is slightly different than what I posted. I had to do some quick maths to change the tempo on each eighth note for 3 measures to get Sibelius to play it back as correctly as it's allowed to be. 

Whoops

18 hours ago, Omicronrg9 said:

I don't quite get the title

Ah, guess I could've explained that. It's a play on "as above, so below" and demons being fallen angels. 

18 hours ago, Omicronrg9 said:

so it's a 4/10

Thanks for all the kind words, too! 😄 

Yo Vince my babe!

I listen to this piece twice and I am gonna say that I think this is the best piece in the competition so far (of course @ferrum.wav still hasn't submitted his piece lol).

The opening itself is already very captivating. The Reich-like repeating figure in the piano scares my 💩 out, and it gives me some Messiaen vibe too from his Quartet of the End Time. It reminds me very much of the rehearsal mark D of the 2nd mov of the work:

The octatonic notes really captures the anxious mood well. The Glissando in b.13 intensifies the tendency of my 💩 to burst out from my ass, b.21 even more so, and I absolutely love the polyrhythm in b.20. Even though this section sounds very effective in portraying the horrible mood, structurally it's very tight with motivic usage and you have your materials under your control!

The sabbath dance is even more wonderful. It reminds me of Bee's 6/8 fast section in his Grosse Fuge but with Halloween touch. I love the very low register you use for the piano right at the beginning as the unsettle bass of a dance. I would interpret the opening motive a motivic extension from the opening with wider intervallic usage. The melody in b.56 violin, despite sounding in a complety different context and mood, derives from the beginning bar, which shows how organized this work is despite its wonderful mood creation. And while I am typing this sentence the music turns to the contrasting section in b.64, which is another wonderful section with the subito p. The piano melody, harmonics in violin and viola, as well as the pizzicato cello (which the melody comes from the beginning of this section, b.46), combinied together creates a wonderfully eerie timbre. Wonderful development till b.90. 

And when I think the climax will come, you suddenly tone it down, have the piano playing the melody here, and add a wonderful counterpoint with a jazzy touch in b.96. This struggle between lightness and grotesque really enhance the drama of the work, just like the film ＂It was just an accident" I watched where the director added comedy touch to enhance the tragedy of the whole film. The polyrhythm, use of the high register of violin and cello and piano, very reasonable development of materials in this section is wonderful to listen to. 

After the slight "rest" in b.112 which resembles b.68, another great development follows with more instensified imitations and answering of motives in b.119,and after reaching the climax it moves fluently to the A' section in b.136 with a quicker tempo. The polyrhythm here is even more complicated and wonderful. Within the general mood of the piece, even the "normal" C major sounding in b.154 sounds weird. I love the sadness you reach in b.166 (in my favourite C sharp minor!). It doesn't sound out of context at all as it follows fluently from passages before!

Next is the section in b.171. The transition to it with mood and tempo change is so coherent, and now it's the shortening of the motive with just the minor second left with octatonic key influence. I have nothing to say in this section given how you develop the climax in b.231, and then.... a random pause? Where do you learn the idea from haha!!!?? The ending is wonderful reminiscence of the beginning as well!

I would give this piece the 1st place from all the pieces available now, given how wonderful this piece is from mood, treatment and development of materials, timbre, rhythm, structure... It's just so perfect itself and with the eerie elements in it it just adds as a bonus as a competition piece of a Halloween competition.

23 hours ago, Omicronrg9 said:

I don't quite get the title, so it's a 4/10, sorry...

You are too kind, it should be -100/10 as it's "so below" lol!

Thx for sharing this wonderful music to us!!!!!

Henry

This one is most definitely "Halloween". The subtle use of that Gb Tritone / Cdim. chord suggestion in the piano, as a part of the eighth note phrases on the right hand staff really makes the listener get that uneasy feeling. Overall, I like this piece very much, and would even go as far as to say I'd like to see it performed live! I'm sorry that I don't have more to add in regards to this score, today. I'm strapped for time lately, trying to make rent, working around poor weather to make that happen. 😕 

I'm attempting to comment on all the submissions for the competition, with something at least. I hope this will do 😅

Thanks for sharing! 

 

Average score: 7.87 😉

3 hours ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

The Glissando in b.13 intensifies the tendency of my 💩 to burst out from my donkey

I can't believe this is the guy who created The Crusty Candy Cane! Great use of instruments to create atmosphere. Fun motifs throughout, lots of "I'm being chased" scenes, and you portray this while still being musical, which is awesome. What intrigues me about this slasher-esque piece, is when we get to around 4:30. It gets really emotional here, almost like, a monster who realizes his identity, and expresses grief momentarily. This is such a brief, heartfelt emotion. You pivot quickly back to horror, but in my opinion, this amplifies the emotion that much more.

