Search the Community

So after listening to Bach's Cello Suites and his Flute Partita, I figured I would do a similar thing but for bassoon. The fact that I am writing for bassoon is partly why I decided to start with an overture instead of a prelude(French overture if you want to get into the specific type based on speed pattern). That isn't to say that the slow section won't include some fast 16ths but I have been adding long notes as I see fit. I only have 13 measures so far, so I'm not thinking of uploading the piece yet. But I can only use the singing method for the alto range and low soprano pretty much(my natural soprano has gotten limited and squeaky over the years, and not because I overused my soprano so unlike before where I could easily sing up to a high G in my soprano, I can barely get a high C out) which means that as soon as the notes are in the range of a bass voice or a low tenor, I can't use the singing method to check for slur placement at all and in the soprano range, it isn't going to be all that accurate(Not that I would have the bassoon going into a soprano range all that often anyway). And I myself do not play bassoon, partly because the instrument, even at beginner quality is like $3000 worth. Whereas my beginner quality flute, I got for less than $100. That is quite the price difference between the cheapest and most expensive woodwind at beginner quality, excluding auxiliaries. If I did play bassoon at an advanced level, I could just write down the notes that I want without worrying about slurs, play the notes as written, and see where I run out of breath and how I naturally phrase it. The breath and phrasing together would determine where to put the slurs. But because I don't play bassoon, and I don't have a friend who I know is a bassoonist, this method won't work either. So if my vocal range is limited pretty much to alto and low soprano making the singing method not viable for bassoon and I don't play bassoon, nor know a friend who plays bassoon, how am I supposed to determine where to put the slurs in my Bassoon Suite?

Staying in Prague (which is in the heart of Europe), I used the Romani people and their culture as inspiration for this very short piece, that is in a dance-like character. I was approached by a Gypsy soothsayer whilst here, and this encounter inspired me to write music. The material is short and concise, and it borrows influence from Central European nomads as such. I'd love to hear your input and enjoy!

I use an electronic loop as an element to provide atmosphere although it's more chamber work than electronica. I've cranked up the piano click intentionally. If you are scratching your head after hearing this, 'that's different', or 'hmm', then I have succeeded.

I composed this trio(flute,oboe and bassoon) last year for a calls for score. I Hope you apreciate that! Unfortunatelly I don't have a live performance yet.

Hello, friends! I recently joined this forum, and this is my first post here. I have been working on this piece for a little while now to use in my college application portfolios. I would love to get some feedback on it, if anyone is inclined to listen and look at it. I will be recording it next week, so anything you have to say would be great.

Hello everyone. Can someone (preferably a bassoonist) attach a melody which is virtuoso level on the bassoon. I am interested in the limits and capabilities of the bassoon and I would like to know more about it.

Hello everyone, So this is the first piece I'm uploading in this forum. I tried to capture different parts of the Movie: Tonari no Totoro (My Neighbor Totoro), such as the general setting in the beginning, the soft rain that gets stronger and stronger, the appearence of this creepy cat-bus and finally the happy ending. Sheet in PDF is applied as well PLease enjoy and be honest ;)

Again, I was not sure whether this qualifies for the chamber music or the large ensemble category, but here it is. Powder Peony Waltz is a Viennese waltz written for whatever group of instruments I like (modified orchestral ensemble with ornaments in the form of a piano and celesta). I know that the transition between different keys is extremely awkward and chord progressions are not very fancy, but I was simply asked to write a quick small piece for dance class at my high school for their annual ballroom dance show. I intended to make this sweet, flowery, and light. Thank you for listening an enjoy!

