So on a bright Summer Day - "From Nothing, to Something" submission

I finally finished! I thought we were supposed to adapt the poem to be sung, so that's what I composed. For voice and piano trio!

Attached is the link to the youtube video, as well as the pdf of the score and the mp3 audio.

So on a bright summer day.pdf

I will now view your entry for so on a bright summer day and as of listening to it, it initially sounded nice however, though there’s one thing you should be careful on slurring those 16th note, triplets should be slurred and under one bow

Also, you should be careful about using the sticcatisimo articulation it should only be used sparingly when you want a special effect of a very exaggerated staccato marking

Nice meter change into the 6/8 in key change as well

At times the music feels a little bit clustered. Also make sure you use dynamics more often especially around that later parts

Anyways, I was a string player. I’m going to harp on the string parts more harshly because I feel like there could be more that could’ve been done with the strings along with different techniques to be used in different types of Bowing

Anyways, it was a nice piece. The only two problems though is that the 6/8 section felt very clustered and kind of muddy and there were very little use of dynamics near that part as well

but it’s a very solid work though

I will now give scores and reasons for faults

average: 8.19

The harmony was a little basic, however though I may give you props to that key change

you should read up above about the orchestration problem, but I feel like the strings could do much more and feel free to experiment more

for taste, I rated it so low just for the purpose that it was a good piece on its own. It wasn’t that much interesting though to my taste, I couldn’t really find anything that stands out.

however, though this was a good quality production and I wish you luck and further competitions and your composing career

On 9/20/2026 at 6:52 PM, Fruit hunter said:

I will now view your entry for so on a bright summer day and as of listening to it, it initially sounded nice however, though there’s one thing you should be careful on slurring those 16th note, triplets should be slurred and under one bow

Also, you should be careful about using the sticcatisimo articulation it should only be used sparingly when you want a special effect of a very exaggerated staccato marking

Nice meter change into the 6/8 in key change as well

At times the music feels a little bit clustered. Also make sure you use dynamics more often especially around that later parts

Anyways, I was a string player. I’m going to harp on the string parts more harshly because I feel like there could be more that could’ve been done with the strings along with different techniques to be used in different types of Bowing

Anyways, it was a nice piece. The only two problems though is that the 6/8 section felt very clustered and kind of muddy and there were very little use of dynamics near that part as well

but it’s a very solid work though

I will now give scores and reasons for faults

MelodiesThemes Motives	Harmony Chords Textures	Form Development Structure Time	Originality Creativity	Score Presentation	Instrumentation Orchestration Playability	Execution of Given Challenge	Taste
9	6.87	8.2	8.8	9.2	7.2	9.8	6.5

average: 8.19

The harmony was a little basic, however though I may give you props to that key change

you should read up above about the orchestration problem, but I feel like the strings could do much more and feel free to experiment more

for taste, I rated it so low just for the purpose that it was a good piece on its own. It wasn’t that much interesting though to my taste, I couldn’t really find anything that stands out.

however, though this was a good quality production and I wish you luck and further competitions and your composing career

Thank you for the wonderful feedback! I believe I forgot to add dynamics at the end by mistake... :(

Dynamics and bowings are up to interpretation I guess

Entry:

Average Score:9.3

Review:

Overall, I did not notice any engraving issues on the score presentation. The only thing I would recommend would be to use expression sim. when there is the same type of articulation. That way, you do not have to write out the articulation for each note. The execution of the piece of this piece has meets the challenge. Each part is easy to read and playability. The creative and originality reflect the German lieder in tone and character. Hence while it unique to this contest, it original in the sense that melody and harmony and creative in the instrumentation and such. Homophony is the primary texture throughout this piece and sounds like chorale.

Hello @Matthew M,

this is a piece I enjoyed from the first measure on! This might be the case since you – as a fun fact – used the same first four notes (V – I – II – III) as I did in my contribution, while in another rhythm!

And there is just another similarity, you have set the poem to music and used an instrument – I suppose an oboe – as the substitute for the human voice.

Melodies Themes Motives and Harmony Chords Textures:

The piece contains wonderful melodic themes or motifs that are, on the one hand, memorable and recurring, and on the other hand are slightly modified or varied, so that the texture flows continuously and never becomes boring.