Melody and harmony: The melody/theme is easy to identify, it's catchy, and can easily be heard throughout. My very first impression, after the first few seconds, I thought this would be more of a "mood piece", but nope...if you keep listening, there definitely are clear themes.

Form and originality: A structured, fun free-form work, very original!

Score presentation and playability: Score is easy to follow, simple 4/4 time throughout. Triplets help break out of the 4/4 rhythm, to keep time signature sane. Great dynamics and very articulated to help intensify the mood.

Execution and taste: Very Halloween-like in the slasher sense, with an incredible heartfelt section at around 4:30, where you momentarily change the mood. This is a moment of self reflection, and possibly realization of what one has become, before going back to terror.

Entry:  From Above, Now Below by @Thatguy v2.0

Average Score:  10.00

Review:

This piece is awesome!  It was the inspiration for creating the “Biggest Thriller” badge, so I hope you win!  This is definitely edge-of-your seat intensity and drive throughout (but with some much needed contrasting sections).  I guess this piece was the reason behind your post in the Random thread about how you’re annoyed by the Octatonic scale and how it’s always difficult to pick the most correct enharmonic spellings for it since it doesn’t fit neatly into our Heptatonic musical system.  This actually reminds me in style of Alan Silvestri’s score to the “Back to the Future” trilogy - he also uses quite a lot of Octatonic scale in that score.  The creepy string harmonics and glissandi really add to the horrifying mood when it’s not intense and in-your-face.  The piece is also very motivically unified and develops well.  The downward sliding glissandi give an impression of a blurring or evoke images of humid bathroom mirrors breaking.  The girl taking a shower in the high school locker room after hours is scared by something seen out of the corner of her eye and the chase begins.  The ending is just as spine-chilling without really resolving anything for the listener.  Great job and thanks for suggesting this competition!

Yes, that’s a really Halloween piece. The opening repetitive piano motif reminds me on a big clockwork, the scary strings could be giant insects coming down and threaten me?

Run for your life in the Presto section, starting at mm. 41?

All in all makes the piece the impression on me to be best fitted as a soundtrack of a spooky movie.

Concerning the score - if to be performed - I’m not sure whether the viola player is enjoyed or able to read 8 ledger lines (mm. 116).

Average Score: 7.5

On 10/28/2025 at 9:21 PM, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

I listen to this piece twice and I am gonna say that I think this is the best piece in the competition so far (of course @ferrum.wav still hasn't submitted his piece lol).

Oh... ferrum... THAT guy...right, um, you didn't hear? He uh, couldn't get one submitted in time. Said he had other things to do 

On 10/28/2025 at 9:21 PM, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

The Reich-like repeating figure in the piano scares my 💩 out

gooooooooooooood

On 10/28/2025 at 9:21 PM, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

it gives me some Messiaen vibe too from his Quartet of the End Time. It reminds me very much of the rehearsal mark D of the 2nd mov of the work:

Awesome! I don't think I've heard much of his work since college, thanks for the recommendation! I love hearing what my music makes people think of

On 10/28/2025 at 9:21 PM, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

The octatonic notes really captures the anxious mood well. The Glissando in b.13 intensifies the tendency of my 💩 to burst out from my ass, b.21 even more so, and I absolutely love the polyrhythm in b.20. Even though this section sounds very effective in portraying the horrible mood, structurally it's very tight with motivic usage and you have your materials under your control!

The sabbath dance is even more wonderful. It reminds me of Bee's 6/8 fast section in his Grosse Fuge but with Halloween touch. I love the very low register you use for the piano right at the beginning as the unsettle bass of a dance. I would interpret the opening motive a motivic extension from the opening with wider intervallic usage. The melody in b.56 violin, despite sounding in a complety different context and mood, derives from the beginning bar, which shows how organized this work is despite its wonderful mood creation. And while I am typing this sentence the music turns to the contrasting section in b.64, which is another wonderful section with the subito p. The piano melody, harmonics in violin and viola, as well as the pizzicato cello (which the melody comes from the beginning of this section, b.46), combinied together creates a wonderfully eerie timbre. Wonderful development till b.90. 