So, I am a huge fan of some of the music that is starting to come out these days. I am very excited about one of the directions classical music is taking. There are several composers who represent this direction that I refer to. For so long (nearly a century) music withdrew from its romance with emotion, it withdrew from expressive melody and lush harmony, it withdrew from a tonal center and a lyricism. Few composers held to these ideas in music. Namely I can think of Samuel Barber as someone who wrote beautiful expressive music in a period where Schoenberg's 12 tone technique came to take over and rule the land. Now, it seems that we are beginning to come out of that phase. What I enjoy so much is that we are returning to the tenants of romantic era music without it sounding like romantic era music whatsoever. We have discovered something through the 20th century and it has influenced our 21st century romanticism. We are starting to embark on a journey of sounds and textures, uses for instruments not previously thought of, fusions of musical styles and traditions that result in incredible sounds all while staying true to what makes music music. One of the composers at the forefront of this and one of my favorites is Christopher Theofanidis. Most people know Theofanidis for his Rainbow Body and rightfully so. It is expansive, beautiful, meditative, exciting and brilliant. However, Christopher has written a new Bassoon Concerto and it is incredible. Don't think for a second that you know how he will use this instrument. At times he uses it almost in the way you would use a jazz saxophone solo other times it is used as if it is a pipe on a set of bagpipes and the orchestra is the drone. He gets so many uses and sounds out of the bassoon that I have never heard before. The soloist is incredible. His name is Martin Kuuskmann - first time I had ever heard of him, but he kills the interpretation of this piece. The piece starts out with a solo for the bassoon that reminds me of a local saxophone player that we have were I live. His name is Bobby Watson. One time I saw an outdoor concert where he played Amazing Grace. That saxophone solo wailed through the valleys of the hills and through and between the buildings of the downtown area. Then it is off to the races. The speed at which he plays and the attack on each note is incredible. The second movement is my favorite. The build is luxurious and beautiful. The concept is unique and visionary. In my opinion this could drag out forever and there would be no issue with it. The last movement is blistering and super exciting. The ending is also very unique. The only thing that was initially confusing to me was the fact that the bassoon doesn't finish the piece on the high note. Interestingly, it goes back down and fades out. It took my ear a few listens to get used to that part. Nevertheless, this is the kind of music and the kind of incredible ideas that I love seeing - thinking outside of the box. I love the harmonic language. I love the open exciting chords. I love the concepts with the bassoon. I love the melody and the direction of the piece. I love that there is incredible music being written now!

Instead of arranging a piece for a full band, I tried doing a slightly different style. Inspired by Adrian Quince, I had high woodwinds (oboe), low woodwinds (bassoon), saxophone, high brass (trumpet) and low brass (tuba). The ending still isn't completely final because I still am not sure what to do with it. Any feedback/suggestions? https://musescore.com/user/15379306/scores/3341871 small band piece.mid

Alto Saxophone Concertino No.1 in f minor ‘’Batterij’’, Opus 14 Dear reader / listener, I composed this concertino on the 14th of July for a national composition competition in Holland. The piece is about my black-out, which I had last school year. The composition is originally written for members of the Jong Nederlands Blazers Ensemble (Young Dutch Wind Ensemble) and me as soloist: Alto saxophone; oboe; clarinet in B-flat; horn in F; bassoon. Feedback would be very nice, because I have not received much useful feedback from the judges at the competition. Kind regards, Maarten Bauer (16). Nota bene about the video: We had to practise the composition in less than fifteen minutes, so there are some mistakes. In my opinion it still sounds better than when it is played by a computer.

A small lullaby thing I did for my Music Production (high school) class. The only objective was to produce a piece that will be exactly 2 minutes (my exceeds 120 seconds, but only because of the delay and reverb - I had to leave two empty bars for the sound to go down). I also tried to experiment with the harmony. It's a bit flexible, balancing between C major/minor and G major/minor. I just wanted to get out of the frame of choosing one key and using it's parallel or relative key. On the other hand, I do not want to write atonal music. Nymph's Sleep is written for two harps, glockenspiel, small string section (violoncellos and bassess), flute and bassoon, celesta, and synthesizers (bell synthesizers with a lot of delay). There is no score for this composition yet. Thank you for listening and let me know whether it's harmonically bearable - I did not study harmony yet.

When I'm composing for full orchestra, I often find that I have trouble writing parts for the Woodwind section. These are some of my favorite instruments as far as their sound goes, but I just can't seem to write very "elaborate" or "high quality" sounding parts for them. Any tips or tricks would be appreciated. Thanks!