Requiescat for soprano, oboe, piano + str.x4

One of a group of pieces I dashed down after being inspired by Oscar Wilde's poetry a couple of years ago. Submitted it for my year 10 composition. Nearly failed.

I can't quite see how it's that bad. Can I perhaps have a little criticism on it?

mp3: requiescat - eSnips, share anything

(recorded the day I wrote it. I was 15, I think, which is why I sound like a boy soprano. I still do, sort of. Odd story: every time I tried to play it back, after the first bar everything turned to oboes, so I turned it into a synth effect for this recording alone.)

Not quite sure how to make up a downloadable score. Help?

Tread lightly, she is near

Under the snow,

Speak gently, she can hear

The daisies grow.

All her bright golden hair

Tarnished with rust,

She that was young and fair

Fallen to dust.

Lily-like, white as snow,

She hardly knew

She was a woman, so

Sweetly she grew.

Coffin-board, heavy stone,

Lie on her breast,

I vex my heart alone,

She is at rest.

Peace, peace, she cannot hear

Lyre or sonnet,

All my life's buried here,

Heap earth upon it.

req.mid

req.sib

This is something fresh in this site. Or at least something I haven't heard since I came here. The influence is obviously new age, perhaps secret garden (which I don't like) but your music had a nice charming melody line which kept my interest to the piece. The piano line was not very inventive but strangely it blended well with the music. You certainly not expect a bravura piano playing with this kind of music. With a proper mixing and with better instrumentation this piece will be wonderful. Consider using bagpipes, or Northumbrian Pipers, I had the feeling while listening to this that it will suit nicely to the music.

Thank you for your kind comments! I am afraid I have to admit that the only influence that I can see now was, at the time, a preoccupation with modulation to the relative minor via the IV chord. I wrote 3 or 4 compositions entirely the same, but the ^above is the only one I even tried to orchestrate. And then didn't even get that far.

I am afraid that I don't actually know to new age music. Um. But yes, the piano part was basically to reinforce the chords because I think I hadn't even sat piano grade 1 back then. Bagpipes? Very inventive! But if new age/celtic is the direction which you sense, then perhaps I shall experiment.

Thank you!

Sometimes the strings seemed a little haphazard in the midi, but the mp3 sounded better. Besides, that it reminds me of Secret Garden a little, as well as perhaps LotR/Chronicles of Narnia soundtrack-ish.