And when I think the climax will come, you suddenly tone it down, have the piano playing the melody here, and add a wonderful counterpoint with a jazzy touch in b.96. This struggle between lightness and grotesque really enhance the drama of the work, just like the film ＂It was just an accident" I watched where the director added comedy touch to enhance the tragedy of the whole film. The polyrhythm, use of the high register of violin and cello and piano, very reasonable development of materials in this section is wonderful to listen to. 

After the slight "rest" in b.112 which resembles b.68, another great development follows with more instensified imitations and answering of motives in b.119,and after reaching the climax it moves fluently to the A' section in b.136 with a quicker tempo. The polyrhythm here is even more complicated and wonderful. Within the general mood of the piece, even the "normal" C major sounding in b.154 sounds weird. I love the sadness you reach in b.166 (in my favourite C sharp minor!). It doesn't sound out of context at all as it follows fluently from passages before!

Next is the section in b.171. The transition to it with mood and tempo change is so coherent, and now it's the shortening of the motive with just the minor second left with octatonic key influence. I have nothing to say in this section given how you develop the climax in b.231, and then.... a random pause? Where do you learn the idea from haha!!!?? The ending is wonderful reminiscence of the beginning as well!

I would give this piece the 1st place from all the pieces available now, given how wonderful this piece is from mood, treatment and development of materials, timbre, rhythm, structure... It's just so perfect itself and with the eerie elements in it it just adds as a bonus as a competition piece of a Halloween competition.

Thanks buddy, we're all lucky that you're around to give such detailed feedback on our music. I don't have a lot of people to share this kind of music with, so I'm really happy you enjoyed this one! Thanks for your enthusiasm Henry! 💋

On 10/29/2025 at 12:59 AM, UncleRed99 said:

I'm strapped for time lately, trying to make rent, working around poor weather to make that happen. 😕 

I know your pain, I think it's rained for a week straight. But Halloween is tonight for me, maybe the dreary cloudy vibe will help the snobbery of my vampire persona 

Thanks for commenting, glad you liked it!

On 10/29/2025 at 1:03 AM, UncleRed99 said:

 

TFW you hear a Henryism for the first time 😄

On 10/31/2025 at 10:37 AM, chopin said:

I can't believe this is the guy who created The Crusty Candy Cane!

Hahahahaha! Glad I can keep you on your toes. Thanks for the kind words Mike!

14 hours ago, Wieland Handke said:

Yes, that’s a really Halloween piece. The opening repetitive piano motif reminds me on a big clockwork, the scary strings could be giant insects coming down and threaten me?

Run for your life in the Presto section, starting at mm. 41?

All in all makes the piece the impression on me to be best fitted as a soundtrack of a spooky movie.

Concerning the score - if to be performed - I’m not sure whether the viola player is enjoyed or able to read 8 ledger lines (mm. 116).

Hey thanks for commenting, I'm glad you liked it! Regarding the ledger lines, I agree. How should it be written? I know string players don't always mind ledger lines because of hand positions, but I'm not sure. 

16 hours ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

I guess this piece was the reason behind your post in the Random thread about how you’re annoyed by the Octatonic scale and how it’s always difficult to pick the most correct enharmonic spellings for it since it doesn’t fit neatly into our Heptatonic musical system.

Yeah, I've settled on making it readable for me, and it could always be spelled differently for certain instruments and spots if the need ever arose. The diminshed scale stuff was fun though, I have decent experience with the whole-half dim. scale but not so much with the half-whole. Very different colors harmonically 🙂

16 hours ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

This actually reminds me in style of Alan Silvestri’s score to the “Back to the Future” trilogy - he also uses quite a lot of Octatonic scale in that score. 

Nice, I'll check it out! I don't remember, it's been so long since I've seen those movies haha. I only remember Marty playing guitar 😄

16 hours ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

The piece is also very motivically unified and develops well.  The downward sliding glissandi give an impression of a blurring or evoke images of humid bathroom mirrors breaking.  The girl taking a shower in the high school locker room after hours is scared by something seen out of the corner of her eye and the chase begins.  The ending is just as spine-chilling without really resolving anything for the listener. 

Thanks Peter! Some of the technique stuff I wanted to do my samples wouldn't allow, but I liked the way the glissandos turned out. This piece made me realize I need to keep practicing string writing, I was afraid of double stops and playability at such a fast tempo. With more time and study, I would have been more fearless with it, but I still like the way it turned out. I'm glad it evoked such scary imagery for you!