Form Development Structure Time:

I would describe the form as an „introduction“, followed by two „stanzas“ of the song (whereas it is the twofold repetition of the entire poem), and a „coda“. Before the poem is recapitulated, there is a beautiful modulation from G major to E major and a meter change from 4/4 to 6/8, so that the second “verse” has an even more brighter and cheerful mood than the first.

All in all, it’s a beautiful structure that makes the 4:15 minutes of the piece fly by seamlessly.

Originality Creativity:

The piece is original, creative, and memorable - not due to extravagant instrumentation or surprising effects, but simply because of its beauty!

Score Presentation:

There is one thing I noticed in the score. You have (nearly) not made any articulation or bowing markups using slurs throughout the piece – except in the soprano (or oboe) voice which is treated as the vocal part.

And furthermore, that voice - if it is really considered to be the vocal part - has a somewhat inconsistent usage of slurs and beams:

In vocal score notation it is important to distinguish whether a single syllable is represented by a single note or whether multiple notes are sung for a single syllable (i.e., a melisma). There are two possibilities:

• In older, classical scores eighths and sixteenth notes are notated with flags (not beamed) for a single syllable, but if there are multiple notes to be sung for a single syllable, those notes are beamed together. No slurs at all (except for quarter or longer notes).

• In contemporary music, beams are used to show the rhythmic pattern, regardless of the text. However, in that case slurs indicate whenever multiple notes should be sung for a single syllable (and nowhere else).

So, for example, in mm. 26-27 there should be only one slur in mm. 27 around the first two notes A and C denoting that there is a melisma on „love“ to be sung as two notes. In mm. 29 the first slur is correct, the second not. In mm. 30 no slurs at all. Mm. 31 is correct, two melismas. And so on (all according to „modern“ notation).

On the other hand, I would appreciate slurs for the other instruments to express articulation or bowing.

Instrumentation Orchestration Playability:

A „traditional“ instrumentation which is used effectively and does not show any playability issues.

Execution of Given Challenge:

Even if you did not stress on depicting the different moods one could read from the three stanzas of the poem, you have nailed it, to evoke imaginations of a summer’s day, beauty and love. Well done!

Taste:

A beautiful, calming piece which never gets boring, even after listening to it multiple times. Moreover, the longer I listen to it, the more subtle details I conceive.

Average Score: 9.5

Hi Matthew,
Welcome to the forum and I'm glad to see another M-based name around here! It is wonderful to engage with other composers and I am very excited to see others participate in an idea of my creation. Thus, let's get right into my review! However, some things to address first:

I am attaching an annotated PDF of your score with some comments. I do not have the time to sit down and do a thorough analysis, thus the feedback is aimed at the engraving and surface level details. However, I will elaborate my thoughts both on the annotations and the music here over the course of the comment. Please find the attached PDF at the end. Thanks!

GENERAL COMMENTS:
To start, your understanding of the ensemble is not quite right. It is not voice and piano trio, instead it is Soprano and Piano Quartet. Any piano ensemble INCLUDES the piano with the number of instruments. Piano Trio = Piano+Violin+Cello | Piano Quartet = Piano+Violin+Viola+Cello | etc.

ENGRAVING:

Next, I wish to address the numerous engraving mistakes in the score. The biggest being rest placement, dynamic placement and the spacing of the vocal text. These are annotated on the score, so please refer to the PDF to see exactly where and what I mean. To add, please ensure to add a double bar line when using key changes, and please restate the tempo when changing time signatures! A dotted quarter note and regular quarter note are NOT the same and you need to specify the change. As you did not in the score, it is confusing currently.

Also, how come the articulations for the vocal line and instruments are not the same? There are spots where the violin and soprano are identical or state the same gesture over the course of the work, however they do not have the same articulation. I would consolidate and make sure the instruments also have the same articulations when they state the melody. Speaking of Melody, @Wieland Handke is correct with the writing of the text. You need to ensure there is at least one pitch for EACH syllable. A syllable can be sung over multiple notes, but two syllables CANNOT be sung in one note duration. An example would be measure 22, beat 3 with the word "Partner".

MUSIC:
The main issue with the music is how dense it is. You use all instruments constantly over the runtime of this work. There is no change, almost no instrument drops out for a long time, instead, it is just sound, sound, sound! What would immediately create variety is changing this. Drop out the piano, drop out the strings, and use other combinations. As is, because of the density, the voice can get overpowered quickly. If you wish to make the voice stand out, then make the accompaniment simpler or less active. If you have sounds going the entire time, then it beckons the question what is special? What needs to be heard?

