Landscapes competition submission - Morning On Whidbey Island

This is my submission for the Landscapes competition.

For my landscape I have chosen this photo I took a few years ago while on vacation on Whidbey Island, which sits on the Puget Sound near Seattle. It's written for Oboe, Bassoon, and Harp. I wanted to capture the quiet, stillness of the moment with music that is very simple and delicate.

Morning On Whidbey Island - Score.pdf

Edited April 27Apr 27 by BipolarComposer

Very Good Well Done

You've Set a Standard that's Hard to compete with....

By using only 3 Instruments, you've been able to create an inspiring, "MOOD".

This piece of music did it’s a really good job, capturing the quietness and beauty of the given landscape. It’s not really my cup of tea, but it’s relaxing and it gives the atmospheric feeling that you’re actually there.

Melodic material. 7.5

Chords and texture 6.7

Structure 7.4

Originality 8.2

Engraving 9.7

Orchestration and playability 7

Execution 9.86

taste 5.2

Total 7.69

Average Score: 9

Hi Bioplar,

The choice of instrument for this composition, certainty, was correct. Harp, Bassoon, and Oboe do create the tonal colors for a pastoral piece. You could have choose any wood wind instrument, for they soft, warm colors.

When I hear the harp, I envision mermaid playing on rock. (that is just me)

The woods, I think, create dreamy aura in this piece. I enjoy interplay oboe and bassoon with the harp.

Overall...nice job

Time for the actually score of you entry!

Entry: Morning on Windby Island

Review:

My above comments remain! I took those in affect when I scored this! However, I will add something about the harp. The rolled chord in the left hand are too small for the harp. Usually rolled chords are played by both hands. Nothing major. That is why is only .5 off in the score and playability sections. other than...Kudos

Total: 9.75

38 minutes ago, Kvothe said:

Time for the actually score of you entry!

Entry: Morning on Windby Island

Review:

My above comments remain! I took those in affect when I scored this! However, I will add something about the harp. The rolled chord in the left hand are too small for the harp. Usually rolled chords are played by both hands. Nothing major. That is why is only .5 off in the score and playability sections. other than...Kudos

Total: 9.75

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

Thanks for the tip on the harp!

15 hours ago, BipolarComposer said:

Thanks for the tip on the harp!

You are welcome. I am glad to help out. We are here to learn from each other. One day, we enter an official contest, and those contests be scored and reviewed similarly to the ones here. It is good practice to partake one we do here. You learn how entries are scored (0-10) and why. This round I focused on scoring and judging.

The next round: I might do both.

Hi @BipolarComposer !

I really really enjoy the serene atmosphere portrayed by traditionally pastoral double reed instruments. The combination of them with harp definitely enhances the pastoral mood. The sparse spacing, rests and register really gives peace and thoughtfulness to the piece.

One strange throught: I imagine the piece would be even more serene by having the bassoon played a Chinese Dong Xiao and oboe by an alto flute, as there are many lower register for the oboe which would sound unnecessarily strong with a low register oboe. Another thought is that, even I enjoy the serene mood very well, maybe you can invite some contrast in between, For example like @Kvothe suggests, you may write some passages with harp playing wider and stronger chords. Also to my observation, the bassoon never really plays its strong lower register which would make some more powerful passages. With more contrast the serene mood will sound more treasured to me.

Thx for sharing!

Henry

Average Score: 7.8

Review:

Melodies/Themes/Motives - The motifs are pleasant, although one in particular dominates the entire piece and could perhaps have been explored or varied a little more. However, in the second movement there seems to be more variation, and the result is effective and satisfying. 

Harmony/Chords/Textures - The harmony is straightforward and seamless; it comes across as complete even when carried by horizontal melodic lines, which is a real plus. The texture is very clean. 

Form/Development/Structure/Time - Good.

Originality/Creativity - The combination is very well balanced, featuring a bass instrument, a polyphonic instrument and a melodic instrument. All three have a melancholic character. It is a classic combination within a post-Romantic or Impressionist context.

Score Presentation - There were a few moments that could have been improved, such as the bassoon’s entry in that very high register, by using the tenor clef. 

Instrumentation/Orchestration/Playability Here, once again, there are a few moments where I think it’s worth reviewing the characteristics of the instruments. The bassoon’s entry in that very high register will be quite difficult to play at mp (mezzo-piano). The same goes for the flute; in those registers, it either sounds forte….

Execution of Given Challenge - I think the composition captures it very well.

Taste - It’s not surprising, but it’s entirely appropriate and pleasant.

Avg: 8.8

I think you nailed the challenge with this, the mood in my view really captures the image / scene. I know I marked you down for harmony, and normally for a mood piece like this it wouldn't be a big deal. However perhaps you could have implemented even just 1 transition (from early morning to mid morning), especially on a 5 minute piece. Other than that though, this is a very beautiful musical scene!

On 5/24/2026 at 3:43 AM, Luis Hernández said:

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

Average Score: 7.8

Review:

Melodies/Themes/Motives - The motifs are pleasant, although one in particular dominates the entire piece and could perhaps have been explored or varied a little more. However, in the second movement there seems to be more variation, and the result is effective and satisfying. 

Harmony/Chords/Textures - The harmony is straightforward and seamless; it comes across as complete even when carried by horizontal melodic lines, which is a real plus. The texture is very clean. 

Form/Development/Structure/Time - Good.

Originality/Creativity - The combination is very well balanced, featuring a bass instrument, a polyphonic instrument and a melodic instrument. All three have a melancholic character. It is a classic combination within a post-Romantic or Impressionist context.

Score Presentation - There were a few moments that could have been improved, such as the bassoon’s entry in that very high register, by using the tenor clef. 

