First Post: Sinfonia in C minor

Hi everyone. This is my first post, but not my first composition. I think this site is great and there are some very talented composers here. I would like some feedback on my composition.

A little bit about this piece: It took me about two weeks to finish it and it's in sonata form with a slow introduction.

Sinfonia in C minor.mid

Ok, I will give it to you.

1. ok, first of all... a sinfonia (usually) was a term used by Bach to describe his three part inventions. In what context were you trying to use the title?

2. Very nice opening section. It could have a little bit more singularity to the instruments themselves. You seem to havea very choral sense of strings. And that is all fine and good, but sometimes it is nice to hear some counterpoint.

3. At 23, those notes were a little long.

4. At the second section, GREAT singularity to the strings. I take back what I said in #2 for this part, but not for the opeining section.

5. Those notes for the viola throughout the piece are very professionally ranged. Don't let an amateur try and play those!

6. The rest of the piece was fine!

Cool! Thanks for the advice.

I chose to call it a sinfonia because, well, I didn't know what else to call it. I wrote the piece before I came up with a name. I guess I was thinking of the string sinfonias by Johann Christian Bach and Mendelssohn and then I checked a music dictionary and one of the definitions of "sinfonia" was "a small symphony", so that's why I called it a sinfonia. Is there another name for this piece that would be appropriate?

I also didn't realize that the notes for the viola were so professionally ranged. Oops! I play violin and I used Sibelius to compose so all I did was compose the viola part like it was a violin part. Basically, the notes were fine with me unless they didn't turn red to show that they were too high or too low.

Ok, I will give it to you.

Those notes for the viola throughout the piece are very professionally ranged. Don't let an amateur try and play those!

I'm a rank amateur on viola, but this doesn't look that hard to play. I would think that the "Eb" at the top of the staff on treble clef, though no fun for me, should be pretty easy for a reasonably competent amatuer.

Unfortunately, I am viewing with Finale so I can't see any dynamics or bowing indications (did you include them?) Finale opens up the viola part with a treble clef. You should score it in an alto clef and then perhaps change the clef at m.91-99 (and similar measures) to treble clef.