If you use all instruments all the time, then it makes them all less unique. Instead, if you were to reserve an instrument or chord progression for a particular moment, then you heighten its effect when heard! To add, changing who is playing the melody or doing the accompaniment is another aspect to look at. Lastly, spreading out the ranges of each instrument could be good as currently, I feel their ranges are all close and can lead to some pitch clashing if played live.

Keep this as some food for thought going forward.

To end, the recording is a little skewed too. I would not use the Violin, Viola or Cello Section soundfont for the singular instrument in MuseScore. It makes the strings sound way too lush and resonant for what a singular instrument can do. Consider changing it to be the solo soundfonts instead. If the violin sounds too whiny or slides too much, use a sound flag or text field to change the playing to "Ordinary".

Good work, and we'll be eager to see what you make next!

M. McAlister - So, on a bright summer day [ANNOTATED].pdf

1 hour ago, MK_Piano said:

Hi Matthew,
Welcome to the forum and I'm glad to see another M-based name around here! It is wonderful to engage with other composers and I am very excited to see others participate in an idea of my creation. Thus, let's get right into my review! However, some things to address first:

I am attaching an annotated PDF of your score with some comments. I do not have the time to sit down and do a thorough analysis, thus the feedback is aimed at the engraving and surface level details. However, I will elaborate my thoughts both on the annotations and the music here over the course of the comment. Please find the attached PDF at the end. Thanks!

GENERAL COMMENTS:
To start, your understanding of the ensemble is not quite right. It is not voice and piano trio, instead it is Soprano and Piano Quartet. Any piano ensemble INCLUDES the piano with the number of instruments. Piano Trio = Piano+Violin+Cello | Piano Quartet = Piano+Violin+Viola+Cello | etc.

ENGRAVING:

Next, I wish to address the numerous engraving mistakes in the score. The biggest being rest placement, dynamic placement and the spacing of the vocal text. These are annotated on the score, so please refer to the PDF to see exactly where and what I mean. To add, please ensure to add a double bar line when using key changes, and please restate the tempo when changing time signatures! A dotted quarter note and regular quarter note are NOT the same and you need to specify the change. As you did not in the score, it is confusing currently.

Also, how come the articulations for the vocal line and instruments are not the same? There are spots where the violin and soprano are identical or state the same gesture over the course of the work, however they do not have the same articulation. I would consolidate and make sure the instruments also have the same articulations when they state the melody. Speaking of Melody, @Wieland Handke is correct with the writing of the text. You need to ensure there is at least one pitch for EACH syllable. A syllable can be sung over multiple notes, but two syllables CANNOT be sung in one note duration. An example would be measure 22, beat 3 with the word "Partner".

MUSIC:
The main issue with the music is how dense it is. You use all instruments constantly over the runtime of this work. There is no change, almost no instrument drops out for a long time, instead, it is just sound, sound, sound! What would immediately create variety is changing this. Drop out the piano, drop out the strings, and use other combinations. As is, because of the density, the voice can get overpowered quickly. If you wish to make the voice stand out, then make the accompaniment simpler or less active. If you have sounds going the entire time, then it beckons the question what is special? What needs to be heard?

If you use all instruments all the time, then it makes them all less unique. Instead, if you were to reserve an instrument or chord progression for a particular moment, then you heighten its effect when heard! To add, changing who is playing the melody or doing the accompaniment is another aspect to look at. Lastly, spreading out the ranges of each instrument could be good as currently, I feel their ranges are all close and can lead to some pitch clashing if played live.

Keep this as some food for thought going forward.

To end, the recording is a little skewed too. I would not use the Violin, Viola or Cello Section soundfont for the singular instrument in MuseScore. It makes the strings sound way too lush and resonant for what a singular instrument can do. Consider changing it to be the solo soundfonts instead. If the violin sounds too whiny or slides too much, use a sound flag or text field to change the playing to "Ordinary".

Good work, and we'll be eager to see what you make next!

Thank you so much MK_Piano! I saw the score comments you gave me, I agree with every single one. I was a bit sloppy with the score creation. For the sound, I did use a combination of the section and solo strings to smooth it out, but it still didnt quite get the sound I wanted. I see what you mean. I will take this information to improve my future compositions!