Dear October... | Letter for Piano Quintet

Hello Everyone!

I am here to share my newest work titled "Dear October...". Commissioned by my sister for the use in her wedding, this short work is has become a personal favorite. It had to be short for timing use during the ceremony, however, I find myself bleeding to write more. This said, if you want to find out more about the work, go to page 3 and read the "About" section.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post, view my score and take a listen!
(If you have any comments, both good and constructive, drop them in the comments!)

Chmbr- DearOctober.pdf

Congratulations to your sister on her upcoming wedding!!
She is sure to be so happy to have a sibling who can write such a wonderful piece of music for her.
Above all, the fact that she asked you herself truly shows the deep trust between you two.

This piece is lovely, and I can really feel how much thought and care went into creating it.
Also, regarding the A-flat around 1:28, hearing that note appear within the overall diatonic harmony, and then watching it resolve, felt like it was telling a story. It was memorable.
I think it’s wonderful how it emerges without being too jarring, maintaining the calm and gentle atmosphere of the piece.

As for the length, I personally feel that this shortness has its own story, fitting beautifully for a wedding.
Sometimes, a length where you feel inspired to add more, and the listeners wish they could hear just a little bit more, is right.
Of course, that is just my personal opinion.

It really is a beautiful piece of music.

Best,

Lithl.

This is such a wonderful piece...I agree with the above comment about the length of the piece. It's the perfect length for the occasion - the piece itself feels like it's telling us a story, but it's just a beautiful beginning (again, perfect for the occasion).

Your treatment of the strings and the way they interact with the piano taught me a lot. When you pass the melody, it's not jarring, but we'll thought out and smooth.

I'm sure your sister and her fiance will love the piece. Bravo!! 👏🏾

6 hours ago, MK_Piano said:

Hello Everyone!

I am here to share my newest work titled "Dear October...". Commissioned by my sister for the use in her wedding, this short work is has become a personal favorite. It had to be short for timing use during the ceremony, however, I find myself bleeding to write more. This said, if you want to find out more about the work, go to page 3 and read the "About" section.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post, view my score and take a listen!
(If you have any comments, both good and constructive, drop them in the comments!)

I'm so glad that I was given access to this score as it progressed, via DMs. Oh how much it has changed since you presented it to me, and in so little time!

There was One point of contention that I had about this that I wasn't able to flesh out to you, when I heard it. And it's not that it's anything incorrect or bad per-say, just something that no matter how many times I listened back to it, it just never sounded right to me.. lol

if you'll refer to b.26-27, where you chromatically move the harmony and chord progression down, and in b.27, the last 2 beats are on 1 (A maj.)...
Something about the transition between Fdim/G# to (I think this is G#m7/F#?) just feels jarring, to me, and comparing those two chords to the rest of the piece, I feel, personally, that it stands out in a not-so-smooth kind of way.. So, below, I have written out a version that I think would help it, in my opinion, to sound less jarring and more smooth, without changing anything too drastically, and have also attached an MP3 for sound reference. (for the ease of comparison, this moment happens at about 1:28 in the original audio above).

In my example, I've, instead of going to the chord you'd written, I just pivoted Fdim/G# > G#dim > A Maj > E Maj
G#dim being the only change applied, here, along with a change in the viola's harmony.

Overall though, I LOVE this score, and what story that you were telling with this one. It really hit me in the chesticle, in a great and relatable way. Had me over here reminiscing over things in my past, and longing for what I no longer possess.. Which, while that's saddening to me, it's what the essence of this whole music thing is about... creating art that is able to illicit that in someone is just an amazing thing, don't you think?

-Unc

Sorry, @MK_Piano Made some edits to that comment to be more correct and concise. Might want to read it again xD

8 minutes ago, UncleRed99 said:

I'm so glad that I was given access to this score as it progressed, via DMs. Oh how much it has changed since you presented it to me, and in so little time!

There was One point of contention that I had about this that I wasn't able to flesh out to you, when I heard it. And it's not that it's anything incorrect or bad per-say, just something that no matter how many times I listened back to it, it just never sounded right to me.. lol

if you'll refer to b.26-27, where you chromatically move the harmony and chord progression down, and in b.27, the last 2 beats are on 1 (A maj.)...
Something about the transition between Fdim to A Major just feels jarring, to me, and comparing those two chords to the rest of the piece, I feel, personally, that it stands out in a not-so-smooth kind of way.. So, below, I have written out a version that I think would help it, in my opinion, to sound less jarring and more smooth, without changing anything too drastically, and have also attached an MP3 for sound reference. (for the ease of comparison, this moment happens at about 1:28 in the original audio above).

Overall though, I LOVE this score, and what story that you were telling with this one. It really hit me in the chesticle, in a great and relatable way. Had me over here reminiscing over things in my past, and longing for what I no longer possess.. Which, while that's saddening to me, it's what the essence of this whole music thing is about... creating art that is able to illicit that in someone is just an amazing thing, don't you think?

-Unc

To have the ability to say what I desire in so few words is something I strive to do. To put into words my exact feelings of this work seems a little daunting. While made for my sister, I find myself feeling selfish as even I feel a romance within the music. My hope now, is that you and others feel the same sense of connection I do.

Thanks for the comments Red, I thought the voice leading was fine, and I couldn’t exactly remember what I wrote seeing your new example on the first read through. So after some back and forth, I realized there was a voice leading issue with the viola as it lands on the wrong pitch and breaks the stepwise pattern in bar 27 (I believe).

I’ll take your suggestions into consideration as I amend the viola mistake. Thanks again!

1 minute ago, MK_Piano said:

To have the ability to say what I desire in so few words is something I strive to do. To put into words my exact feelings of this work seems a little daunting. While made for my sister, I find myself feeling selfish as even I feel a romance within the music. My hope now, is that you and others feel the same sense of connection I do.

Thanks for the comments Red, I thought the voice leading was fine, and I couldn’t exactly remember what I wrote seeing your new example on the first read through. So after some back and forth, I realized there was a voice leading issue with the viola as it lands on the wrong pitch and breaks the stepwise pattern in bar 27 (I believe).

I’ll take your suggestions into consideration as I amend the viola mistake. Thanks again!

Always happy to be apart of what you create. And Vice-Versa. :)