Diversion in D

This is the first movement of a string quartet which I plan to complete with two more movements (the third of which I've already begun). This is in fairly simple sonata form. The first theme is fairly straightforward, while the second is a bit more complicated, an experiment in using two keys at once (D and F on top of each other). It then has, of course, a development section, and a recapitulation. Thank you for any comments and criticism you can provide.

(I have provided both a midi and sibelius file, for convenience's sake)

String Quartet in D Major 1.mid

String Quartet in D Major.sib

hey, just a few things i observed i examining your piece;

1. I felt that the very first note left me wanting, and as it turned out you used a DM in 2nd inversion which is just about the most unstable inversion there is for a chord. however if you were to move the cello note from the A to the D not only would it feel more sonorous but you'd have a delightful contrary motion happening.

2. all the parts seem to stay stacked in thirds and fourths, a comon tool in orchestration is to use sixths between first and second violins in order to allow them to more independently be heard

3. your chord progressions in there entirety were a little on the predictable side, perhaps the use of some "deceptive" resolutions and cadences would add a little unpredictability to your progressions while maintaining your mostly late classical feel

4. and now my absolute favorite part, the surprise Bi-Tonality, a really well executed use of it as well, something to note however about Bi-Tonalities is that one tonality always takes dominance and the other is submissive, the good news is that D is submissive to F and the color created is just wonderful.

5. the Bi-Tonal section seemed to beg my ears to go faster. perhaps make the dotted quarter=quarter in measure 38 or so and go back to quarter=108-ish at around 54

6. all i have left to say is that the complete lack of a cadence at the very end of the piece was increadably upsetting and a little un-nerving, perhaps a N6-V7-I cadence would be appropriate for the feel of the peice.

overall though a well written piece, i hope this was helpful, and i look forward to hearing your future submissions. good work.

My first impressions (I don't have Sibelius so I can't access the score):

Please, if you can, change the sound patch for your instruments. They sound, uh, something terrible, let alone anything near a violin, viola and cello.

The melody is very promising. I wish you'd develop it more coherently.

You could pull off the shift from your strictly tonal theme to polychords and dissonance better if you incorporated a bit of the latter into the chords of the first theme, and in the development played around with that theme in the same tonal manner you presented it in.

The violin, viola, and cello all have much, much larger capabilities and ranges. I hardly even hear you going to the E string on the violin. I'm a violinist, and I could probably play most of what you've written for it at least two or three octaves above. It would make it so much more interesting if you worked with that a lot more.

Keep it up - with work (and hopefully private instruction by a composition teacher), you will develop into a very good composer! :P