Instrumentation/Orchestration/Playability Here, once again, there are a few moments where I think it’s worth reviewing the characteristics of the instruments. The bassoon’s entry in that very high register will be quite difficult to play at mp (mezzo-piano). The same goes for the flute; in those registers, it either sounds forte….

Execution of Given Challenge - I think the composition captures it very well.

Taste - It’s not surprising, but it’s entirely appropriate and pleasant.

For the Bassoon, I get your point, however, in the Rite of Spring, Stravinsky has the Bassoon start on a high F at mezzo-piano and in the “Kiss of the Earth” section, he has it hold a high E for three measures at piano. So, it is possible.

Ah yes...the infamous bassoon passage form the rite of spring. That did not go well.

3 hours ago, Kvothe said:

Ah yes...the infamous bassoon passage form the rite of spring. That did not go well.

Also for @Luis Hernández bringing up the instrumental issue, I think Stravinsky intentionally used the high register of Bassoon for that nasal timbre, which works really well for being the “Augurs” of spring in the introduction and for later movement. I think Stravinsky works really well there. I don't think it's hard for Bassoonist to play mp in high register, since in the high register it’s easier for them to play mp than f, given the nature of double reed instruments (same for oboe and cor anglais.)

Henry

Yes, he did!

9 hours ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

Also for @Luis Hernández bringing up the instrumental issue, I think Stravinsky intentionally used the high register of Bassoon for that nasal timbre, which works really well for being the “Augurs” of spring in the introduction and for later movement. I think Stravinsky works really well there. I don't think it's hard for Bassoonist to play mp in high register, since in the high register it’s easier for them to play mp than f, given the nature of double reed instruments (same for oboe and cor anglais.)

Henry

Mozart also did it in the Marriage of Figaro overture. Around measure 217 (my score of that doesn’t have measure numbers so I might have missed counted) with the Bassoon playing the melody, up to a high G at piano.

@BipolarComposer

Hello, perhaps I didn’t explain myself clearly.

I didn’t mean that the register is too high for the bassoon in that passage, but rather that in such high passages, the part is usually written in tenor clef.

4 hours ago, BipolarComposer said:

with the Bassoon playing the melody, up to a high G at piano.

I remember it's high B?

Average Score: 8.25

BipolarComposer. Great job overall, my friend. You've depicted what you were aiming to with this one. Very Ethereal and mysterious sounding, just like a large still lake in the early morning on a cloudy day with a layer of mist rolling over the top of the water, is what I was able to imagine. I agree with pretty much all of the suggestions that have already been made to take this score to the next level, should you decide to continue editing after the competition.

Thanks for your submission!

Keep Composing!

-Unc

Average 7.4

Brought me back to old fantasy games! But overall, not much going on, and because it just kinda sounded like old fantasy game soundtrack, I wouldn't say it's particularly original. But I liked the nostalgic trip, so thanks for that

After reviewing eight of eleven contributions to the contest, there are now three ones remaining which challenge me the most. That are the ones of @InstrumentalistElle , @BipolarComposer and @HoYin Cheung . The reason for this is that they have so much in common, both in terms of their qualities and their style and mood. Since my comments would hardly differ, I have decided to copy and paste passages verbatim, which I will therefore highlight in blue, while my individual thoughts are written in the standard color as usual.

With your submission(s), you have presented compositions that best meet the expectations one might have given the “Landscapes-Soundscapes” challenge: Pieces that depict a landscape as a “still life”, utilizing every conceivable timbre of the instrumentation, blending, etc., to create true “program music”. When listening, one can easily imagine a scenery from the nature: clouds, trees, a quiet lake or sea, a sunset etc. All this has been executed very well.

On the other hand, the piece(s) are sometimes hard to memorize because there is few or even no thematic material in the sense of a recurring melody that is developed throughout the piece, giving it its own unique and memorable character. In fact, to be honest, as I listened to them in a loop —which is exactly what I did during a walk to familiarize myself with all the submissions—I sometimes thought the next section was coming up in the first piece, when indeed the next one had already begun. So I could imagine that this kind of music would work well as “ambient music”, for example, a CD someone might listen to at night if they have trouble falling asleep.

Melodies Themes Motives:

The motivic or thematic material of the piece(s) is used primarily to create a „soundscape“ depicting the certain scenes or images, such as the clouds, trees, mountains etc. However, the motifs are pleasant and simple, thus producing an impression of a never ending melody.

Harmony Chords Textures:

The harmonies emphasize the tranquil character of the piece. There are no surprising modulations or tonality changes.

Form Development Structure Time:

The composition is not in a specific traditional form, the different sections or passages could be considered as „episodes“ or different „pictures“ of the entire imagery, which is fine for a piece intended to portrait a certain scenary from the nature.

Originality Creativity:

The creativity and originality clearly arises from the way how the different motifs create „sound snippets“ which finally draw the „soundscape“. While the somewhat repetitive character of the piece does not produce enough memorable impressions to ultimately create a sense of „uniqueness“, it is easy recognizable for its unique instrumentation.

Score Presentation:

The score is easy to read with no engraving issues.

Instrumentation Orchestration Playability:

The choice of instruments—the oboe and bassoon combined with the harp—gives the piece a mysterious and ethereal atmosphere that perfectly captures the image of a morning when a light mist hangs over a still lake.

Execution of Given Challenge:

You have clearly mastered the challenge of the contest with excellence, creating an inner imagery for the listener with your „soundscape“ that depicts the „landscape“ as described by the posted picture. And the term “soundscape” perfectly captures the nature of the piece.

Taste:

It's very nice for relaxing, though I prefer music that focuses more on thematic material and form (perhaps that's why I'm more of a fan of the Baroque or Classical periods than the Romantic one).

Average Score: 8.125